Q: I am the search committee chairperson for a philanthropic organization with networks across the Mid-Atlantic and on the East Coast. We are reasonably well supported and are financially stable. What do you think we should look for when we select our next leader?
A: As a regional, well-funded, not-for-profit organization, you want to attract resources for important mission-based programs. Therefore, your next leader needs to motivate others to give financial and other kinds of support. In order to identify the best person for the role, it is important to truly understand the characteristics comprising such a leader.
These days, “leadership” refers to a range of organizational, critical thinking and people management skills. It is also a reference to financial leadership as anyone taking the helm of any kind of organization needs strong financial and business development skills. Non-profits, in particular, need leaders who understand how to activate resources to make a mission come alive — critical in a changing economy.
In addition to these traits, a leader needs to exhibit enormous flexibility and resilience. In the face of a measurable increase in contract-based opportunities and a corresponding reduction in full-time leadership roles, it is not be enough to simply keep processes and people aligned with missions and programs. Today’s leader must embrace that tomorrow’s opportunities require the ability to not only reinvent the organization but to also entice loyal donors and supporters from the past in the context of an increasingly global economy.
Today’s leadership also requires new models of staffing to make sure projects are completed in timely and cost-effective ways. To that end, many organizations already operate with a virtual (or mostly virtual) workforce. (So much for “office” politics.) Skype and other Web-based meeting options make it possible to hold remote, weekly staff meetings.
Staff management takes on a different hue when you coordinate not only across time zones but also within cultural expectations, and a strong leader must be sensitive to and knowledgeable of these factors. For instance, in addition to the aforementioned technological staffing changes, many middle management roles have been outsourced; even small organizations increasingly rely on overseas personnel for input as well as upon donors from across the globe. Therefore, a strong leader knows how to manage the distance and the challenges it presents. In fact, with the global aspect of a leader’s role increasingly complex, today’s leader is well-served to be bilingual. Having the ability to both understand and orchestrate operations with ease when many cultural values, time zones and priorities are at play is at the core of the savvy leader.
The workforce of tomorrow is not going to look much like the workforce of 2000. Rather, the workforce has gone global, and it appears it is there to stay. Therefore, a leader needs to be a rallying point for the organization’s urgent priorities and must know how to motivate staff across multiple sites and boundaries. A leader also needs to communicate the urgency of the mission to a variety of stakeholders with both tact and energy. The role is complex and demanding, but these aspects of a solid leader comprise one who is able to persevere and successfully lead an organization through certain and continual change.
Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our tailored search services.
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Last updated on November 28th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
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