The following article has been written by a guest contributor. For more information on its author, Ryan Retartha, Senior Director of Strategy & Planning at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, please read the contributor’s bio at the end of the article.
In nonprofit and academic institutions alike, leadership often defaults to control. Ideas are filtered through committees, permissions are tightly managed, and progress slows under bureaucratic caution. But what if leadership was reframed: not as gatekeeping, but as creative stewardship? What if we led with possibility rather than precedent?
This is the heart of what I call The Culture of Yes: a leadership philosophy rooted in trust, alignment, and mission-driven experimentation. It’s a model that emerged from my early career in nonprofit arts management and has evolved through my work in higher education strategy and operations. Whether supporting faculty in a research university or guiding mission-driven professionals or creatives in a nonprofit, I’ve found the same truth: when people are trusted, they lead boldly.
But trust doesn’t begin with a catchphrase. It starts with structure: conscious choices about how we respond to ideas, how we share power, and how we balance ambition with accountability.
The Culture of Yes Framework
1. Start with Vision, Not Limits
Too often, proposals are evaluated through the lens of constraint: “We don’t have the budget,” “It’s not how we’ve done it,” “This might upset someone.” But mission-driven people aren’t just presenting ideas, they’re expressing a vision. That vision deserves to be seen.
Instead of leading with limits, ask: What would you want if resources were unlimited? When leaders begin with curiosity and allow a “cards on the table” discussion early, alignment comes faster, not slower. For example, when working with creatives and designers, I’ve always encouraged them to think as big as possible right from the start, instead of calibrating their asks to what was “feasible” or within the budget. Like it or not, those big ideas will eventually emerge, and the later they are introduced, the more time and money they will require. The result of encouraging big ideas? Creatives stayed engaged because they felt seen and put more trust in the manager or leader they’re working with.
Ideas are not budget items; they’re creative interpretations of purpose. Treating them that way creates a space where people lead from mission, not compliance.
2. Name the Emotional Dynamics
In both nonprofit and academic settings, identity and work are intertwined. Faculty, creatives, and purpose-driven staff tie their values to their artistic expressions and professional contributions. When ideas are dismissed without acknowledgment, it’s not just a rejection; it feels like a reputational wound.
Emotional intensity is not dysfunction. It’s devotion. As leaders, our role is to recognize passion as part of the currency of this work. When a faculty member advocates fiercely for a program, or when a staff member resists a change, it’s rarely about ego. It’s about meaning. By naming that dynamic, by validating it, we shift the conversation from defensiveness to partnership.
3. Build a Bridge of Trust
Trust doesn’t come from having the “right” answer. It comes from a visible process. If you want teams to take risks and share ideas early, they need to know you won’t disappear into silence or emerge later with decisions made behind closed doors.
Trust is built when we share our thinking, not just our decisions. In my work, I integrate faculty or creatives into every stage of planning work. I don’t just say “thank you for your input”—I say, “Here’s how we used it.” Transparency becomes habitual, not performative. And with every cycle, partners grow more willing to bring bold, even risky ideas forward. The excitement of possibility replaces fear of failure.
Giving collaborators agency—decision rights over their domains—also matters. Empowerment is not a perk. It’s a structural necessity for innovation. Too often, budget managers feel they need to be the ones to say “no” to a request or to choose the priorities based purely on time and budget. There’s a better way.
If resources are constrained and generating more is not feasible, why not let the creative or faculty member choose? Their choice might surprise you, and they leave the table feeling heard and seen in a way that will make it easier for you to say “no” later when you come across a scenario with no other option. This dynamic approach, which lets clients and creatives guide project decisions while being good stewards of the organization’s resources, is at the heart of The Culture of Yes and prevents “crying wolf” accusations from budget and technical managers.
4. Say Yes Responsibly
Leading with yes doesn’t mean being passive or agreeable. It means being truly collaborative. A responsible yes encourages exploration, even if the final decision is no.
Saying “Tell me more, how could this work?” signals belief. Saying “We’re not ready for this, but your idea matters” builds trust. And sometimes, a principled no is more respectful than a superficial yes that leads nowhere.
Good leadership designs mission-aligned options that honor constraints without crushing initiative. It’s the difference between “We can’t” and “Here’s what we can try.”
Authentic trust occurs when the person across the table is confident that you’ve done everything in your power to get to yes for them and accepts the rare times when a “no” is necessary.
5. Honor Both Creatives and Staff
In academia and nonprofit life alike, we often elevate visionaries while undervaluing the operators who make that vision possible. But every organization needs both. Faculty are stars; staff are infrastructure. One cannot thrive without the other.
Building a culture of yes means honoring both emotional labor and operational expertise. At its best, leadership recognizes how a brilliant researcher and a seasoned program coordinator are both essential to success, and each is worthy of dignity.
This requires flattening hierarchy in moments of collaboration. When planning a new initiative, include not just the high-level thinkers but the people who will run it day-to-day. In engineering terms, they’re “close to the metal”: they have the context and operational knowledge that may ultimately make the difference. That’s where creativity meets feasibility.
6. Lead with Curiosity, Close with Stewardship
Leadership is an improvisational act. No two decisions are the same. That’s why the best leaders begin each moment by asking, what does this moment require? —not “What’s the rule?” or “What did we do last time?”
Curiosity should not be limited to creatives. It belongs in the team meeting and the C-suite. Administrators and executives should approach their work as a creative practice: one rooted in values, responsive to context, and open to inspiration.
However, creativity must be balanced with stewardship. While faculty and creatives are often like independent contractors, they share the duty to responsibly manage the organization’s resources. This duty shouldn’t rest solely on managers. The creative role involves not only experimenting but also making decisions. The most effective choices are those that respect both the organization’s mission and the people and resources involved in upholding it.
Everyday Yes: What This Looks Like in Practice 
When I was leading operations in the executive education space, the culture of yes showed up in everything from course design to cross-campus collaborations. When a facilitator wanted to pilot a new program aligned with real-world consulting and executive coaching, we didn’t ask whether it fit our current structure. We asked, “What does success look like?”
When departments propose new initiatives, our first move isn’t to gatekeep; it’s to collaborate. Can we afford every idea? No. But when we say no, we do so with honesty, transparency, and suggestions for future alignment. This makes the no feel less like a rejection and more like a conversation.
In your organization, the same principle applies. When a staff member suggests a bold change, lead with belief. Even if you can’t approve it today, you’ve started a conversation that builds trust and invites leadership.
Yes Is a Strategic Choice
None of this is soft. It’s strategic. The Culture of Yes is not about being nice. It’s about being effective. It understands that ownership drives implementation. It recognizes that innovation only happens when people feel safe to try.
In times of complexity, such as budget pressures, shifting expectations, and competing priorities, it can feel risky. But in my experience, the greater risk is saying no too quickly. We don’t just lose ideas, we lose momentum. We lose morale. We lose trust in our stakeholders and leadership.
Leaders who say yes don’t abandon structure; they reimagine it. They make space for creativity without sacrificing long-term operational health. They develop a reputation for being unafraid to do hard things, which makes the entire organization more resilient.
Conclusion: Make Space for Possibility
Every mission-driven organization tells stories. Some are stories of “We swung for the fences and ended up with a sustainable solution.” Others are stories of “We didn’t even get that idea off the ground.” The difference isn’t just talent or resources, it’s culture.
The Culture of Yes is built on a belief that bold ideas have organizational value regardless of practicality, that experimentation is essential to progress, and that leaders succeed not by protecting past habits, but by creating space for new opportunities and relationships that can propel their work—and their organizations—forward.
So, here’s the challenge: Lead with vision. Acknowledge emotions. Build trust intentionally. Say yes wisely. Honor the people who carry your mission forward. And let stewardship, not control, guide your decisions.
Create the conditions for progress to emerge. That’s The Culture of Yes. In this moment of change, it may be the most powerful leadership tool we have. In a time when higher education and nonprofit leadership must adapt or recede, it may be the most strategic thing we can do.
Contributing author:
Ryan Retartha, Senior Director of Strategy & Planning, University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULTURE OF YES
Ryan Retartha serves as the Advisor to the Dean and Senior Director of Strategy & Planning at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, where he champions the College’s long-term vision and strategic initiatives. He leads a high-performing team in strategy, business intelligence, and institutional research, and is a trusted counsel to Mendoza’s senior leadership. His expertise in strategic planning, organizational development, and executive decision-making—shaped through a career in nonprofit and higher education administration—positions him as a driving force behind Mendoza’s transformation. Previously, Ryan advanced alumni engagement as Mendoza’s Director of Alumni Relations, earning national recognition from the Association of Business School Alumni Professionals.
Ryan’s career also spans operations and business development in executive education, as well as over a decade in arts administration with organizations including Yale Repertory Theatre, The Wolf Trap Foundation, Rice University, and the Goodman Theatre. A passionate educator and mentor, he has taught at institutions including Notre Dame, High Point University, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards and was named to the 2024 Michiana Forty under 40 list. Ryan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA in technical design and production management from Yale University.