More Advice to a New (and perhaps first-time) E.D.

Here are more responses from my colleagues on Linked In to the question, "What advice would you have to offer a new and perhaps first-time E.D.?"

1. Find a mentor that is successful in leading a nonprofit.
2. Learn the difference between the "legislative" style of leadership in a nonprofit and the "executive" style in a for-profit.
3. Become an "expert" on board governance. Good relations with the board are critical and a well functioning board is very important.
5. Be humble, have a learner's heart. Ask lots of questions.
6. Be passionate about your mission.
7. If you are a person of faith, pray.
(BG Allen)

Realize limitations and that one cannot make all sides happy all the time and that is okay.
(Chap James Day)

In my experience, Executive Directors are asked to do seven things at any one time. No one likes to be told to stop doing things. And no one on the team wants to be the first to tell the E.D. that he is running his folks into the ground. For-profit people tend to under-estimate the long-term stress of under-resourced projects. Charisma and hyperbole only go so far.
(Sara Hamlen)

Good thoughts and intentions won't accomplish the mission or keep the doors open. If the funding isn't available, the nonprofit and its mission will perish. Focus on the mission, get the buy-in of staff and board, then fundraise like there's no tomorrow because there may not be one. Finally, it is all about the E.D. It is his/her responsibility to carry out the mission, find the funding, keep up morale, insure the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted. It is neither a staff nor a board job to ensure that the agency/mission is successful, it's yours.
(Bill Harris)

In the nonprofit world, you have far fewer tools to compel, so you must focus on inspiring. By the way, inspiring makes better business sense too.
(Michael Lawyer)

Be sure you have the typical: policies - what you want to do, procedures - how you expect it to be done, and controls - how you validate that the first two are followed. Those are most basic for both success and staying out of trouble. Next is to have an exception process as every policy or procedure will eventually need one. What is the range of tolerance before you invoke an exception? What documentation do you want in order to start the exception process? Who grants the exception - the board, a supervisory committee, the director? Get a reliable accountant to view the books and make suggestions for improvement, and one who will actually give you difficult challenges without rolling over easily so you stay on the up and up. Get someone on the board that had good advertising sense and skills and can donate work. Get lots of money on the board, but include all perspectives, not just those who think alike along the lines of Hegel’s dialectic process (thesis, antithesis, synthesis, antithesis....). Give the board an effective, high level management report. They don't need the details but a sense of the issues you deal with so they can advise when needed, protect when they should.

Set annual goals with what percentage of time you expect to devote to each, totaling 100% of time available. Use that time effectively. Set a semi-annual and annual review process for yourself and all staff based on the objectives set and whether they were achieved in a timely and successful manner. If not, set a remedial plan to get back on course or alter the goals to a more realistic plan, but only if they need tuning and are not achievable as set out. Your staff goals should be a reflection of yours and all of yours should be met in the sum total of theirs - you are the manager to get it done, not to do it personally. Money is probably too tight to offer bonuses or regular raises based on performance so find other rewards.
(Luigi Licari)

Develop and maintain a close relationship with your Board of Directors and work to develop a collaborative relationship with the board chair as this will prove key to your success as well as that of the organization.
(Dennis Lickteig)

Do not underestimate the power of positive relationships with all of your stakeholders. Getting things done in a nonprofit requires cooperation and collaboration with a diverse group of people who feel very strongly about the organization's mission and how it should be implemented. An E.D. needs to learn how to bend without breaking.
(Cathy Pales)