ARE YOU READY TO LEAD?
Laurie Menzel
AWAG 2013
HOW DO YOU DEFINE LEADERSHIP?
LEADERSHIP DEFINITIONS
"The only definition of a leader is someone who
has followers. Some people are thinkers. Some
are prophets. Both roles are important and badly
needed. But without followers, there can be no
leaders.”
 “An effective leader is not someone who is loved
or admired. He or she is someone whose followers
do the right things. Popularity is not leadership.
Results are.”

A leader builds enduring greatness through a
paradoxical blend of personal humility and
professional will
 Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set
examples.”
 Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles, or
money. It is responsibility."

Frances Hesselbein, Leader to Leader,
Spring 2007
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Coercive- “Do What I Say”, no flexibility or
creativity allowed
 Authoritative- states the objective but allows
for creativity/flexibility
 Affiliative- “People Come First”, emotions,
harmony and a sense of belonging encouraged
 Democratic- everyone is equal, contributes, new
ideas welcome
 Pacesetting- goals are expected to be achieved
 Coaching- leaders take time to mentor
individually

WHAT OR WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOUR
LEADERSHIP STYLE?
WHICH STYLE DO YOU USE?
Which
style do you use with
your organization?
Are you flexible?
Do you use a combination of
styles?
Has your leadership changed
through the years?
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Fair
– No favoritism
Knowledge
– Of job, smart, on policy & procedure, what’s expected
of them
Honesty
Communication
– Open, Effective, Know When To Speak, Good
Interpersonal Skills
Decisions
Involve
– Willing to make correct decisions, easy or tough
Everyone, gathers information and shares it
Consistency
Experience
Support
Trust
– growth both personal & professional develop
– Believe in members, is trustworthy themselves
Integrity
Common
Sense
Flexibility
Respect
– Treats everyone with, earns it themselves
Approachability
(Adapted from RapidBI 2012)
NEGATIVE LEADERSHIP TRAITS

Micro Manage

Favoritism – Friendship first, plays favorites

Selfish – Self centered, self serving, self promoting

Indecisive – Second guessing, fail to make any decision

Inconsistent – Shift priorities

Knowledge – Pretend to know everything, never wrong

Decisions – Not making any, emotional, inability to make any

Vindictive

Communication – Poor, non communicator, dishonest

Hypocritical – “Do as I say, not as I do”

Close Minded – Not open to suggestions, won’t change mind

Dishonest



Discipline – Selective, double standards, name calling, no
recognition, heavy handed
Inexperience
Responsibility – Not taking, shirks it
2012)
( Adapted from RapidBI
LEADERSHIP SUGGESTIONS
 Determination
to be a viable and
relevant part of the tenuous future
 Rejection of hierarchy in favor of
flexible, inclusive management
systems
 Openness to new models, new ideas,
and new initiatives regardless of
where in the world they come from
 Utilizing
the relationship between
learning and leading
 Utilizing passion for the mission to
maintain focus and patience for the
journey
 Utilizing and Practicing “Planned
Abandonment” without fear
HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?
WHAT ARE YOUR TRAITS?
SWOT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Leadership Roles
BASIC LEADERSHIP ADMIN
BOARD STRUCTURE- GETTING STARTED
Current Constitution/ By Law
 Review board structure for relevancy
 Network to find board members
 “Warm Body” syndrome
 “Summer Rotation” Bounty
 Diversity
 Personality Dynamics
 References

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT- WHAT TO
DO BEFORE THE BOARD YEAR STARTS
Meet with all board members individually
 Budget Review
 Constitution/ By Law Review
 Legal Document Review
 Update Website/ Email accounts
 Set Board calendar and monthly functions
 Branding
 Board Building- Social Event

BOARD REPORTS
Board Report
Position:
Name:
Month:
Activities: [Brief summary of activities conducted during the
last month or since the last board meeting.]
Motions to be made at the meeting: [If none, write
“none.”]
Money collected and/or bills/receipts: [If none, write
“none.”]
Problems encountered and course of action: [If none,
write “none.”]
Goals for upcoming month: [Briefly describe plans and
indicate if additional help is needed.]
Total number of volunteer hours
MONTHLY BOARD MEETINGS
Start on Time
 Parliamentarian
 Apathy by Board Members, Quorum issues
 Is this a “committee meeting”
 Consent Agenda
 Handling confrontations
 Confidentiality
 How long is too long?

ADVISORS
Who appoints them?
 How many do you need?
 When do you call on them for help?

AFTER ACTION REPORT (AAR)
Board Position Title:
 Committee:
 Committee Requirements:
 Responsibilities/Job Description:
 Timeline:
 Annual Budget:
 List highlights of your position:
 List and describe problems encountered:
 Standard Operating Procedure:
 POC Info:
 Recommendations of improvement for your
area of responsibility: i.e. Changes to ByLaws

FINISHING THE YEAR
Will you serve again?
 Importance of continuity
 Does the organization need new direction?
Knowing when to step down
 Importance of complete AAR’s from all positions
 “Corporate Knowledge”
 Thanking your board members
 Collecting board members binders, equipment,
etc

L.E.A.D.E.R.S
Look and Listen
 Emotional Bonding
 Awareness
 Dare to dream a new reality and do it
 Empowerment
 Responsibility
 Synchronicity


(Deepak Chopra, The Soul of Leadership, 2010)
HELPFUL NONPROFIT WEBSITES
www.boardsource.org
 www.volunteermatch.org
 www.philanthropy.com
 www.managementhelp.org
 www.e-volunteerism.com
 www.guidestar.org
 www.nptimes.com
 www.energizeinc.com
 www.independentsector.org
 www.urban.org
 www.leadertoleader.org

Things to Remember………
 Each
Leader has a unique set of
motivations to lead.
 You are at your best- working in the sweet
spot of your leadership- when you are
highly motivated and using your strongest
capabilities.
 By understanding past experiences that
are highly motivating to you and that
utilized your greatest capabilities, you can
learn to identify situations that will
enable you to be most effective.

(Adapted from Finding Your True North, 2008)
Laurie Menzel
lmenzel@att.net
AWAG 2013