People-First Leadership for Nonprofits with Marisa Tran and Maria Rio

2025-07-22

Ever tried to juggle visionary ideas, tight budgets, and a team that spans every learning style under the sun? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria sits down with management coach and EDI powerhouse Marisa Tran (they/them) to unpack what “people-first, consent-based leadership” really looks like when you’re running a small shop. Marisa is an autistic, gender-queer, Irish-Vietnamese settler with 15 years of experience helping organizations clean up their HR, embed equity, and grow managers into actual leaders. Their superp...

Ever tried to juggle visionary ideas, tight budgets, and a team that spans every learning style under the sun? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria sits down with management coach and EDI powerhouse Marisa Tran (they/them) to unpack what “people-first, consent-based leadership” really looks like when you’re running a small shop.

Marisa is an autistic, gender-queer, Irish-Vietnamese settler with 15 years of experience helping organizations clean up their HR, embed equity, and grow managers into actual leaders. Their superpowers: workplace harm reduction, accessibility audits, and coaching folks who were promoted for being great at their job...but never shown how to lead.

Managing People – The Highlights

Performance talks should be boringly routine
Make goals and feedback part of every weekly or bi-weekly check-in so “the big scary review” never sneaks up on anyone.
Consent in management
LONG before performance reviews, work with the staffer to create a work plan and a check in cadence. Autonomy = trust.
Recognition isn’t one-size-fits-all
Annual raises matter, but some staff love public shout-outs while others want quiet affirmation or extra learning budgets. Ask, don’t assume.
Leaders own the misses; teams own the wins
When targets slip, step up and shield your crew. When they soar, hand them the mic and the credit.
Diversity of thought strengthens strategy
Pair big-idea generators with detail-oriented implementers and professional problem-spotters. Different brains, stronger outcomes.

3 Actionable Tips for Managing People:

Bake goals into your meeting agenda
Create a living doc or dashboard you revisit every check-in. Progress, blockers, next steps; nothing fancy, just visible.
Run a “How do you like to be celebrated?” survey
Five quick questions (think love-languages-at-work) will save you from that pizza-party flop and show staff you actually listen.
Track turnover like a KPI
Note tenure, role, and identities (where shared). Spikes in departures—especially among marginalized staff—are flashing red lights for culture repair.

Resources and Links