On Saturday, I was at the hair salon getting my hair whipped into shape for the week. I was greeted not by Tori, my usual hairdresser, but by Yolanda, a new “helper” of Tori’s. I was pretty disturbed by this switcheroo until I felt Yolanda’s skilled hands lathering my locks with shampoo and conditioner. Apparently, Yolanda was Tori’s young apprentice, learning the ropes by doing the basic hair services, while Tori took over clients when higher-level services were needed. They worked together on my hair as a fabulous team. It was clear that Yolanda admired Tori’s expertise in hairstyling and was soaking up every bit of knowledge she could to learn the ropes and one day fill Tori’s shoes. Of course, this experience led me to wonder: What would happen if we had this kind of system set up for nonprofits?
The crux of the nonprofit leadership deficit issue is the increasing demand for more nonprofit leadership talent than is currently available. Tom Tierney suggests that nonprofits have to recruit outside talent for leadership positions 2/3 of the time in contrast to the business sector, which only recruits from outside the organization 1/3 time. Clearly, we need to do a better job of developing leadership from within.
Many young nonprofit leaders are coming from academic backgrounds with formal educations including nonprofit management, public administration, and social work. However, young nonprofit professionals need targeted, relevant professional development to be able to move to the next level of leadership to one day become Executive Directors or CEOs of essential nonprofits in our communities. Since new leaders more than likely already have the education, existing leaders should really just focus on their development. We all know that having a college degree is not what makes a good nonprofit leader. However, good problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate the worlds of fundraising, boards of directors, media, and stakeholders simultaneously and effectively are critical. What does this mean for current nonprofit managers? To my mind, if we can accept these facts, it requires existing leaders to devote more time to either mentor or provide mentoring for their younger workers to help them get to the next level of leadership. The conventional wisdom?
Almost every nonprofit professional would benefit from at least one external mentor.
A 2005 report by the AED Center for Leadership Development, Mentoring the Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders: A Practical Guide for Managers offers several best practices for existing leaders who, like my hairdresser Tori, are ready and willing to pass the torch. According to AED, mentors (and dare I say all nonprofit managers) should:
- Appreciate and Develop Character
- Help Develop Specific Skills or Competencies
- Discuss Issues, Ideas, Challenges, and Current Events
- Offer Developmental or “Stretch” Assignments
- Expand the Mentee’s Network
- Manage Risk-Taking and Identify Dangers or “Minefields”
- Explore Career Options and the Long-Term Future
And for those who have already made the decision to get serious about mentoring for young nonprofit employees:
- Encourage each employee to “contract” with at least one external mentor per year
- Authorize staff to spend at least two to four hours per month out of the office, indialogue or interfacing with their external mentors
Whether nonprofit leaders mentor the younger workers themselves likeTori is doing with Yolanda, or provide external opportunities, it’s important that nonprofits seek to get better at developing leadership talent from within. if we don’t, we can be sure that the nonprofit leadership deficit will affect us all.
Photo credit: Box of Light
