Mission-Driven Leadership (Part I)
Over the 30 years I’ve spent in the charitable and nonprofit sectors, I believe I’ve discovered a truly unique kind of leader and leadership. Not just leaders with a few distinguishing characteristics, but leaders of a fundamentally different genus and species.
I’ve been blessed to get to observe dozens if not hundreds of these kind of leaders, including:
Passionate nonprofit executives
Wise board members
Selfless volunteers
Disproportionately generous donors
Each has set themself apart from most business, government, and other leaders I’ve known.
In describing these kinds of leaders to those without the same experiences, I’ve taken to describing such leaders as:
Mission-Driven Leaders
who demonstrate
Mission-Driven Leadership
So what exactly is a Mission-Driven Leader?
And might you be one?
It might be best to start by describing what Mission-Driven Leadership is NOT.
It’s NOT Power-Driven Leadership
Mission-driven leaders share any power and authority they may have with others (boards, funders, members, etc.) and must be able to achieve results through consensus-building and distributed decision-making.
“In my first nonprofit CEO role, I reported to a board of 21 influential community leaders, served more than 600 organizational members, and was funded by more than 100 individuals and institutions.
It was the mission, not my position or power, that bound these many diverse stakeholders together in a common cause.”
It’s NOT Wealth-Driven Leadership
Mission-driven leaders sacrifice their full earning potential, often working for below-market compensation, foregoing raises, and eschewing retirement plans. Or in the case of board leaders, they work for free, donating highly valuable time and energy to the cause.
“My wife led a full-fledged and highly successful charitable initiative for 10 years at a glorious annual salary of $0, not because our family was well-off, but because she was passionate about serving foster and adoptive kids and families.
It was that mission, not a paycheck, that fueled her passion and drew so many others to volunteer for her cause.”
It’s NOT Fame-Driven Leadership
Quick, name the most famous nonprofit executive you know! Mission-driven leaders, despite holding fancy titles like “Executive Director” and “Chairman of the Board” work largely behind the scenes and almost never grace the covers of magazines or become big social media influencers.
“I thought I had reached the pinnacle of nonprofit fame when our local CBS TV affiliate invited me down for an on-air segment the next morning to talk about a big program we were launching, only to find out that I would be on-air in the “prime” 5:45am Early Show slot for a total of 37 seconds.
It was the chance to spread the word about our mission that got me out of bed that morning and through a stressful live TV interview, even if only to reach a few dozen viewers.”
So if mission-driven leaders aren’t characterized by power, wealth, or fame, what is it that distinguishes them?
Here are the seven distinguishing characteristics that set Mission-Driven Leaders apart from other leaders.
Mission-Driven Leaders are RADICALLY…..
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article, where we’ll unveil ALL SEVEN Mission-Driven Leadership characteristics, and give you access to our free online Mission-Driven Leadership Assessment!