helps people because he understands the price of not doing it – he could have prevented his uncle's death.
• He grows into his power. The responsibility of leadership is not something he asks for but he accepts it and uses that responsibility to the best of his ability.
Gumby?
One of my senior staff members gave me a small Gumby figure I have right here on my desk. When I look at him, I am reminded that not everything is black and white and that being flexible is absolutely key to success in any setting. Is Gumby your man?
• He's well rounded.
• Very optimistic – would lead with an optimism that his organization could change the world.
• He's someone you want to be around – kind, warm-hearted, and generous.
• He has real humanity – vulnerabilities, guilt, and flaws.
Kermit?
Another guy with some solid skills and attributes for nonprofit leadership:
• A team builder. He can bring a diverse group together. Anyone who can get Gonzo, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy working toward a common goal has a real superpower.
• Kermit is an optimist but not a Pollyanna. He can get down sometimes too, but in the end, he has a vision and rallies the Muppets around it.
• He cares deeply about doing the right thing.
• Kermit is your go-to guy in a crisis.
• Strong planning skills.
• His ego is just the right size – he can and does admit mistakes.
Time to put the four of them to the test. Here's the kind of situation each of them may encounter. Then you get to make your choice.
You need a new board chair. The previous leader didn't want the job – might have been in the restroom during elections. Committees are dormant. The board does a decent job selling tickets to your big gala but half of them don't want to pay for a ticket themselves. The founder of the organization is a big personality and when she stepped down two years ago, she offered to join the board and your previous board chair couldn't say no. She isn't letting go of the job. Your E.D. is a good performer but the founder is driving her mad. You are worried she may be recruited away.
Who is the guy for the job? (I just grabbed a few superhero prototypes – there are lots of great women leaders out there, too.)
Superman is the command-and-control nonprofit leader. The world is quite black and white for him. He would see board members as “good guys” or “bad guys.” We know the world is not that simple. Nonprofit leadership demands both an understanding and an appreciation for nuance and the land of the gray. We know this type. A good leader to dig you out fast, but not the marathon guy.
Spiderman is a more empathetic, three-dimensional leader. His downfall is the challenge of many leaders —insecurity.
Gumby? What a nice guy. Who would not want to sit and hear about an organization from somebody like Gumby? He is a relationship builder of the highest order. But his fatal leadership flaw? He is a pleaser. Now most nonprofit leaders have some pleaser stuff going on. But if it drives you, you are done for. You have various stakeholders and pleasing everyone usually means pleasing no one. And your job isn't about pleasing. It's about serving your mission.
Okay. So I've given the answer away.
My vote goes to Kermit, hands down.
First off, Kermit would have figured out some way to give the founder a big role with no real power. Look how he manages Piggy. He would rally the troops without shaming them. He would find the key strength in each board member and bring out the best in each of them. He would not be overly bossy with the E.D. – he'd offer his support and be more like a coach. And he would help staff and board keep their eyes on the prize, never losing sight of the organization's mission and vision.
Kermit may not thrive in a hierarchical work environment but he'd be a rock star E.D. or board chair.
Kermit is not perfect and he knows it. But so key to effective leadership, it makes him a good delegator! He is all about the team and he understands the value each brings to the work. He believes in diversity. He likes to work to reach consensus but never loses sight of the end game – he is always true to the cause. He is fair and listens and he can manage high-maintenance personalities without sacrificing the work. I also think he can disagree and his team ultimately listens and respects the decision (the decision they feel was made with their input).
He understands what it takes to be a great leader in the nonprofit sector.
He understands that power comes from all around you.
He recognizes that developing core leadership attributes is as important as skills building.
In 1997, the Coors Brewing Company approached me, as the executive director of GLAAD. They were interested in making a $50,000 corporate sponsorship donation to our organization. As our organization was still on a financial respirator, I was interested. Very interested.
But I knew the history of Coors and the gay community – the Coors family had deep ties to the Heritage Foundation, a significant funder of organizations leading the opposition to LGBT equality. As a result, there had been a longstanding boycott in the gay community. Drink any beer you like but not Coors.
A discussion with Coors illustrated to me that the company was better on gay issues inside its organization (domestic partner benefits and other nondiscrimination policies) than many other companies that supported GLAAD.
Should I accept the sponsorship money and in so doing help rebuild the Coors brand in the gay community? The decision was mine to make.
Or was it?
In Jim Collins's monograph From Good to Great in the Social Sector, he makes the case that power and decision making in the nonprofit sector is different from (and messier than) how it is in the private sector.
To be a great leader, you must erase your preconceived notions of what it means to be in charge, and this starts with a standard organizational chart (see Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 The basic org chart we all know and understand.
You probably have a piece of paper that shows this kind of hierarchy. Time to recycle.
Is it factually accurate? Yup. Is it how you should look at or exert your power as a nonprofit leader? Absolutely not.
Now take a look at the chart shown in Figure 1.2.
Figure 1.2 Picture it this way instead. The power comes from around you.
Using the org chart in Figure 1.1, the Coors decision is easy. I make
