Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
nonprofit leadership
Nonprofit Leadership Initiatives Take 2
Jan 27th
I’ve been a part of many national committees aimed at improving leadership in the sector. First there was the Nonprofit Congress’s Leadership Working Group. As a committee we worked with a consultant to develop a booklet titled Work with Me: Intergenerational Conversations in Nonprofit Leadership. Unfortunately the committee dissolved along with the Nonprofit Congress.
Then there was the Nonprofit Workforce Coalition and spent a year working to develop a campaign to promote careers in the nonprofit sector. We hit a wall when we realized that funding for the campaign would take away from funding for our organizations.
The I joined the Next Generation Leadership Forum, a committee aimed at documenting and replicating nonprofit leadership best practices. This Forum was started by the Craigslist Foundation but also dissolved when continued funding could not be obtained for the forum.
Now — there is the Initiative for Nonprofit Talent and Leadership started by the Independent Sector and supported by many national nonprofit organizations.
The Initiative for Nonprofit Talent and Leadership aims to create a set of goals and strategies that will serve as the foundation for a national cross-sector effort to better prepare, train, and sustain leaders to constructively and collaboratively address the complex challenges our society faces.
I hope this initiative is different than the other forums and committees that I described above. I hope funders and the coalition members work to sustain this initiative long enough to influence leadership practices in the nonprofit sector. In addition, I hope this initiative builds on the work that has already been done to document nonprofit leadership best practices.
The White House’s views on Nonprofit Leadership
Nov 15th
The White House Forum on Nonprofit Leadership is going on today. In attendance at this invitation only event is the who’s who in the nonprofit sector. What’s being said at the Forum is nothing new, we’ve heard it many times by many different speakers at many different conferences, and in many different reports (e.g Daring to Lead, Independent Sector-NGEN Fellows Report, Commongood Careers Diversity Report, 2011 Employment Trends Report, YNPN National Report, etc.. For example, here are some of the tweets:
- @CGCareers It’s not just about the ED, it’s about every single leader in your organization. John Ryan at Center for Creative Leadership.
#nplead - @CGCareers ”If we’re not developing leaders FROM w/in communities, I fear that we will not actually solve pressing problems.- John Rice
#nplead“ - @RafaelLopez2 Disconnect b/w intent of
#nonprofit sector & practice real, esp around racial and gender diversity-@echoinggreen Cheryl Dorsey#nplead @StephenBauer: Because we have under-invested in nonprofit talent we are not benefiting from top talent – Melody Barnes#NPLead- @StephenBauer “Spriggs – How do we convince the public that human service infrastructure is worth investing in for our long-term sustainability?
#NPLead“ - @kcambell We need to add human capital when talking ab jobs infrastructure. Its more than physical capital, we need training & skills -Spriggs
#NPLead - @saif305 “Nonprofits contributed over $779 Billion to US GDP – American Urban Institute”Melody Barnes – WH Domestic Policy Council
#nplead @paulschmitz1: Dr. William Spriggs asst sec of labor, nonprofits 3rd largest employment sector after retail & manufacturing#nplead- @RafaelLopez2 “Nonprofits employ over 13.5 million people in US, 10%of the American workforce.
#nplead“
Yet, people are excited and acting like this is new information. I have come to the conclusion it doesn’t matter what is being said in the sector but who is saying it. Hopefully now that members of the white house are saying nonprofit leadership is important — things will really change and ALL funders and the general public will support nonprofit leadership, capacity building, and infrastructure. As I’ve said before the culture of the nonprofit sector needs to change. I personally am excited to teach Human Resource Management to nonprofit graduate students at Grand Valley State University in January and equip them to be better leaders, support and develop all the staff within their organizations, and not just value diversity — but practice cultural competency!
Rethinking Leadership
Oct 26th
During the Independent Sector Conference the NGen fellows reported that we (the next generation of nonprofit leaders) have trouble identifying under 40 leaders that are creating social change in the sector. The fellows encouraged us to rethink how we view leaders and leadership.
There are many different ways of viewing leadership and how people create social change. My favorite way of viewing leadership is as a collective process. Leadership is not about one person in an organization making singular decisions; it is about multiple staff members coming together to collectively move the agenda of the organization forward. Yeah, the CEO might be the face of our organizations, but as next geners, we are making things happen behind the scenes, we are making our CEO’s look good.
Additionally, collective means that leadership is happening among many different groups of organizations. Funders are starting to fund these groups of organizations (case in point the Social Innovation Fund from the Corporation for National and Community Service). Even so, this view of societal change needs to be taken a step forward and recognize that leadership flows throughout people, organizations, and communities.
So let’s rethink how we view leadership and how social change is occurring in our sector. I’m really excited that the Next Gen Leadership award went to Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! because he understands collective leadership and his organization is truly creating societal change.
Rethinking Leadership
Oct 26th
During the Independent Sector Conference the NGen fellows reported that we (the next generation of nonprofit leaders) have trouble identifying under 40 leaders that are creating social change in the sector. The fellows encouraged us to rethink how we view leaders and leadership.
There are many different ways of viewing leadership and how people create social change. My favorite way of viewing leadership is as a collective process. Leadership is not about one person in an organization making singular decisions; it is about multiple staff members coming together to collectively move the agenda of the organization forward. Yeah, the CEO might be the face of our organizations, but as next geners, we are making things happen behind the scenes, we are making our CEO’s look good.
Additionally, collective means that leadership is happening among many different groups of organizations. Funders are starting to fund these groups of organizations (case in point the Social Innovation Fund from the Corporation for National and Community Service). Even so, this view of societal change needs to be taken a step forward and recognize that leadership flows throughout people, organizations, and communities.
So let’s rethink how we view leadership and how social change is occurring in our sector. I’m really excited that the Next Gen Leadership award went to Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! because he understands collective leadership and his organization is truly creating societal change.
Qualities of a Great Boss – Part 2
Jul 11th
Often people are thrown into supervisory roles without realizing how much work and interpersonal skills are really needed to manage people!
Most employees want a boss who will be responsive, understand different working styles, and provide feedback on a regular basis (e.g. tell employees how they are doing and how they should improve). Employees also want a positive working environment and a place where they can feel safe.
I think everyone has the potential to become a great boss. It just takes a shift from focusing on the work itself to focusing on the employees who are doing the work. Being a great boss also requires the knowledge and understanding that each person within an organization is at a different developmental, emotional, and expertise stage. A great boss needs to be able to meet each employee where they are at. This is not easy.
The same is true for employees. In order to recognize a great boss, employees need to be able to receive feedback and be willing to take the next step in their job or go to the next developmental, emotional, or expertise stage.
My boss is busy, she runs a research center, she meets with funders, and she supervises six doctoral students. She could just focus on the work, but instead she takes the time to meet with us individually and also meet with us as a group.
Last week she sat down with me to go over my work plan for the coming school year. This meeting meant a lot to me because she told me about her plan for me in my new role. Now that I am Research Associate she wants me to supervise other doctoral students in certain research projects. She also wants me to improve my flexibility skills in the workplace (e.g. be willing to work on other projects at a moments notice). This meeting and feedback where very meaningful to me. My boss took the time to encourage me to go to the next stage of my research and my supervision skills.
Hopefully this post will inspire you to become a great boss, because the everyday encounters and meetings that you have with your employees can improve the overall morale and productivity of your organization.
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