Whether your job title is program manager, executive director, or head cat-herder, the reality is you are not just managing a Main Street program. You are also managing a nonprofit organization with a board of directors, by-laws, and rules, deadlines, and never ending need for money.
Leadership has been defined as "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task." (Wikipedia)
Take a breath and look inward for a few minutes and think about your own leadership competency and style. Who are you?
“The way you envision your role as executive director (your “mental model”) shapes everything you do, from your relationship with your board, staff, and funders to the way your budget is put together; even the physical layout of your office space can be affected by the way you think of your role in relation to other staff and the organization as a whole.” (https://www.tsne.org/)
This four-step approach (four points? really?) to figure out your leadership style is outlined in this 8-page document from Third Sector New England MissionWorks (the first three pages can be skipped). Happy downloading!
Executive Director’s Guide to Successful Nonprofit Management
Take the Meyers-Briggs Personality Inventory ($49) for insight into yourself. Yes, you have a personality type and, no, there are no wrong answers. Main website for Meyers-Briggs. Free version here (warning: it’s free so who knows what results you will get).
It would be interesting to learn Main Street directors have more in common than they don’t.
