At a professional development day earlier this year, Yeshiva University President Emeritus Richard Joel, one of my earliest and most insightful mentors, asked during an armchair discussion with me if perhaps we would be better off thinking of ourselves as “for purpose” rather than not for profit. 

The idea raises an interesting question: Why does the nonprofit field define itself by what it isn’t, instead of what it is? 

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It’s important that for-purpose organizations take to heart the ideas behind that question. The way to do that is by clearly elucidating what defines us and which values we hold dear; and then, making sure that our ideals, passion and purpose are woven into everyday interactions, projects and goals within the organization and reflected in the ways in which those of us who work there grow personally and professionally within that space.

In the for-purpose world, professional development isn’t — or at least shouldn’t be — just a tool to help staff members progress in their careers or improve their performance at work. Instead, it’s an opportunity for an authentic assessment of whether and how the day-to-day tasks of everyone in the organization, at any level, actively serve the underlying values and objectives that each organization strives to embody.

Align objectives with the mission

While many businesses have top-line financial metrics by which to judge how well they’re doing, nonprofit success tends to be a little harder to measure, which makes it tougher to determine both organizational growth and personal development.

In order to determine both sides of the growth coin — personal and organizational — it’s critical to start by defining the organization’s values and goals. This has the dual benefit of not just helping individual employees progress in their careers but also crystallizing the organization’s focus and making sure all team members are working toward the same broader objectives. 
In the for-purpose world, those objectives should, of course, be closely tied to the mission and values of the organization. They should remind everyone who works at the organization why they went into that space and help them grow their attachment to the organization’s purpose and mission. 

And goal setting need not just be about annual targets: it can be particular to an event or meeting as well. One practice that my former co-executive vice president, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, z”l, expertly navigated was to provide a Jewish and Torah-based framing to key gatherings, retreats and even board meetings, which not only inspired the participants but also grounded our work in the purpose and mission that infuse the organization.

Give critiques that reflect core values

An essential component of professional development is providing clear and consistent feedback to staff members. While some may shy away from criticism and others may forget to give kudos when things are going well, managers should be providing feedback both about areas that need improvement and areas of strength — as long as it is constructive and reflects the mission and values of the organization.

For example, religious organizations or charities that place a premium on kindness to others should be infusing those values into the way they train and manage the people who work there, putting people over process and fostering a culture of what columnist David Brooks refers to as “ethical leadership.” 

At the Orthodox Union, two of our core values are critical to this process: integrity and respect. While we enter the conversation wanting to share truth, we must do so with the respect that demonstrates that we value the person receiving the feedback and with the integrity to provide that feedback fairly, in a way that builds trust. Navigating these types of conversations with a conscious awareness that it’s our job to reflect the values that are key to an organization’s purpose is an opportunity to lean into that purpose while advancing professional development goals.

Be transparent while fostering transparency

Organizational transparency creates an environment that reflects the principles of many mission-driven organizations. For Jewish organizations, those principles can include the pursuit of making the world a more honest and just place. When organizations are transparent about their own job requirements, career trajectories and decision-making processes, they model the tenets they seek to foster in the broader community.

Take transparent requirements for hiring, promotion and lateral job moves. These make it easier for the organization to reach objectives in line with its values by clearly spelling out what candidates need in order to achieve those objectives. That transparency also makes it clear to individual candidates what they need to do if they want to succeed in a given role. The approach we are taking is to launch a career mapping initiative that describes four job levels at the organization, providing different paths for growth and the exact steps and skills employees need to advance in their careers. 

The transparency isn’t just top-down. Our recently launched “intrapreneurship” initiative, for instance, empowers a talented group of staff members to be transparent about the challenges in their own departments and share innovative solutions to create change. This creates a culture where transparency flows in all directions, coming both from the leadership and from employees. 

Tie training to purpose

Regular training sessions, conferences or retreats should be part of the professional development process so that employees can learn about new programs, projects, ideas or skills that serve the organization’s mission or improve the skills they already have. And as important as it is for employees to be recognized within the organization, it also provides significant additional validation to have an external credentialing system for professional development similar to continuing medical education in the health care field or continuing legal education in the legal field. 

One approach could involve partnering with universities to provide credentials for professional development sessions. This could help professionals qualify for other roles, within or outside the organization, while also providing additional validation of the seriousness of the profession. Such partnerships also help retain employees as they grow. They represent an opportunity to fuse professional growth with the values central to the organization and to spur new ways to achieve the organization’s purpose in the world — which is the ultimate path to a successful and rewarding career in the for-purpose world. 

It’s advisable to ensure that the training doesn’t stay in the realm of theory but rather has a practical application tied to the purpose of the organization. For instance, team-building sessions can be useful, but abstract theories are easily forgotten when they are not put into practice. One way to make the ideas stick would be to incorporate hands-on work on a mission-driven team project so that employees don’t just learn the theory but actually apply it in their day-to-day work lives while meeting the organization’s underlying objectives. 

Whatever the objectives and values of each for-purpose organization, it’s critical to remember that professionalizing the workforce isn’t just about bringing the professional development principles of the business world into the nonprofit sector. It’s about making sure the mission of the organization pervades all aspects of the job, so that its overarching purpose doesn’t just compel people to start working there but ultimately makes them want to stay — and grow.

Rabbi Josh Joseph is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union.