What does it take to lead a creative organization where artistry, business discipline, and community impact must all coexist?

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney is joined by Lacey Huszcza, President and CEO of the Richmond Symphony, for a thoughtful and practical conversation on leading creative teams. Drawing from her experience as both a musician and nonprofit executive, Lacey shares how effective leadership in the arts requires fluency in both artistic and business languages, deep respect for creative professionals, and a clear commitment to alignment over consensus.

Throughout the episode, Lacey explores how leaders can navigate the tension between artistic ambition and financial reality, make difficult decisions when resources are limited, and build organizational alignment without requiring universal agreement. She also discusses the importance of authentic community connection, from commissioning locally rooted works to meeting audiences where they are, both inside and outside the concert hall.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• Balancing artistic integrity with financial sustainability

• Building alignment without stifling creativity or healthy conflict

• Engaging communities in meaningful, non performative ways

• Leading highly skilled, independently minded professionals with clarity and trust

• Creating space for creativity alongside systems and processes

This episode offers valuable lessons not only for arts leaders, but for any nonprofit or mission driven leader guiding talented teams whose work is deeply personal and purpose driven.

In this episode of Lead for Good, nonprofit strategist and executive coach Nancy Batterman shares a rich set of lessons shaped by more than three decades as a CEO and six years of coaching leaders across the sector. Nancy reflects on her early journey in special education, her unexpected rise to leading a large nonprofit organization, and the mentors who shaped her approach to leadership. She emphasizes how confidence, curiosity, and a strong commitment to personal development help leaders grow over time.

A major theme throughout the episode is the role of self awareness. Nancy explains how blind spots often hold leaders back more than any external obstacle, and she describes practical ways to identify and address these areas through assessments, coaching, honest conversations, and inviting feedback. She also explores how affirmations, reflection habits, and peer support systems help leaders overcome imposter feelings and build resilience.

Nancy also discusses culture building, decision making, and employee engagement. She shares stories from her own leadership tenure, including navigating the 2008 economic crisis, keeping teams aligned during high pressure seasons, and creating environments where staff feel recognized and valued. Her insights highlight that great leadership is both people centered and growth minded, and that leaders must stay grounded in curiosity, care, and consistent learning.

If this conversation resonates with you, or if you are looking for a place where nonprofit leaders learn from one another and share real life experience, check out Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership. Fulcrum brings executives together for peer learning, leadership development, and practical support that helps leaders thrive in their roles and strengthen their organizations.

Lead for Good Podcast: A Conversation with John Kozyra, CEO of Avera Health

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney sits down with John Kozyra, CEO of Avera Health in Nebraska. John is known for leading with clarity, compassion, and a long term vision for strengthening community health systems. His leadership has guided major growth initiatives, fostered strong local partnerships, and built a workplace where people feel valued and supported.

This conversation explores three essential themes for nonprofit and health care leaders:

Growth Strategies and Momentum How to recognize when momentum is strong or slipping, keep teams focused over long time horizons, and balance the pressures of innovation with daily operational demands.

Employee Engagement and Making People Feel Valued How to listen well, respond with honesty, create systems that capture real employee experiences, and stay approachable as an executive.

Community Engagement and Responsive Leadership How to listen to community voices, align programs with local needs, strengthen trust, and make presence and responsiveness part of a leadership culture.

Whether you lead a nonprofit, manage a health system, or guide teams through change, John’s insights offer practical guidance and inspiration.

If you find value in this conversation, please subscribe to the Lead for Good podcast and explore our other shows on nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and organizational culture.

🎙️ Thank you, Erin Rank, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, for joining me on the Lead for Good podcast! In this powerful conversation, Erin shares how her team used the Traction / EOS framework to clarify their vision, align around their core strengths, and strengthen both their leadership and their mission. Her insights on defining an organization’s North Star and building a culture of focus and accountability are lessons every nonprofit leader can learn from. If you’re exploring ways to bring more clarity and cohesion to your team, this episode is a must-listen.

🎙️ New Episode Alert! I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, for the latest episode of Lead for Good. Rod shared powerful insights on what it truly means to drive vision—not just setting direction, but creating alignment, sustaining culture, and leading with clarity and purpose through change. His leadership at Keck Medicine has helped shape one of the nation’s leading academic health systems while keeping people and mission at the center of every decision. If you care about leadership, vision, and purpose in action, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Thank you, Rod, for your thoughtful perspective and for leading with such authenticity and purpose. #LeadForGood #Leadership #Vision #HealthcareLeadership #KeckMedicine #FulcrumNonprofitLeadership

🎧 New Episode Alert: Lead for Good with Baron King, CEO of The CHATT Foundation

This week on Lead for Good, we explore what it truly means to lead with psychological awareness and empathy. My guest, Baron King, brings a rare combination of business acumen, clinical insight, and heart.

As CEO of The CHATT Foundation, Baron leads an organization dedicated to meeting the most basic needs of hungry, homeless, and vulnerable people—while helping them build a clear path toward self-sufficiency. His leadership reflects a belief that understanding human behavior is not just helpful in leadership—it’s essential.

In this conversation, Baron shares how his journey from retail management to psychology to nonprofit leadership has shaped his conviction that every great leader needs a psychological framework. We discuss:

• How to read the emotional pulse of an organization

• Ways to build resilience and safety through change

• Balancing empathy with accountability

• What it means to “walk with” people on the journey to independence

Baron’s perspective is both deeply human and powerfully practical—a reminder that leadership begins with understanding people.

Thank you, Baron, for an inspiring and insightful discussion.

🎙️ Tune in to this episode of Lead for Good to learn how psychology can transform leadership and culture from the inside out.

On this episode of the Lead for Good podcast, Corey Dantzler, the Executive Director of the Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center in Los Angeles, shares what leaders need to know when following a founder and how to lead with both respect and innovation. Corey has led the Center for years, guiding it forward after its founder’s passing and carrying on a powerful legacy of serving youth and families. Corey brings firsthand experience in what it takes to step into leadership after a founder, how to honor a founding vision while adapting to today’s challenges, and how to navigate the complexities of founder’s syndrome.

Today on Lead for Good, we welcome Dawn Reese, CEO of The Wooden Floor—a truly groundbreaking nonprofit that transforms the lives of underserved young people through dance, academic support, and family services. 💃📚👨‍👩‍👧 Under Dawn’s visionary leadership, The Wooden Floor has become a national model for arts-based youth development, with stunning results: 100% of students graduate high school on time and immediately enroll in higher education. 🎓✨ Dawn is not just a nonprofit CEO. Dawn is a fundraising CEO, a servant leader, and a champion for young people whose humility and empathy lift everyone around her. In this episode, we dig into: 🎯 What it means to be a “fundraising CEO” 🤝 Why servant leadership is vital in today’s nonprofit sector 💡 The biggest lessons Dawn has learned leading with clarity and passion This is a powerful conversation for anyone who cares about leadership, philanthropy, and impact. #LeadForGood #NonprofitLeadership #Fundraising #ServantLeadership #TheWoodenFloor #Podcast