Get the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Newsletter
How to Get Follow-Through Without Micromanaging with Gina Cotner [Episode 467]
Listen or watch on your favorite platforms
Episode Description
When you delegate work and it doesn't get done, a lot of nonprofit leaders either let it slide or take it back and do it themselves. The leaders who get real follow-through hand over full ownership, let people set their own deadlines, and check in with curiosity instead of blame.
Sarah invited Gina Cotner, founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services, whose team of executive assistants takes ownership of key processes and projects for busy leaders, to unpack how nonprofit leaders can get staff and volunteers to follow through on what they promised without hovering over them or doing the work themselves.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn
How Gina now runs her firm working 10 to 15 hours a week.
What Gina says right after handing off a project so the other person owns it.
How letting people set their own deadline leads to better follow-through.
What to do first when a deadline passes and the work isn't there.
How Gina holds volunteers to the same standards as paid staff.
Who This Episode Is For
• Executive directors who end up doing the work themselves.
• Leaders who want follow-through without constant reminders.
• Anyone who skips follow-up to avoid a confrontation.
• Executive directors who want their time back.
Links from this episode
• Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Newsletter: weekly tips for leading your nonprofit.
• Athena Executive Services
• Gina Cotner on LinkedIn
• Athena Executive Services on Instagram
• Athena Executive Services on Facebook
• Schedule a free call with Athena's client advisor
• Book Gina to speak or lead a workshop
• Listener offer: five additional hours of service in your second month when you hire Athena and mention Inspired Nonprofit Leadership.
• Sarah Olivieri's website
• Sarah Olivieri's Substack publication
Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don’t miss a single episode, and while you’re at it, won’t you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!
Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn.
© 2026