For Non-Profit Organizations. By Douglas L. Mead, LCSW

Transcription

1 For Non-Profit Organizations By Douglas L. Mead, LCSW Georgia AGAPE, Inc.

2 Nonprofit organization seeks talented and visionary leader with program expertise; a passion for its mission; management and supervisory skills; and financial acumen. Position requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, including writing and public speaking.

3 The candidate must be able to effortlessly juggle multiple responsibilities, relationships and stakeholder interests and constantly wrestle with competing internal and external pressures all the while keeping both eyes fixed on the mission and bottom line.

4 The successful candidate will be responsible for closing a significant annual gap between the organization s financial resources and the work it hopes to do. The candidate must be willing to be supervised by a group of volunteers whose role is loosely defined and whose composition changes regularly.

5 In addition, preference will be given to candidates who: can run faster than speeding bullet points, Are able to leap tall obstacles in a single intervention, have a photographic p memory, always have a trick up their sleeve, can consistently get unanimous agreement on issues, have a special glow about themselves that magically inspires others,

6 and can be in two, and sometimes three, places at the same time, including on weekends and holidays. Although it need not be said, candidates obviously must have a strong back in order to effortlessly bear the constant weight of the whole organization. oga ato

7 It is recognized by nonprofit experts that many, if not most, CEO s of nonprofit organizations advance to the top spot initially with little on-the-job experience and any specific training in leading an organization.

8 The job of an Executive Director is a very complex job. We face many challenges of all kinds and need to make many judgment calls along the way. All of us, even the most senior and experienced, face challenging issues each year. Some issues catch us off guard because they are new to us. We all face new challenges, no matter how experienced we are.

9 It s been stated that the Executive Director is one of the most critical, if not the primary, factor to an organization s success and effectiveness. Without the right leader, few organizations every truly achieve what they can and should.

10 The Executive Director s position is an extraordinary job for courageous people. Executive Directors have a very BIG job!

11 The nonprofit CEO is someone who appears to effortlessly juggle multiple responsibilities, relationships and stakeholder interests while keeping both eyes fixed on the mission and bottom line. CEOs constantly wrestle with competing internal and external pressures.

12 The reality is that nonprofit leadership is one of the most personally rewarding yet professionally complex career opportunities to be found. It is not for the weak of heart. If you allow the nonprofit leader position to consume your life, it will. There is no end to the challenges and opportunities of being an ED..

13 The Executive Director is the temporary caretaker of the nonprofit. The board hires the ED, entrusting that the organization will thrive in that person ss care. We need to embrace this role respecting and honoring the trust placed in us by so many. We also need to know when it s timetomoveon to move on, to let someone else come in and be the temporary caretaker.

14 Recent studies of Executive Directors have revealed some alarming statistics. The average tenure of a CEO has declined to less than six years. The question is, why? According to the survey done by Daring to Lead in 2011, 31% of Executive Directors were on the job fewer than three years while 27% were on the job for 10+ years that is 73% on the job less than 10 years.

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18 It is true that nonprofit leaders don t, on average, last very long in their positions. Most tend to struggle with the complexity of the job. The paradox which is identified is that Executive Directors strive to make life better for others while they sacrifice their own family and personal life in the process. Other s lives get better, their own lives become increasingly difficult.

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20 Finding balance in the CEO role is often an elusive goal. In the Daring to Lead survey, 47% said they have work-life balance that is right for them while 39% said that they did not have a work-life balance that was right for them.

21 Question: How can we find new ways of managing and leading our unique organizations, develop strong systems in our nonprofit and find our own path to personal and organizational balance and thrive fully as a nonprofit leader?

22 Priority Matrix

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25 What I Can Control

26 When conceptualizing the CEO role as an art, I think of the subjective perspective of the way many do this work. Yes, basic concepts are accepted as part of what we know as best practices. However, the subjective part comes often in the finer aspects of how we fulfill the job. CEOship is an art because it is subjective on how the role is played out.

27 Being Successful as a CEO To be effective in the CEO role, we need to be clear what our role is, what role others play in the organization and how they all complement each other and fit together. We need to know thyself as Socrates and ancient philosophers have said. Not only do we need to be clear on our role, we need to make sure we have it right!

28 We need to be strong CEOs. We need to be confident, knowledgeable, competent and assertive in order to inspire others to follow our leadership and gain their respect. We need to be emotionally strong and emotionally intelligent, mature, secure, able to accept suggestions and take criticism of all kinds.

29 We Must Appear Confident and Strong to Others!

30 Being a successful ED is a learned experience over time no one starts out in the position as the perfect ED. The very big job of an ED requires an ongoing process of learning and development. We need to understand that it is not so much that we are not inadequate when we struggle with the job it s just that the position in enormous.

31 We will make many yjudgment calls in our role as CEOs. This does become somewhat easier as we gain more experience. Let s face it, even seasoned CEOs need to bounce off challenges with others and get support from others often.

32 Leader Visionary Credibility Competence Integrity Decision Maker Responsive Chief Spokesperson

33 Executive Directors are considered both leaders and managers. There are many experts who make a distinction between these roles. Both management and leadership skill are important for CEOs.

34 A manager focuses on efficiency, effectiveness and making sure the right things happen at the right time. Management is when one sets performance objectives with staff, prepares a budget, reviews cash flow projections, develops action plans, designs new communications systems and evaluates programs or fund raising as gstateges strategies.