Keep Your Eye on the Mission at All Times. If you do, you will make better decisions and you will say “no” when you need to. You will be more effective in the long run, and that will be pleasing for everyone who cares about your mission.
Bonus: What Not to Do — Do Not Find a Bad Cop! I have seen this too many times to count. A Vice Chair who leans into the board about their fundraising commitment. A Deputy Director who institutes tough new HR policies while the ED is out of town. This is unfair to the “bad cop” and a clear sign of an ineffective leader. If you can't put on your big kid pants and make tough decisions, please reevaluate your line of work.
WHAT WAS THIS QUIZ REALLY ABOUT?
Think about what we have been talking about here. Have I mentioned anything about specific fundraising prowess, how often your board should meet, how effectively your organization measures success, or what role the audit committee should play in the development of the annual budget?
Nope. Those are skills. I wasn't talking about skills. I was talking about attributes. Because this is my pet peeve. Far too often, leaders are selected based on skills. “Well, David was the chair of the board of his alma mater — so he knows what the job is all about.” Does he? Does he have the right attributes to run a meeting and attempt to build consensus or the discipline not to roll his eyes when a fellow board member says something awfully stupid?
Attributes matter as much, if not more than skills. Attributes. Or perhaps given the roll we are on in this chapter, we should dub them superpowers.
THE FIVE KEY SUPERPOWERS
Dear Joan,
I chair the ED search committee for our organization, and we are in the final rounds with two very different candidates. One is well known in our community and would bring gravitas to our organization. He is known to be a great fundraiser; finance and management skills are not his forte and his background in media (our sandbox) slim. The other candidate is from corporate America, basically unknown in our sector, strong in our sandbox, known for strong management and zero fundraising experience.
Oh, and did I mention that we may not hit payroll next week? And that we owe a quarter of a million dollars to vendors?
Who should we hire … Help!
Signed,
Conflicted in the Boardroom
Trust me. Any search committee could have written this.
And it's not just a board dilemma.
It's universal to anyone inside or outside of an organization considering a move into leadership. Thinking about throwing your hat in the ring for a promotion at your school — you've been a teacher but never a fundraiser? Are you the COO who feels ready for the leadership gig? Are you a current board chair with no fundraising experience? Could you be an ED that won't admit to a soul that the balance sheet is total gibberish to you?
And it's a dilemma for current leaders, working to be the nonprofit leaders their organizations deserve.
A number of years ago, a statewide human rights organization had a similar dilemma. Hire the candidate with deep roots in the issue — well known in the community, strong media skills, and a fundraising track record.
The other finalist — no chops in the sector, not a fundraiser, came from the labor movement. You know, the movement where you need to get lots of people on the same page and then fight for what you believe in? A movement in which your reps have to trust you, allow you to lead — one in which relationship building is key?
They picked the labor candidate. This candidate grabbed the reins and the organization grew in scope and impact in very short order.
How did this hire get made?
Attributes may in fact be the true superpowers of leadership.
Someone on that search committee encouraged the group to consider the “chop‐less” candidate through a different lens.
Through the lens of key leadership attributes. And in my opinion, attributes may in fact be the true superpowers of leadership. (I know it might be confusing with all these numbers floating around, four superheroes, five superpowers, but math never was my strong suit.)
And yes, I have a list.
Conviction: As each of you knows, nonprofit leadership is no walk in the park. Hey, why should it be? You are moving mountains. But without conviction in the real promise of the organization, no one will follow your lead. When I coach clients who have been leaders for a long period of time, I often ask “Are you as passionate about the mission of this organization as you were when you arrived?” When I hear a pause of any sort, we talk about it. A lot.
Authenticity: Real leadership demands it. So too does fundraising. Because it is the foundational attribute of trust.
Ever been to a fundraiser when the head of the school, or board chair is talking to you but not looking at you and not listening to you? Rather, she is, but to spot the next donor on her list — you know, the one who gives more than you do. Icky right? Because there is nothing genuine about your interaction. I'm guessing the leader didn't ask you any questions about you and how you were doing.
Not authentic.
What does authenticity look like?
Working a room? Come on. I like to say that everyone is really interesting for at least 3–5 minutes. So, engage authentically, learn something, and maybe teach something.
Authenticity looks like admitting failure. Everyone makes mistakes, but a person who lives in the world authentically shares her mistakes, or values the role mistakes can make in becoming a more effective and productive organization.
Learn to Tell a Good Story: I drive staff and board clients mad talking about this. A great leader is a great storyteller. In the next chapter, I talk about this at great length, but it is absolutely critical and a key component of my coaching work with clients around commencement addresses and gala remarks. What kind of story? The kind of story that makes folks say “Tell me more.” or “Let me get out my checkbook.” or “Now THAT is a story I should write about!” or “Will you come talk to my congressperson?”
Have Fun; Be Funny: One of the reasons I started my blog (https://blog.joangarry.com) was that nearly every nonprofit resource was so damned serious. I get it. Saving the world is serious business. But that kind of intensity is unsustainable. You have to have a release valve. I find that behaving like an eight‐year‐old is often a very good strategy.
FIGURE 1.3 Aasun's other board.
So, we were in the middle of a board meeting and a quite serious discussion about the need for greater investment in technology. Our IT Director, Aasun Eble, who was indeed quite able, was giving a serious and dry presentation. Seemingly out of nowhere, the following slide appeared.
Aasun decided we should all meet his three poodles. The room became weak with laughter, but that is not the end of the story.
From that day forward, you did not give a board presentation