Take a moment now to think of all of the nonprofit leaders or role models you admire. Chances are, all of them faced significant challenges in exerting leadership when the time came to really make a difference, but you look up to them because they were able to stretch themselves to a higher level so they could impact change. We know of examples from the Civil Rights movement, when students staged sit-ins and boycotts. They didn’t go through a nice and tidy process to develop the kind of leadership that was needed, they just did it. And lo and behold, it worked. But I’m sure the young, courageous brothers and sisters who stepped up to the plate were sweating bullets and nervous about whether the thing would go down they way they wanted. But the point is that they went out and did it, no matter how uncomfortable it was, because it was important to advancing the cause. Jeff Schwartz, an executive coach I really like, is fond of saying “nothing changes if nothing changes”. It’s critical for young people to reach beyond their comfort zones to develop essential leadership skills that can help change our communities for the better. My mom is a personal fitness trainer and her motto is, “no pain, no gain”. We definitely need to stretch ourselves beyond our limits to get to the next level in our nonprofit careers and prepare ourselves for leadership to advance the causes we’re passionate about. Let’s not be afraid to lead. We can be the next wave that inspires change in this country.
- Leading or implementing a new or important project – a culture change, a new human resource strategy, a new community project or service closure
- Organizing a rally or conference
- Staffing a Board committee within your organization
- Being accountable for managing people to achieve specific outcomes within a given timeline
- Taking on a significant project of work that presents new learning and challenges
- Completing a qualification or significant learning opportunity
- Working or managing a cross-cultural team
- Turning around a failing operation
- Taskforce assignment or special project that involves an increase in scope (e.g. budget, number of staff or complexity of role)
- Leading an important event or meeting
- Supervising an intern or volunteer
- Getting involved in your organization’s strategic planning process
- Joining a Board at another nonprofit
- Confidence in your abilities and skills
- Clarity of personal passion and vision for social change
- Better understanding of how to manage nonprofit operations more effectively
- Change management skills
- Skills in influencing others
- Leadership development by “doing”
Come On, Is it Really That Important? So What If We Don’t Stretch?
- No personal or professional growth
- Skills don’t improve or stay stagnant
- Your boss’ or peer’s perception of you won’t change
- Your strategic thinking abilities aren’t developed
- Leadership skills aren’t exercised
- Fear in trying out new or challenging experiences
- Lack of opportunities to develop your own vision for a new future
- No sense of the complexities involved in enabling change to happen
Patrick Corvington didn’t say this directly, but it’s clear to me that without stretch assignments, leadership is a long way off for the next generation of nonprofit leaders. What are some ways you have been stretched or wish you were able to stretch in your current nonprofit job?
Image courtesy Bikram Yoga
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