
It seems to me that everyone has a different view on leadership. There are too many books to count, each with their own view on the characteristics and habits of leaders, and what makes a truly great leader so hard to come by.
I’ve been thinking a lot about ‘lenses’ lately, particularly in the context of NFP leadership. So much so that I’ve decided to develop a series of posts here that look at this elusive topic through the lenses of different members of the NFP community who have contributed to leadership in different ways.
Here is why I think this will be interesting:
You would think that good leaders would be even harder to find in the not-for-profit sector, where so many are vastly overworked, underpaid, under-resourced and in many cases under-appreciated for the work they are trying to do.
In fact, I think the opposite is true. The more I work with non-profits, the more outstanding leaders I see...in all kinds of different places.
So what is it that I think makes not-for-profit leaders so great?
I think that in many cases, the challenging NFP environment itself is what breeds a growing number of great leaders across the sector. If their associations or causes are to survive, you better believe that these people need to have clarity of vision and a commitment to creativity in order to achieve that vision despite the many obstacles in their path.
Even more important, in my opinion, is passion.
In the private sector, leaders have a hand-up when it comes to getting people on-board with whatever it is they are trying to accomplish because they are usually being paid or otherwise stand to benefit financially for their contribution.
But non-profit leaders don’t usually have the advantage of this particular carrot-and-stick. As a result, they not only have to care about what they are doing, but their energy has to be contagious enough to convince others to roll up their sleeves to help them achieve their mandate...in many cases by volunteering their time or donating their hard-earned dollars.
So I guess it all comes down to survival – leaders in our sector have to be pretty darn good at what they do, because the very existence of their organizations are all too often at stake.
So if you or someone you know has an interesting perspective on NFP leadership, let me know – I’d love to take a look through your ‘leadership lense.’
Photo: Milivoj Sherrington