Discover Your Natural Leadership Style! Page 1 of 7 In general I believe… It is important to be seen as a strong and effective leader for the organization, competent in solving problems, and working towards our long-term vision. Challenges are best solved one-on-one with the staff or a board member. Decisions “by committee” tend to slow down our progress, and deter from the mission. As the leader of the organization it is my responsibility to make the tough decisions, solve the big problems, and put in the extra hours. It is critical to educate others about our mission and the needs of our clients — if more people know about what we’re doing they will want to help. When it comes to accountability, I…. Try to hold our team accountable, but often our “to-do’s” get lost in the greater purpose of serving the needs of our clients. Realize there is just too much for me to do, so I try to involve the staff and board as much as possible, but it can be difficult to get things done on time. Often tend to handle many of the bigger problems myself, as it seems like that’s the best way to get them done the right way. Personally make sure everything we need to do gets done, in the best way, as quickly as possible. In general I believe feedback… Should be casual in nature and provide encouragement for a job well done, often one-on-one, and in the moment. Should be delivered through a formalized process, at specific points, so each of our staff members knows how they are doing in relation to our overall vision. Should be used to provide recognition of significant positive results — one-on-one, in front of other team members, or at events. Should be given directly, one-on-one, and in-the-moment, when necessary. Page 2 of 7 In general, my take on strategy is… What is most important is that we fulfill our mission and help our clients. Our strategy focuses on continuing to do those things that have been most effective in the past. Our organization is very strong in understanding and serving our client’s needs. Our strategy is flexible, morphing as needed to leverage our strengths and balance our weaknesses. I tend to take a lot of ownership of the organization. I am passionate about the cause and have worked hard to create a clear strategy and vision for others to follow. We have clear strategic objectives for each area of our organization, which relate to the higher goals. This helps us to operate more efficiently, stay focused, and better achieve our overall mission. In general volunteers are… Difficult to engage in our organization — we have a few that help out, but it can be challenging to get them to get things done. Amazing — in limited numbers, and those few are heavily involved in our organization. But we have a lot more that want to help and it’s difficult to get them engaged. The life-blood of our organization — without them we would really struggle to meet the needs of our clients. Helpful for assisting in large events or handling smaller day-to-day operations-related tasks, but the bigger initiatves are best handled by staff. When recruiting for the board of directors… I’m very selective of who we add to the board, often choosing those that can help financially. I usually hand-pick directors myself, and only add someone when it’s absolutely essential. I believe the board functions best when it is limited in size providing hi-level support when needed. I usually hand-select new board members when necessary. I believe we need a balanced group of diverse leadership on our board, so we try to keep our eyes open for ideal potential candidates throughout the year. We choose our new board members mostly as a team, but only when someone leaves the board and we need to fill a spot.Page 3 of 7 If I ever left the organization… There would be a significant impact in all areas, we would struggle to serve our clients, and the organization would quite possibly come to an end. We have a succession plan in place — at least high level, that would allow for a transition in leadership without a critical impact to the organization. There would be an adjustment period for everyone, but things could level back out fairly quickly. In the short-term there may be an impact — especially with fundraising and donor relationships. A new leader may be able to step in and learn the ropes, but the ramp up would have a steep learning curve. In the short-term our clients could still be served, but fundraising would be significantly impacted, we could lose some key staff members and over time the organization may not survive. My communication style tends to be… I foster open dialogue and new ideas among the team, but encourage our leaders and staff to stay focused on the mission and strategy. I believe it is important to retain a mutual respect for and professionalism towards each other, with active dialogue within functional areas. I tend to keep much of what I’m thinking private. It can be challenging to share extra information with the team, while still moving things forward as quickly as possible. I believe we can learn from each other, working together to better achieve the mission, but it is vital to keep information about our organization within our team. In general I believe… Organizations are best when they focus their resources and efforts on really getting to know the client and their needs. Organizations are best when they have a good vision, but focus most on strong operations and getting things done. Organizations are best when the focus is on the bigger picture, getting things done the right way, so they can do more. Organizations are best when they are extremely devoted to serving the mission and purpose, focused on raising more money to increase their impact.Page 4 of 7 Our core values are… Implied — by myself and our core staff and leadership. We don’t see the need to formalize them or share them externally. Simple and implied — keep our donors happy, then help our clients as much as possible. Stated formally and shared with our board, staff, and volunteers. Simple and implied — do everything we can to learn about and serve our clients better. In general our culture is… A close-knit team environment where we work together to meet the needs of our clients. Strongly focused on getting things done quickly, in the right way. An organized structure focused on operational effeciency, completing our strategic objectives, and working towards our vision. Completely focused on our clients and doing whatever we can to help serve their needs. My management approach tends to be… I provide clear direction and steps for each task the staff members or volunteers are supposed to do. My focus is much more outward facing, so I generally let the team members manage themselves. I communicate the desired end result, but encourage each individual to create their own path. I provide a general guideline, but I let the individuals figure out the details.Page 5 of 7 In general, fundraising is… Extremely effective when I am working one-on-one with major donors, and somewhat effective through large events. Generally effective when I work one-on-one with donors, when board members contribute funds, and through major events, but we struggle with other avenues. Extremely effective when I am working one-on-one with donors, but we struggle with other initiatives. Generally effective when I am working one-on-one with major donors, but doesn’t work well when others get involved. My approach to fundraising is… This responsibility is shared between myself and our development director. I personally work with all of our major donors, and many others. It’s critical that I maintain those relationships. Fundraising is a team effort — we rely on myself, our development team, and our board members to attract new donors and nurture existing relationships. I handle all relationships with major donors, and closely manage the development staff when dealing with smaller donors. When communicating with the board… I share high-level information with the board when needed, but feel it is my responsibility to handle most of the decisions and challenges faced by the organization. I share high-level information with the board when needed, but generally the staff and I make most decisions and handle things internally. I share high-level information with the board as needed, but feel it is more effective to discuss specific objectives and challenges one-on-one. I share high-level information with the board regularly, but will also often involve them to help solve a specific challenge, outside of staff capabilities.Page 6 of 7 Which do you feel is most critical for the organization? Donors & fundraising — these are the life-blood of our agency. It’s critical that we spend time on this. Efficiency — the most important thing is that we are fulfilling our mission in the quickest way possible, so we can do more. Serving our clients — what matters is how we’re currently helping people and how we can do more for them in the future. Having a good solid strategic plan, developed by our leadership, that we execute towards each day. Overall, fundraising is… Working well when we target our existing donors, but we struggle to expand the overall pool and bring in new donors. A fairly successful group effort between myself, the board, and staff, but we definitely could use more to make a bigger impact. Working ok, but I never have enough time to meet new donors and manage existing relationships. Relatively easy for me to get new major gift donors, but we seem to always need more, and I just don’t have enough time. Your go-to method for managing others is… I think our staff is amazing! As long as they understand the end goal, and what is most important, I trust them to keep the ball rolling. We have a very dynamic ever-changing environment — it’s essential that I manage each of our objectives so they get completed the right way. Our staff and volunteers help with things, but need a lot of oversight and direction to complete projects and initiatives. We have an all-hands-on-deck approach, where our staff, and board are both involved in moving the organization forward, following our plan, so we can get things done the best way.Page 7 of 7 In general, my take on working with the board is… I believe the board should take a hands-off approach — I’ll come to them when needed, and communicate high-level information. I believe the board should support the strategy and objectives created by the staff, but I also tap into their unique strengths and experiences when beneficial. I try to involve the board in major decision-making, but believe they have entrusted me to create and execute the strategy for the organization. I believe the board should support the strategy and objectives created by our staff, and provide financial support for the organization. In general a good board should have… Limited structure, policies, and involvement — trusting the agency’s leader to create and execute the strategy as they see best. A very solid understanding, passion, and dedication, for the organization’s mission and purpose, with the primary goal of supporting the leader. A diverse set of skills and experience, coupled with information and guidelines about the organization, so they can help further the mission in the best way. An understanding of the overall vision, mission, and strategy for the organization, a high level of respect for the agency leader, and clear roles and expectations for board service. Safe and Secure! 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