You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
– Eleanor Roosevelt
I recently listened to an interview with Greg Wasson, former CEO of Walgreens. A few years ago, he allowed the Walgreens agreement with Sure Scripts to lapse because he thought the terms were unfair to the pharmacies. Walgreens lost millions of dollars and the stock dropped in value. A year later Sure Scripts came back with a better offer.
Mission, Vision and Values
In the not-for-profit arena we talk about Mission, Vision and Values. It is essential that agency leadership understand these core principles and are prepared to turn away opportunities that are not consistent with them.
One of the main elements of courageous leadership is listening. Take some time to observe the impact of your organization and ask constituents what they think about it. Be prepared to accept (and appreciate) feedback that may not be what you expect.
There is no substitute for trust. Trust often takes years to earn and may be lost in a minute. Be consistent and genuine in your relationships.
Human services require lots of humans. Remember that your nonprofit employees and volunteers are also constituents. During the "great resignation" workforce issues have come to the forefront.
Courageous employers may need to change policies, adjust schedules and increase wages in order to retain staff. Look over your current Mission, Vision and Values – are your employees and volunteers even mentioned? None of your good works will happen without people to implement programs and services.
An Historical Example
Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctica explorer, utilized team building activities he called "mental medicine" to build camaraderie amongst his crew. In spite of being shipwrecked for months in the bitter cold, no one died. He was committed to building a cohesive team.
The underlying characteristics of courageous leadership are:
- Lead from both the mind and heart
- Commitment to do the right thing
- Being bold (rain or shine)
- Staying the course in times of strong opposition and disagreement
Courageous leadership bolsters self-confidence and allows others to believe and support their leader and the organization.
In Mission Drift, Peter Greer and Chris Horst show how to determine whether your organization is in danger of drift, and they share the results of their research into Mission True and Mission Untrue organizations.
If your organization is ready for a Mission, Vision and Values tune up, please contact SWB Consulting Services for an assessment.
Resources:
- NPR - Walgreens: Greg Wasson
- aftermarketNews (AMN) - Courage and Collaboration are Cousins
- Harvard Business School - 3 Examples of Courageous Leaders & Lessons You Can Learn From Them
- Harvard Business Review - What Courageous Leaders Do Differently
- Social Enterprise Academy - 8 ways to develop your courageous leadership
- Council of Nonprofits - Core Values
- Franklin Covey - Leading at the Speed of Trust
