Think Philanthropically

“People are yearning to be asked to
use the full measure of their potential for
something they care about.”
– Dan Pallotta

The quote by Dan Pallotta hints at an aspirational idea that ought to motivate those who serve as leaders. The privilege of leadership is a noble one. What could be more compelling than an opportunity to create an environment within which people can work towards something they care about. Nonetheless, in recent years we have witnessed a number of catastrophic missteps by leaders in non-profit organizations as diverse as Hockey Canada, WE Charities, American Red Cross and Oxfam. In some cases, these leadership failures have been damaging to entire organizations.

“We have witnessed a number of catastrophic missteps by leaders in non-profit organizations as diverse as Hockey Canada, WE Charities, American Red Cross and Oxfam.”

We tend to be surprised and taken aback when this happens. We shouldn’t be. Non-profit organizations frequently struggle with challenges that are a direct consequence of poor leadership. One of the reasons is that the vetting process for leaders in the sector is often less rigorous than in other sectors.

Some people may have been conditioned to believe that the nature of the endeavours in the philanthropic sector are such that its leaders are automatically infused with impeccable motives. The non-profit sector attracts lots of good leaders and some very poor ones. Along with the many terrific people who lead non-profit organizations there are others who literally suck all of the oxygen out of any room they enter. It would be logical to assume that the board of a non-profit organization would quickly identify and correct harmful behaviours by a leader. However, this is not always the case because these behaviours are frequently cloaked in charm.

Ineffective leaders in the philanthropic sector are often consumed by the need to appear to be in control of the organization that they lead. This is sometimes linked to a phenomenon called “founders’ syndrome”.  Leaders who exhibit this syndrome are not always the actual founders of organizations but they are almost always people who attach their personal identity to an organization’s efforts. It is a topic that Dr. Susanna Kislenko has explored in depth in her research published in The Philanthropist in February of 2022.

“Excellent leaders are much less concerned about how they are perceived, and combine an ability to communicate a clear vision with a credible action plan.”

A leader who exhibits the traits of “founders’ syndrome” often combines an insatiable desire for attention with a compelling personal narrative that is difficult to challenge. Excellent leaders are much less concerned about how they are perceived. They combine an ability to communicate a clear vision with a credible action plan. I’d like to suggest two specific observable behaviours that excellent leaders exhibit.

1.  They are focused on promoting a compelling cause and recognize that they are not the center of that cause. They highlight the accomplishments of their team above their personal accomplishments.

2.  They express constructive discontent in productive ways and are not afraid to challenge themselves and their organizations to improve. They act courageously and serve the people they lead while encouraging a culture of constant improvement.

A great deal of emphasis is focused today on the concept of servant leadership. It can be an overused or misunderstood term. However, in pursuit of worthy philanthropic objectives the challenge of leadership, in an increasingly complex environment, means that leaders must serve the cause without regard to personal gain so that the cause itself can be advanced.

Sam Watts serves as the CEO of Welcome Hall Mission  www.welcomehallmission.com.  He serves on several non-profit boards and the National Housing Council of Canada.  He is the author of Good Work…Done Better www.goodworkdonebetter.com