A New Look at Executive and

Trustee Leadership

Michael E. Guillot, M.Ed., CFRE

Leading a Nonprofit Organization

• Executives

• Trustees

• Relationships

• Roles

• Accountability

• Stewardship

• Legal and Financial

• All leading us to wonder…

…who’s in charge of this mess?

• Undefined roles

• Unrealistic expectations

• Unclear responsibilities

• Uninformed decision making

• Uninspired fundraising

• Unknown research

• Unresolved issues

• That then lead us to…

… an incredible opportunity!

• Perhaps there is some good information out there.

• Perhaps there are still some people willing to do these jobs of leading.

• Perhaps our organization can do it differently.

• Perhaps I can think about this work in a different way.

• That just might lead us to…

…some truths.

• We don’t really know much about this work.

• What we think we know is based on mythology and hand-me down legends.

• We cannot sustain the role of the sector by doing the same things.

• We have among us all we need to be successful.

• It will just take…

…change!

• Executives and trustees have to behave

differently, so …

• Organizations can sustain their critical missions

to the people we serve, in order that …

• Our communities can find new ways to solve our

problems and seize upon emerging

opportunities, because …

• This sector is the world’s best hope to build a

true civil society.

Leadership Studies

• The talk has been around for a while.

• The research and study is fairly new.

• There is absolutely no agreement on what

leadership is or how to give it to

somebody.

• There is general agreement that

leadership matters, we’re just not sure

exactly how or why.

General Theories of Leadership

• Traits

• Skills

• Style

• Situational

• Contingency

• Path-Goal

• Leader-Member

Exchange

• Transformational

• Team

• Psychodynamic

• Gender

• Cultural

• Ethical

• Servant-Leadership

But most of this is not leadership at all, it’s really…

Management.

An authority relationship between at least

one manager and one subordinate who

coordinate their activities to produce and

sell particular goods and/or services.

When we are worrying about complexity, we

are “managing” our organizations, but we

are called to lead. Consider…

Leadership

An influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.

So, what can we take from this information about leadership that can be of help?

In the Independent Sector…

• We are called to find new models for leadership that reflect our purposes and structure.

• We are challenged to find new ways to develop executives and trustees who can act as managers and leaders.

• We are empowered to transform our communities by the unique values of our missions of service.

What We Think We Know

• Leadership can be learned.

• Executives in non-profit organizations are

facing unprecedented pressures.

• Trustees are ill-prepared for their vital

roles.

• The Independent Sector will continue to

grow in importance in our communities

and our world.

Learning Leadership

• Value the uniqueness of the sector

• Beware of business models and strategies

• Seek multi-disciplinary ways of

approaching our management and

leadership issues

• Seek a graduate program that makes

sense for your life and your passion

• Make your own path

Executive Development

• The shortage of qualified individuals will approach crisis level

• Recruiting and supporting managers will be the most important function for the next ten years

• Executive compensation must be increased

• Relationships with trustees and community leaders are most important

Trustees as Servants

• Hold a charter of public trust

• Lead, but do not administer

• Should be initiating, not reacting

• Information is the key to restructuring the trustee role

• Need as much training and support as executives

• Reform the nature of the executive-trustees relationship

A Table for All of Us to Meet

• Some problems and opportunities are just too big for any one of us.

• Trusteeship and community engagement is the unique role of our sector.

• We can build the meta-community where representatives of all sectors can sit down and talk.

Knowing all of this is just fine,

but how can we move forward?

Small Steps

• Executives can move from managing to

leading.

• Trustees can develop initiatives reflective

of new roles.

• Organizations can to build a gathering

table for our communities.

• Fundraisers can make sure philanthropy is

the conversation.

Leading not Managing

• Find someone to be “second in command”

• Connect with community leaders through

personal and active engagement

• Create a professional speaking

presentation that does not talk about your

organization

• Lead the board and the staff

Initiating not Reacting

• Be critical

• Be open to change

• The enemy of great is good

• Yell and scream for what you need to know

• Compensate your executive above sector averages

• Manage community relationships with informed passion

Collaborating not Competing

• Believe in abundance

• Explore alliances with higher education

• Establish and sustain personal

relationships with media representatives

• Use planning as a tool for engagement of

civic, religious, and community leaders

• Get a government grant (or get another

one)

Investing not Giving

• Don’t ask anyone to “give” you money

ever again

• Calculate in as many ways as possible

your ROI (return on investment)

• Let your passion guide your

conversations, forget about technique

• Help every person understand how your

organization’s work changes their lives

What Success Might Look

Like

Success…for all of us

• Citizens see us as a resource

• Executives are rewarded for their

leadership

• Trustees fulfill a vital role for the sector

• Decisions are based on information that

comes from a growing body of knowledge

• We can all count the problems solved or

aspirations realized because of our work

Success…for you

• What small change can you make in the

way you behave as an executive?

• What small change can you make in the

way trustees engage each other in their

work?

• How might you generate philanthropic

support differently with an investment

mentality?

A Final Thought

When we think of all the money raised to

build buildings and increase

endowments, might it not be time for us to

invest some of those resources in what

might be the most important “capital”

campaign before us, the campaign for the

intellectual and human capital needed to

lead our sector for this new century.

A New Look at Executive and

Trustee Leadership

Michael E. Guillot, M.Ed., CFRE