The Many Facets of Excellence in Leadership

STARTS TODAY – EXCELLENCE IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

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With the kickoff of the Excellence in Executive Leadership event I thought I’d do a blog on leadership. Most of us as leaders have to wear many hats, we need to understand different perspectives, and know how to smoothly blend the organization’s needs, personal needs, and acknowledge or address the wide assortment of personnel needs. Whew, it’s amazing we ever get anything done.

However, as we all strive for excellence, with so many facets of leadership, what does excellence look like? ?Let’s start simple and look at these facets of leadership, that work towards attaining personal excellence, while driving the organization towards success.

Some of the facets of leadership include:

1. Vision And Goal Setting: A good leader can set a clear vision for the organization and establish achievable goals to work towards.
2. Communication: Effective communication skills are essential to convey their vision, provide feedback, and inspire and motivate their team.
3. Decision-making: Leaders must be able to make tough decisions, often under pressure, that are in the best interest of the organization.
4. Emotional intelligence: Understanding and managing one's own emotions, as well as being able to empathize with and connect with others, is crucial for effective leadership.
5. Strategic thinking: Leaders must be able to think long-term and develop strategic plans to guide the organization towards success.
6. Team building: A good leader knows how to build and develop a strong team, delegate tasks effectively, and foster collaboration and communication among team members.
7. Adaptability: Leaders must be able to adapt to changing circumstances, learn from failures, and continuously improve their leadership skills.
8. Integrity: Trust and integrity are essential qualities for a leader to have, as they set the example for ethical behavior within the organization.

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Nonprofit leadership includes additional facets that are unique within the nonprofit sector. I often see a board dynamic, that represents a clashing of perspectives as ‘business’ executives and ‘nonprofit’ executives’ strive to identify success.

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When it comes to Excellence in Leadership, let’s blend the unique characteristics of both sectors to effectively lead a nonprofit organization. These additional facets of leadership include:

1. Purpose-driven leadership: Leaders must be driven by a clear sense of purpose and mission, whether it be maximizing profits or creating social impact. The definition of success is not found in a P & L statement but rather the measurable impact the organization has based on their mission.
2. Stakeholder engagement: Leaders in both sectors must engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including employees, customers, donors, and community members, to build relationships and support for the organization's goals.
3. Resource management: Leaders in both sectors must effectively manage resources, whether they be financial, human, or material, to achieve organizational objectives.
4. Innovation: Leaders in both sectors must foster a culture of innovation and creativity to adapt to changing market conditions or address social challenges. This is why I often start with innovation and creativity exercise (versus, what are your values?) at the start of a strategic planning session.
5. Collaboration: Leaders in both sectors must collaborate with external partners, such as other businesses, government agencies, or other nonprofits, to leverage resources and expertise for mutual benefit.
6. Impact measurement: Leaders in both sectors must focus on measuring and evaluating the impact of their organization's activities to ensure they are achieving their intended outcomes.

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By integrating these facets of leadership from both business and nonprofit sectors, leaders can create a well-rounded approach that balances financial sustainability with social impact and drives organizational success.

?STARTS TODAY – EXCELLENCE IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

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