An interview with Maria Angelova
Reflect. Make sure to take the time to collect enough facts that you need to make a rational decision to understand the options you have and the consequences of each.
As a leader, some things are just unavoidable. Being faced with hard choices is one of them. Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. What’s the best way to go about this? Is there a “toolkit” or a skill set to help leaders sort out their feelings and make the best possible decisions? As part of our series about “How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Will Yang.
Will Yang is the Head of Growth at Instrumentl, an institutional fundraising platform that helps nonprofits find, track, and manage their grants in a single place. Their software saves users three hours a week and helps them apply to 1.5X more grants within a year.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My passion has always been in fostering growth and development in various endeavors. I started my career by co-founding an edtech company, Albert, with the goal of providing educational opportunities to many students. I oversaw leading and sales, customer success, and marketing teams and was able to help the company achieve significant revenue growth. After some time with Albert, I sought to assist another growing company and joined Instrumentl, a platform that assists non-profits and grant seekers in obtaining funding efficiently.
These experiences have given me a deep understanding of how to support the success of early-stage companies and promote growth on a global scale, always approaching my work with a focus on understanding the underlying “why” of each challenge.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There have been several times in the early years of my career where I’ve had some doubts about myself, but my family has always been confident in my potential and my capabilities. In a way, their support has helped me overcome my fear of failure and instead take them as learning opportunities that will eventually boost my confidence of knowing how to handle different challenges I encounter in the future.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Uncertainty creates a lot of instability around us. One way that I like to lead during difficult times is to be realistic and transparent about what’s going on in the company. While it’s good to stay optimistic because recessions are usually cyclical and are eventually followed by growth, being realistic helps everyone to stay on the loop of understanding the potential impact of their work. Additionally, it also allows for better management of expectations to develop the right strategies of executing solutions to hurdles along the way.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through challenges? What sustains your drive?
I’ve always enjoyed innovating and finding ways to perfect a process, so I’ve never considered giving up on a challenge when things going gets tough. Instead, I find my motivation in my persistence to seeing the growth from one’s stagnating development.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?
Most of the difficult decisions I’ve had to make is to make a chose between leaving a process as it is or to try and find a way to make it better. After all, why fix something that isn’t broken? Why change something that’s already working well for the company?
Everything around us is constantly changing — — and while I do realize that making constant changes is unnecessary, it’s always better to keep up to industry trends to make sure that we don’t fall behind and stay resilient.
What process or toolset can a leader use to make a choice between two difficult paths?
When I must make a difficult choice between two choices, I like to list all the pros and cons I could think of for each option and put them side-by-side. In making this list, I also get as much input from different departments to get a better picture of its impact to the company. By doing this, it’s easier to make a difficult decision and it also encourages employees to speak their mind on decisions that may negatively affect their work.
Do you have a mentor or someone you can turn to for support and advice? How does this help? When can a mentor be helpful? When is this not helpful?
I like to go by the saying “No man is an island.” Insights from different such as mentors, professionals, and even industry experts can help you paint a bigger picture that will guide you in making a decision that reaps the most benefit for the company. Additionally, while independently making your own decisions are great for personal development, it’s difficult to say the same if that decision will affect a lot of people — not just yourself. And so, having a mentor can be helpful in cases where a decision can put too much at stake.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader when faced with a difficult decision?
The most critical role of a leader when making a difficult decision is to be a level-headed leader. Emotions often run high when a person is faced with distress and leaders should be wise enough to take a step back and to assess the situation before reacting on impulse. Some of the ways a leader can do this is to self-reflect, effectively communicate, and make a choice that best serves the success of the organization.
Do you ever look back at your decisions and wish you had done things differently? How can a leader remain positive and motivated despite past mistakes?
There have been many cases that I look back at my decisions and thought of things that could have gone differently. After all, it’s a part of life for us to think of all the “what ifs” of each decision. However, despite realizing that I could have done better, one thing that I do that I believe other leaders should do is to have some empathy for yourself. When you’ve come to realize the fact that you’re just a person who inevitably makes mistakes helps you lead your team with compassion and understanding that everyone, as well as yourself, can rise up and own to these mistakes to become better people.
What is the best way to boost morale when the future seems uncertain? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team during uncertain times?
The best way to boost morale when the future seems uncertain is to lead with empathy and compassion. This includes offering resources and support to help your team members cope with all the challenges that they’re going through such as training, professional development, and comprehensive health insurance benefits. By prioritizing your team’s overall well-being, you ensure that they can mentally, physically, and emotionally perform at their best.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses or leaders make when faced with a hard decision? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Here are some of the most common mistakes I’ve seen when faced with a hard decision:
- Riding solo. Difficult decisions (especially those that affect everyone) should be dealt with carefully and with the input of others. Failing to do so can lead to decisions that aren’t well received and can hurt relationships with others.
- Focusing on short-term gains. Leaders should find the balance between short term and long-term success when making difficult decisions to ensure the company’s stability.
- Acting on impulse. Not fully understanding the consequences of an action before acting on it can lead to detrimental outcomes that the company may not be prepared for.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a leader should do when making difficult decisions? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Reflect. Make sure to take the time to collect enough facts that you need to make a rational decision to understand the options you have and the consequences of each.
- Seek opinions. Deciding solely based on your own judgment is risky — especially if this decision affects the whole team. Seeking opinions from colleagues and mentors can help you make sound decisions from various perspectives.
- Consider multiple options. Don’t just stick to one option just because you think it’s best. It’s important to weigh and consider various solutions to the decision you’ll make to make the best choice.
- Make a list. Once you’ve gathered enough information and insights regarding the situation, I find it extremely helpful to weigh the pros and cons of each option and put them side by side to compare the benefits and consequences of choosing one over the other.
- Evaluate the outcome. Your role as a decision maker doesn’t end once you’ve made a choice. As a leader, you should monitor and evaluate the outcome of your decision and be swift enough to make changes or adjustments when things go south.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life quote is “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” By John Powell. It realigned how I look at my previous mistakes and see them as learning opportunities for me to grow and become a better person.
How can our readers further follow your work?
You can connect with me on LinkedIn or follow Instrumentl’s work at @BeInstrumentl.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
Thank you for the amazing opportunity!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Will Yang Of Instrumentl On How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.