Good executive directors build complementary teams. Each person seeks to get very good at one part of the job, for example, fundraising, client support, program design, or volunteer management. A few build a reputation for something that is not in any job description, like negotiating tough deals or fixing a broken process.
That is a well-run team. It can also be the reason that boards look inside the organization and decide that nobody is ready to replace the chief executive.
Running a program well leaves little time to learn marketing or finance. Fundraisers might not understand volunteer management. And the top job opens up more often than people expect or plan for. A Bridgespan study found that one in four nonprofit C-suite leaders left their positions over the previous two years.
Here is what I have observed. People learn by doing the work. Your senior people have never done all of the parts of your job that can matter most.
I have been on that side of it. When Applied Materials needed a new chief executive, we looked inside first. Two strong internal candidates did not work out. Neither had been given room to grow past what he was already good at.
The fix costs you time, not them. Think of yourself as first assistant to your direct reports. Hand over the work that you are faster at. It will be slower for a while; that is the cost of management development.
This week: pick one senior manager and one part of the organization they have never worked in. Give them a real piece of it for the next quarter. Sit in on the first meeting and say nothing.
Two questions:
Which of your senior staff has never seen a full budget?
If your best program lead took the job tomorrow, what part of the job would they be learning in public?
If you know someone who is excellent at one thing and untested at everything else, send this newsletter to them. That is the whole ask this week. The free Applied Wisdom booklet is there if they want more. It is free, and it always will be.