How to Lead an Organization (Second Essay)

(c) It is only now that you are able to develop some of your core ideas. Indeed, the organization will flourish because of your energy and insight, but it will take off because of your ideas. But you often will, at first, only have the vaguest notion of what your specific ideas are. You shouldn't take the job unless you have a commitment to and can explain clearly the big idea---i.e., what your goal with the organization is, why it is important to have this vital entity in the community, what service you provide that no one else does so well, etc. But often the specific path of who to get to the "big idea" will develop as you get to know the people in the organization.

Let me illustrate this through an example of a public policy organization I now lead--the movement to abolish the death penalty in Oregon. I wrote a book on the subject in 2001; hence people were emboldened to ask me to "head up" the abolition effort several months ago. I knew that it would be a mammoth undertaking, but I had a sense that this was the time to do it. So I had my basic idea in mind--we want to abolish the death penalty--but at first I had only the vaguest idea of how to do that. Once I began to identify my "core" people, however, it became clear to me that we needed a 1/2 time staff member to do a lot of "cleanup" (i.e., make sure that our data bases were up to date, do mailings, etc.), we needed some money and we needed gradually to build a movement, with message, alliances, speakers, trainings, etc. Death penalties are abolished either through convincing the legislature or the people of the State. In either case, a deep public sense of support for the undertaking is necessary. So, after learning about our finances, I began to meet with various "players" in the movement to see what needed to be done. That vision is still emerging, and it is much clearer in my mind now than it was a few months ago. As I develop this vision, I am drawing on my experience from 23 years ago, when I led a successful attempt to get large public funding for Portland Community College at a crucial time of our existence.

(d) In developing the ideas and putting them into action, you need to have a vision of the "shape" of the organization. I use the terms "hub and spokes" to clarify for people how I run an organization which needs urgent action. At the hub is me and one or two other people--the lead staff member and/or the chair of the Board. The hub is pretty much the same as the core group of people, though there may be even fewer in the "hub" than in the "core." In any case, the hub and spokes model means that the "wheel" (the organization) only "goes around" if the hub is working well. Then, the "spokes" of the organization are the people, whether elected board, crucial staff, or key volunteers, who will put the major ideas I help develop into effect. In the death penalty movement, for example, the "spokes" of the wheel, as I perceve it are these: (i) a person knowledgeable about personnel, hiring and review issues; (ii) a person who wants to work on communication/data base issues with the paid staffer; (iii) a person committed to making the fund-raising calls with me; (iv) someone devoted to thinking about and building alliances with groups/individuals who are, in the first instance, our natural "partners" in our idea. Then, effort will have to be expended in how to build things even further--to people whom we might have more trouble "winning over;" (v) someone who wants to work on legislative issues; (vi) someone who wants to head up the "message development" area, which includes not simply developing the message we want to get across, but coming up with a speaker's bureau, and with training for people to learn the "message" we develop. We may need other people for major tasks as time goes on (such as web page development).

(e) Crucial in implementing a vision that you are developing with these "task volunteers/workers" is that you, as ED, meet with each one and your key staff person in order to define what their job will be and how they plan to get started on it. I have been in charge of large organizations which had a non-existent or non-functional committee system. In order to "revive" that system, or put a different one in place, the key volunteers/chairs of existing committees need to understand precisely what their task is and have clear, practical tasks that can be undertaken. Sometimes it takes two or three meetings between you and the person to clarify what their task is. But it is time well spent, and people who know what they are to do will give you their heart as well as their time. Some of the tasks are very clear; their practicality almost "forces itself" on you--such as the hiring of a staff member [you have to develop criteria for the job; put out a job announcement; review resumes; set up interviews; interview; select; train the successful candidate, etc.]. In other cases, such as "message development" or "building alliances," the tasks are much more amorphous at first. Care needs to be taken, however, for each person to know precisely what is expected of them. You, as ED, need to be the "great clarifier" as well as the "great trainer" and "great communicator" and "great visionary" and "great fundraiser." Your apotheosis is near...

By doing these things your core concepts will become clear. Meetings of the Board or committee (no less frequent than monthly) will be the occasion for the various tasks to be presented, mulled over, and approved. Thus, the meeting of the committee/Board becomes a time where ideas already worked on are refined, approved and finalized, rather than, in general, initiated.

III. Dealing With Problems

If there is one things that is clear to me from working with nonprofit organizations for 30 years, it is that problems arise. Grace happens, as we say in theological speech, but we also know that other things "happen." Though Jesus may have said that "wherever two or more of you are gathered, I am there with you," we also know that it is true that "when two of more are gathered, there is politics." And, people get hurt. People also bring to this new task their memories of the past--how things got screwed up, who screwed them up, why they were ignored, hurt, abandoned, etc. Thus, there not only will be the immediate problems of defining a vision and raising money that you will face, but you will also face a mountain of difficulties from previous times that will surface as time goes on. You need to be aware of that.

The most important thing to get through the problems that arise is to maintain your focus on mission and not to personalize the issues as they emerge. In good theological tradition, let's talk about the last first. People's anger, implacability or seeming unwillingess to "go along" with you at first or later may manifest itself in outbursts against you. Often things "get back to you" through the grapevine. Sometimes there are direct challenges to your authority. Other times you get the sense that people are trying to lead a "countermovement" against you. Your first thought is, "Hey, folks, you haven't been doing that great a job so far. That is why you hired me. Why are you continuing to self-destruct?" But you can't "go there," even if it is true, because that will get you embroiled in the same things that have bogged down the organization for years. You need to be a pain-absorber of sorts, and go on.

The thing that helps you "go on" is your utter commitment to the mission of the organization and to the tasks you are identifying. You cannot stray from that vision; you must always be a person who highlights the mission before you. Certainly you have to deal with real-life immediate problems, but you can often do so in terms of the mission you are undertaking. Never lose sight of what you are trying to accomplish, and always have the articulation of mission be very close to you. Repeat your mission to yourself at least once a day, just to make sure that you haven't lost your fervor or direction.

A final problem that tends to emerge is that people, either volunteers or paid workers, often have "issues" in their lives that require them either to "step away" from the effort or to scale back for a while. Indeed, sometimes it happens to three or four people at once, and you as ED can think, "Oh my, the whole world is falling apart, and I am the only one who can keep it together." You, like Elijah of old, think that only you are faithful to God, while the rest of the world has bowed its knees to Baal. But, it isn't true. You must keep the mission in mind, and then decide who are the people you can work with best at any moment. Sometimes people just need a "little break" while they work out an issue with employment, health, family or finances. When you give them that "break," they often return super-energized after their hiatus, and they contribute far more than they could have had you pressed them on their tasks.

Conclusion

The methods presented aid in defining a movement and its goals, energizing and maximizing the use of volunteers and paid staff, and will lead to a large group of people "buying in" to the vision that you have helped create. And, when it is all said and done, you truly can stand up and say, "Thank you for helping us reach our goals." You will be completely sincere when you say it, for without the effort of many, you will not reach your goal. But you have been the catalyst for it all, and most will never understand what you really did. But that is the way life is for ED's...

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