Anatomy of Nonprofit Leadership: Part 1

This is the first article in my “Anatomy of Nonprofit Leadership'' series. The idea of using the body as a metaphor for leadership came to me when I was invited to share insights with a group of women leaders in London last fall. While I find the metaphor fitting, I’m also keenly aware that every body is different, and full usage of each of the body parts I mention may not be available to every reader; while I bring my own bodily experience to this writing, I do believe that the lessons I share can be relevant to everyone.

If different body parts represent different skill sets that we call upon as nonprofit leaders, the brain is a logical place to start. After all, you have to be smart to be a leader, right? Well —?sure, but for the purposes of this metaphor, the brain is less about sheer brainpower and more about the self-awareness that effective leadership requires.

Cultivating self-awareness means bringing interest and curiosity to how your internal, default operating system is wired, and the brain — with its constant signals to other body parts — is nothing if not the body’s core operating system. Leadership self-awareness starts with wrapping your head around the idea that leadership is a field of practice in and of itself. You may have been promoted through the ranks because you excelled at programmatic work, but while your technical expertise can certainly enhance your ability to lead, it is now secondary on your priority list to the task of leading itself. And the task of leadership is one that —?if you hadn’t noticed! —?demands a considerable amount of energy and attention.?

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of folks get promoted to a leadership role, only to quickly realize they have no interest in managing others. It’s ok to feel this way. But, if that’s how you really feel, pursuing the path of leadership is not for you. When I worked at the reproductive rights organization PAI, I never fancied myself a technical expert; I was certainly well-informed, enough to be an effective evidence-based advocate, but I didn’t have a masters in public health, for example, and wasn’t interested in pursuing one. When I was asked to begin managing people, I relished the opportunity. My innate interest in getting better at helping others show up at their best, in service of the mission, has remained a strong driver of my leadership ever since.?

The “brain” of leadership is less about your technical smarts, then, than your people smarts; it’s also about your acuity at fundraising and board management. When I’ve told search firms in the past, “I love to fundraise,” they’re always surprised: “We never hear that.” Which confuses me, because that’s what the CEO does. The art and science of fundraising is the job in the nonprofit space, as is effective board management. Which is why I always tell younger members of the nonprofit workforce: If you have an opportunity to get exposed to board work, you should.

Just as a computer’s operating system can only run so many programs at once without crashing, the “brain” of leadership requires us to effectively manage our own resources (of time, energy, attention, patience...), so that we, too, don’t “crash.” Strengthening your leadership brain means developing a heightened ability to discern which of the spinning plates in front of you need you to spin them, which plates you can delegate to others — and those you may not need to spin at all (hallelujah!). The degree to which you can smartly and efficiently make these spinning-plate decisions is key to whether you can do the things you’re really hired to do.?

And while cultivating your leadership brain means leaning into the knowledge and wisdom that come with experience, it also means remaining aware of all that you don’t know, so that you can continue to learn. Those of you who’ve been following me for a while know that curiosity is a core leadership value of mine. “Leadership brain” also means being aware of how you’re wired,? and being able to let go of preconceived notions, so you can see things in new ways.

Which brings us to the next body part I’ll talk about: The eyes. Stay tuned for next time. For now, let me know: What resonates from what I’ve said above, and what other dimensions of “leadership brain” do you want to add to the conversation? I’m all EARS. (See what I did there? But seriously: “Ears” is part three. One step at a time, people.)