Over the course of my 45+ years as a nonprofit CEO and consultant, I’ve learned a few things. I like to distill concepts to their most basic principles, finding that by doing so, processes become clear and success is more likely. If you focus your work on these four principles, I think you will have less frustration (and so will your staff and volunteer leadership) and more success. They are: Big Think; Raise a Lot of Money; Put Great People Around You; and Get Out Of The Way.

BIG THINK

The job of the CEO is to set the course. Big Think is all about getting out of the weeds and allowing yourself to spend your time looking at leverage points that will make your organization stronger, more dynamic. Very often I hear from my clients how hard it is to stay above the fray. Well it’s a bad use of your time, no matter how small your agency, for you to be cleaning the toilets. Big Think keeps you focused on tomorrow and the next day. Staying ahead of the curve is your job – to anticipate trends and to understand risks and rewards. It’s great to bring people into your thinking. Lots of ideas help shape the best ones. But it’s the CEO’s job to pick the winners (and losers) and to build team support and excitement. Big Think allows for risks. No risk, no gain. Great CEOs have to get off the gerbil treadmill – and keep trying new things.

RAISE A LOT OF MONEY

I know that many CEOs hate raising money. But raising a lot of money doesn’t just mean asking people for cash. It’s all about fully resourcing your organization. It includes looking at every avenue – government, foundations, corporate, earned income, collaborative and shared grants, and of course fundraising in the more traditional sense. The biggest lament I hear is that organizations are under-resourced. And, there is too little unrestricted money to do training, build out technology, and to have risk capital. Think about how you, and your staff and board, will feel when money is no longer the BIG worry; when you have the capital resources to test new ideas and pay your staff well. Lots of organizations have less than 2 months working capital on hand – and much of that may be restricted. Living day-to-day is tiresome. Making payroll and keeping current on payables is exhausting when there is no money in the bank. Sure, there may be a funder or two who will balk when you have a year or more unrestricted funds in your operating account. But if you lose a major gift when you have a couple million in the bank it won’t hurt all that much. Lose a major gift when you have one month’s float, and you will not sleep very well.

PUT GREAT PEOPLE AROUND YOU

It’s a bit trite to talk about the Covey model of the “right people on the bus” but, it still makes sense. Having the right people on staff and in your volunteer leadership allows you to focus on BIG THINK and RAISING A LOT OF MONEY. But to empower everyone, you have to let them do their jobs. Here’s what it takes.

• Clearly defined roles
• Accountability
• Ongoing Feedback
• Celebration of Great Work

Great people get frustrated when they are not allowed to do their work. When they do, and they get credit for it, they keep doing great work. It takes a great CEO to let people take credit for their work. This doesn’t mean that the CEO is not responsible for outcomes. The buck stops with the CEO every day. But when everyone knows what their responsibilities are, and they have the resources to do their jobs, and they are recognized and celebrated for the work, your organization will grow and prosper. Exponentially. This is true for paid staff and volunteer leaders. When I taught graduate school in nonprofit management, I told my students that “they get the Boards they deserve.” In other words, it’s not up to the Board to be great – it’s the CEO’s job to help everyone, including Board members, to understand their roles. When everyone knows what to do, gets regular feedback and is celebrated for their work, they will be happy to be accountable to the CEO. Less frustration, more productivity.

GET OUT OF THE WAY

This is the corollary to having great people around you. Getting out of the way means you put your ego in park. You let others shine. You trust them.

When you THINK BIG and RAISE A LOT OF MONEY then great people can buy into your dream with the knowledge that they have the resources to do their job and to take risks. Taking risks means that there will be some failures. An environment that challenges people and has no fear of retribution will inspire people to dream and to create new ways of work. More creativity will lead to better outcomes and better ways to fulfill your mission. Which is the best way of serving your clients and stakeholders better, more deeply. Taking risks doesn’t mean being dumb. There is a risk/reward calculation that BIG THINK demands. That’s the job of the CEO. Embrace it and your organization will grow and you will serve more, more deeply, even in difficult times. In the end, every CEO is a change agent and the most fun you will have is seeing the results of change instead of running in the same circles.

Elliot Gershenson is the former president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (IM), where he served for over 11 years. During his tenure, IM’s budget tripled in size and became one of the largest Meals on Wheels providers in the country, along with other critical community services. Gershenson spent most of his 43+ years as a CEO and now runs a consulting practice that focuses on coaching/mentoring, strategic thinking and planning, executive searches and development planning. He can be reached at www.gershensonconsultingllc.com.