Last week, we announced an incredible addition to the Pursuant leadership team – Jennifer Bielat. Jennifer joins Pursuant with more than two decades of proven leadership in the philanthropic sector and was a catalyst for Easterseals’ recent transformation.
Jennifer joining our team, combined with the DISRUPT theme at this week’s DMANF Conference in Washington, D.C., offer a powerful reminder of the one quality we all must embrace before we set out to respectfully disrupt our organizations.
The one quality: LEADERSHIP.
In my experience across both the corporate and the non-profit sectors, I’ve had the pleasure of working for, and with, truly exceptional leaders. I’m not just talking about a great boss or a charismatic person, but a true leader – the kind that achieves the seemingly unachievable and in doing so, elevates the contributions of everyone around them.
Are you that kind of leader?
As I step back and reflect on the great leaders I’ve worked for, I realize they share four similar attributes:
- Commitment. Each of them had a vision, took a stand, and committed to doing what was necessary to realize success.
- Balance. While their stand was often for a long-term vision, they balanced it with bolder choices in the short-term, choices that support progress toward their vision.
- Progress. They understood the need for progress over perfection which often includes saying ‘no’ to the wrong things or the right things at the wrong time.
- Failure. They accept that failure is inherent to success and are prepared to both make mistakes and learn from them.
Leaders in the nonprofit sector are often hamstrung by the annualized and unrealistic metrics that are used to evaluate success. Ironically, it is only with bold leadership that we will move beyond that and successfully DISRUPT the industry.
As you head into this week – whether you’ll be at DMANF in D.C. or back at your office, I invite you to think about your own leadership and ask yourself if you are exhibiting the attributes that will set your organization apart and ensure you fulfill on your mission. At Pursuant, we are committed to bold leadership and are passionate about developing solutions that are scalable, cost-effective and impactful in connecting resources to vision so that more passionate people are inspired to change the world.
Note:
I also invite you to read last week’s post, I’m Ready to Disrupt: Preparing for 2017 DMANF Conference in D.C., which focuses on the role of data in our efforts to DISRUPT.