Lonely At the Top
{Note: This post has been co-published by the Maine Association of Nonprofits.} It’s not easy being a nonprofit CEO. People expect the CEO to have all the answers. The ideal CEO…
Read More Anticipating the Worst
People make dumb decisions. Sometimes the decision isn’t really a decision at all, but simply a momentary loss of focus, like locking yourself out of the house when you take…
Read More Foundering
“So what’s your boss like?” I asked a friend, who had recently taken a position at a nonprofit. “Well, you know. He’s a founder.” My friend then listed the adjectives…
Read More Searching for Mr. or Ms. Right
I have a friend who works as the second-in-command at a very small nonprofit. Her longtime and very effective executive director is retiring, and the board is searching for a…
Read More The Guy on the Fifty Dollar Bill
Ulysses S. Grant had greatness in spades. He was the victorious general in the Civil War – and perhaps the greatest military leader in American history. He was a popular…
Read More Confessions of a Recovering Micromanager
The toughest lesson for nonprofit CEOs is learning what not to do. Most CEOs came up through the ranks and are devoted to the mission. They get their juice, their…
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