The #1 Mistake Nonprofit Executive Directors Make
How to Embrace the Challenge of Leadership
We all do it…
Executive Directors, Presidents, leaders, big-picture people:
Remember the high-level meeting to discuss the timeline for the new project? Or the discussion about the organization’s allocation of staff and resources over the coming months? How about the planning session to debate whether the proposed new service fits into our mission?
These meetings start out fine – they have agendas that identify the big decisions for the meetings.
But then, someone goes deep. They give an example of a potential problem, or they ask how we should handle this minor detail, or they give their opinion about some small item. We all follow down into the depths of the details, drawn by “the enticing complexity of operations.”
The detail level is what we know!
It’s where we get immediate feedback that our expertise and opinions are useful. It’s where we spend the majority of our day – very few of us do strategic planning 8 hours a day. It’s what we like to talk about, and what we can talk about.
Unfortunately, it’s not what we, the leaders, should be doing.
The Enticing Complexity of Operations
John Carver, in his book “Boards That Make a Difference,” counsels Boards of Directors to strive to avoid getting bogged down in what he calls “the enticing complexity of operations,” when they should be creating the vision and overseeing the organization.
Any leader who has administrative and “big picture” elements in her job must be vigilant not to spend too much time with the details, to the point the big picture tasks are ignored.
“Plan?!” the Executive Director asked.
“When would I have time to plan? I’m always running around leading the brigade putting out fires! As soon as I walk in the office, my staff brings me their latest and most urgent problems, and it’s an unusually good day if we resolve those issues before the end of the day.”
It’s time to get out of the weeds.
It is time to examine what kind of problems are on your plate as Executive Director, and decide how to best spend your time and mental energy. You must focus on the important tasks that are not yet urgent, which will dramatically increase your organization’s impact on the community. Working on the details is something both you and your staff can do. However, working on the high-level administrative activities is something only you can do.
Long-range planning? Effectively allocating the organization’s resources? Developing, inspiring, and evaluating the performance of your team?
If you don’t do it, it won’t get done!
How do you change, though, to allow your staff to perform their operational roles, while you perform your administrative role?
“My leadership style?” the President reflected.
“I guess you’d say I’m a player-coach – always right in there, playing side by side with the team. I’ve been working here for many years – I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top. I have pretty much seen it all. My staff knows they can count on me to pitch in to help them get over any hurdle. “
It’s great for your staff to know they can count on you as their leader. Your years of experience and your encyclopedic knowledge of the operation should give the organization comfort and stability.
But, do you step in when the new Accounting Manager is reviewing the Chart of Accounts so he can verify that our accounting system is in compliance with grantor requirements? After all, you know these accounts better than anyone, and you want to be sure things are done the way they always have been. Or, do you read and approve all of your organization’s client training plans, even after the trainers and the Training Supervisor have approved them? Because, from your training days, you know how these need to look…
When you are the go-to person for every sticky situation, and when people believe your way of doing things is the only way allowed, you can be the bottleneck restricting your organization’s long-term success. You should re-evaluate your concept of leadership and your personal leadership style.
What should an administrator do?
Plan
A good leader spends quality time with trusted colleagues to paint a picture of the future. This means serious thinking about such questions as: What will we accomplish? By when? How will we know we’re successful?
Define the goals
A good leader makes sure every team member is absolutely clear on what’s expected of them. What results must they accomplish? Assignments are specified in outcome terminology – “make this happen.”
For example, don’t say a person’s job is to “work hard to help your clients.” Say “50% of your clients successfully complete the training course within 3 weeks, and at least 90% of the clients complete it within 6 weeks.” Focus much more on the “what” than the “how.”
Make the rules
While you must avoid digging into the details of how to accomplish the goals, you do get to make the rules. For example, say things like “this project should be completed by Friday,” or “the color and décor of the project room must ensure a calming environment.” Remember, though, your preferences for details are not usually good rules – don’t say “paint the room a pale green.”
Monitor progress
Your leadership role requires you to know how things are going. Not minute-by-minute, or even day-by-day, but on regular reporting intervals. For a 3-month project, status reports or meetings every 2 weeks may make sense. For ongoing, long-term assignments, monthly status reporting may be appropriate. Monitor progress mostly by focusing on your defined success measures: Which goals are accomplished? Did any rules get broken?
Take action as needed
If the desired results are not being delivered, it’s time for the leader to take action. Was our goal planning faulty? (Redefine the goals.) Or, did the assigned staff not do a good job of performing their work? (Lead your staff to better performance.) If some rules were broken, again leadership action is called for. Did staff not feel like obeying the rules? (Reprimands may be in order.) Or, did staff members realize that, if they bent the rules a little, they could achieve the desired results more effectively? (Rules may need to be changed.)
Empower
Empower your staff to do their jobs (so you can do your leadership job). That’s much more powerful than you as the leader dealing with all the little day-to-day details. Plan the work, explain the desired results, explain the boundaries within which your staff must work, and get out of the way! Keep tabs on the team’s progress, and take appropriate action as you see the project soar or falter.
Above all, steer clear of The Enticing Complexity of Operations.
