An Interview With Eric Giles: Emerging Leaders Need to Push Out of the Box

Eric Giles is one of the hardest working emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector. Eric is the Program Manager at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, whose mission is to build the strength, influence, and visibility of the nonprofit sector in Greater Washington in order to create a more just and caring community. So I get to work with him everyday in my day job, but I wanted you all to know him, too. He is the rare male in the nonprofit sector who seeks to develop himself as a leader in a sector most often chosen by women. We talk about the need for less hierarchy in our sector and how younger generations should work what we’ve got and push outside of the box to lead in our organizations.

RT: How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?

EG: Circuitously. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector I worked for a university and in a variety of retail management positions. I think the real shift came when my wife and I established an art gallery for emerging artists. We did so not out of a desire to make money, but rather to fill a need in the community for fellow young artists in the region to acquire experience. This was the first time I really experienced working for a cause rather than a paycheck and I’ve been hooked ever since.

RT: What is your current position and day-to-day work?

EG: I am currently the Program Manager with the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. Describing my day-to-day work is difficult for me. Like many employees for nonprofits with single digit staff (we have 6 full time staff members), your position title and description is not always reflective of what you do on a daily basis. It seems that most of my work falls under “other duties as assigned.” On any given day I will schedule a meeting for the Executive Director, manage one of the 11 projects I am currently involved in, perform maintenance on our website and blog, assist with a grant proposal, and a variety of other off-the-cuff tasks.

RT: What is your educational background and area of expertise?

EG: My educational background is quite diverse. I hold four degrees, one each in history, fine arts, religious studies, and international policy. The connecting tissue behind this rather broad background is rather simple, however. Throughout all of my degrees I have been interested in how groups of individuals who share a distinct identity (i.e. culture, etc…) interact with other groups who have differing identities. The only term I know for this is “intercultural interaction/dialogue.” Having such a broad background, I hesitate to specify a single area of expertise, but perhaps my strongest skill is an ability to adapt quickly and effectively. This has allowed me to pick up a variety of areas in which I have some expertise. If you picture an area of expertise as a mountain top rising above a flat plain, the height of the mountain relative to the depth of knowledge, the highest peak in my personal mountain range would have to be in problem solving, quickly followed by communications, and planning.

RT: Do you want to be an Executive Director when you grow up? Why or why not?

EG: You know I ask myself this question a lot. My gut reaction is yes, but I’m not sure I want to wait until I grow up, that may take too long. I sometimes hesitate because of what it seems to involve: long hours, etc… But, in the end, I am much more comfortable in a leadership position than not. Any ED position I would consider would have to meet certain criteria, however. The organization would need to have a mission I was passionate about, I would need to be able to balance my work and outside life without undo effort, the relationship between the board and ED position would need to be strong and clearly delineated, and I think I would really only be interested in leading a small to mid size organization. I value the flexibility that smaller organizations tend to exhibit over the more substantial budgets of larger organizations.

RT: Do you think Generations X and Y are stepping up to lead in the nonprofit sector, or are we just waiting for the world to change? How could we get more involved?

EG: I think this is not an either/ or question. Generation X and Y have the skills and are stepping up to lead in the sector, but only to a certain point. It seems by and large we are leading to the extent our current positions and capacity allow. We are waiting for the world to change in the sense that we are finding it difficult to push outside of these pre-set boxes. I think the best way to get more involved is by taking more control over our professional development and looking for ways to ask for what we want/need while still providing what is needed. In other words, I think Generation X and Y should start thinking creatively, find ways that you can gather the skills and experience you need through avenues both traditional and nontraditional; actively examine your own strengths and weaknesses and then discuss them with your peers and mentors; and most importantly, don’t be afraid to take the winding path- they are more fun and often lead to richer pastures in the end.

RT: What would you like to see changed in the nonprofit sector? How can we take action to implement that change?

EG: In my opinion, the nonprofit sector operates within a very hierarchical structure. We see the ED/CEO/President as the leader of the organization, guided by a board of other leaders in the sector. One reason we are perceiving a “leadership gap” is that we equate leadership with the ED/CEO/President. I would like the sector to better recognize the leadership roles within other positions within organizations and tap into that latent strength. A flattening of the hierarchical triangle. I think it behooves the non-ED segment of the nonprofit sector to better express their skills and knowledge. Better yet, we need to learn how to demonstrate our ideas and skills in a way that allows those in charge to accept them without feeling threatened by them. In short, work on your negotiation and communications skills, then put them to the test.

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