Building Non-Profit Leadership

During the days we were developing the structure of Kiran Foundation ; I remember sharing the following with Momzy as I call her, or Mrs. Sabina Khatri , as the world knows her:

There are 4 types of people found in an organization – Type A is Highly Skilled and hold very high values. Type B is Low Skilled and still hold high values. Type C is Highly Skilled but hold very low values, and finally Type D is Low Skilled and holds low values.

Type D people should be removed from the organization at immediate while Type C are the tricky ones, though their skills can be beneficial, their low bar of value can be very damaging to the organization.

Type A people are our leaders in a non-profit – they not only benefit the organization through their skills and high value standards, but also become role-models for developing leaders. Type B people are the ones who hold the potential to be nurtured into leaders for non-profits.

For every non-profit, it is crucial to identify these 4 types of people. Once identified, it is mandatory on every Type A person to plan their succession. This is where Leadership Development takes place; or as one of my mentor Dr. Farhad F Karamally likes to call it the Pukh Theory.

Pukh is referred to as the secondary donkey tied alongside the main donkey who pulls the cart. You see when the Donkey pulling the cart starts getting older, a secondary donkey is placed right next to it, whose sole job is to run parallel to the main one – at first this secondary donkey is not liable to pull any weight of the cart, just learn the footsteps of its main leader. Next the cart is pulled by both the donkeys together, and finally the leader is retired as a new one steps into its role.

Similar is the case in developing non-profit leadership. It is mandatory on Type A people to find their Pukh from the lot of Type B people – Here are the 05 major steps to consider in developing your succession:

1. Have them run beside you: Most leaders believe that throwing their succession in the line of fire will allow the leader in them to emerge. Do not make that mistake. Allow them to observe everything. Give them time to see, understand and gauge the depth of what you do, how you do it and why it is important.

1. Welcome their suggestions: Telling, is NOT learning. Most leaders dictate everything they have done in step one. Ask your succession what did they observe, what did they learn, and what could have been done differently. Allow them to suggest their approach in managing crucial situations differently than you.

1. Make them Plan Thoroughly: Now comes an important part where you allow them to start pulling a little bit weight of your cart. Provide your successions with planning tasks – assess how thorough their plan is. It could be for an event, an activity, a department or a program. Teach them that “failing to plan, is planning to fail”.

1. Fail or Succeed, Trial and Error is the Key: Now comes the time when you let your succession take the major load. They have observed, voiced opinions and planned. Allow them to execute their plan and your role is to support them in outperforming you. If they fail the first time they learn to do better the next time, if they succeed, both of you have won.

1. Pass the torch: Finally, you take a back-seat and allow your succession to take the major responsibility – your role is to be a mentor and observe for a while. Set a time-frame, and if they keep out-performing you throughout this time-frame, congratulations! You have successfully developed a new leadership in your organization. Both of you are ready to level-up.

I hope this little contribution is helpful to you and your organization. You can stay connected with me or with my unique start-up treening . "treening" is a five step winning process of development for you, your organization, and your community. Whether you are a Corporate Social Responsibility working on serving communities, a Non-Profit bridging the gap within societies or an Institution working to empower individuals – “treening” can cater your entire development process by planning, implementing, integrating, monitoring and optimizing it for sustainability.

Cheers & Kudos ?