We started this week with an invitation to conduct a 'pre-interview' with ourselves before directing our focus and energy for 2026. This post deepens our reflection with an insight shared in our February State of the Industry Learning Event.

The Insight: Early last year*, Robert Coleman, Director of Services at OneOC, described two types of work that keep mission-driven organizations alive. The "blue music" is the mission itself—the reason everyone shows up, the inspiring work that fills the house with life. The "grey music" is operations—the infrastructure work that builds the house in the first place.

"You have to be both," Coleman explains. "The reason you're there, of course, is for the organization's mission. So everything that you do is for the mission. But you cannot survive as an organization, you cannot keep that mission alive, if you do not pay attention to the operations."

Here's why this matters for your professional development: most of us are drawn only to the blue music. We want to work on inspiring projects, transformational initiatives, visible wins. But the professionals who become indispensable understand the grey music—fundraising, grant writing, accounting, HR, professional development, measurement strategies.

When you volunteer, you often get access to "grey music" work that your day job doesn't expose you to. You see how organizations actually make decisions when resources are limited. You discover how difficult it is to measure training relevance when serving diverse needs. You learn that mission-focus and operations-focus aren't opposing forces—they're interdependent.

And perhaps you apply those lessons back at the office.

Coleman's challenge at OneOC illustrates this perfectly. They can't provide training that covers every nonprofit's specific mission—the blue music is too varied. Their training focuses on the grey music skills that every organization needs regardless of their particular cause.

The question for your career: Are you building capabilities only in your organization's blue music? Or are you developing transferable grey music skills that travel with you?

Reflection: What "grey music" skills would make you valuable to any organization?

*already?