Sometimes it’s easier to understand a concept by talking about what it’s not, versus trying to define what it is. That’s sometimes how I feel about nonprofit leadership. For every really great role model, I see so many other examples of ineffective or bad leadership, that the latter has probably primarily shaped my ideas of what a leader should look like. To my mind, bad leaders are those who perpetuate ineffective organizations by being inflexible and resistant to change, regardless of very clear shifts in their environments. Via Michele Martin, Tom Haskins has a great post called How to Be Professionally Stagnant. Tom’s blog talks about organizational change around education issues and reform, but I wondered if the concept of ‘professional stagnation’ might apply even more so to nonprofit organizations, especially ones led by founding executive directors who are often very resistant to change. Tom writes about how teachers can make sure they don’t change (my notes about how it might apply to nonprofits in italics):
- Do not read blogs or write your own. If at all possible, stay away from conferences that deal with “how you teach”. Bad nonprofit leaders aren’t open to new ideas about their issue or more effective ways of doing their jobs. They don’t want to find out what everyone else is doing, because they blindly think that their way is the best way.
- Face your students with fear. Imagine the worst that can happen. Bad nonprofit leaders are afraid of what change might bring and present the worst-case scenarios, instead of thinking of how change can positively impact their work. They perpetuate this attitude of fear among their staff, preventing anyone from speaking up with new ideas or better ways of doing the work.
- Think through how you could be blamed. Consider unfounded criticisms, false accusations and outright guilt trips — laid at your feet. Imagine people pointing their fingers at you, shooting down your good intentions and dismissing your valuable contributions. Bad nonprofit leaders are afraid of taking the blame for failure, especially in the face of the board. They don’t realize that innovation needs room for error, and that that is actually part of the learning. They also don’t see that being a leader means you must take some risks to be able to reap significant returns for the organization.
Tom ends the post with what’s for me, a pretty chilling paragraph:
If you do all this without hesitation, you will succeed at being professionally stagnant. No one will change you. No pressure will be able to manipulate your priorities or trick you into compliance. Your ability to guard against abuses will prove extremely reliable. You can remain the same as you have been.
This is a telling piece for me, because many nonprofit executive directors who have “been in the game a long time” mistakenly think that they have figured out all the possible ways to run a good nonprofit, improve their programs, recruit new employees, etc. We are supposed to be the “feel-good” sector, but many existing leaders cut off opportunities to grow their organizations by being close-minded to innovation. And that doesn’t feel good at all. But don’t just take my word for it. Tell me you haven’t either witnessed or experienced these characteristics of nonprofit organizations with bad leaders:
- No one speaks up in meetings with new ideas. When the bad leader comes up with bad ideas, everyone automatically agrees.
- Staff insists on always doing things the way the organization’s always done them, even if the methods are obviously ineffective.
- Networking is a four-letter word. Conferences are seen as a waste of time.
- The organization doesn’t take advantage of new technology. Web 2.0 who?
- The organization has high turnover, especially among junior staff positions.
- Staff are not encouraged to engage in ongoing professional development.
Nonprofits really need to guard themselves against allowing bad leadership to keep their organizations stagnant. Do we really want our nonprofits to stay the same as they always have been? Aren’t there better ways to do the work?
Image courtesy Leading Today
