Nonprofit Mergers: The Missing Ingredient

Retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal knows a lot about leadership. And this former Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. troops in Afghanistan has already shared his wisdom with the military, corporate clients, high government officials and readers of his management book, "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World."

But as we discovered firsthand last year, he has a lot to teach social sector leaders, as well. Leadership lessons from General McChrystal’s 34-year Army career are a big part of why three organizations successfully merged, and why Service Year Alliance (the resulting organization, which I lead) exists today, working to unite and expand the field of full-time service programs and recruit and inspire young adults to serve.