Recruiting and Retaining the Best and Brightest

“The Credibility Factor: What Followers Expect from Leaders,” by James Louzes and Barry Posner, cites four qualities all good leaders possess:

• Honesty: truthful, ethical, know their own values, stand up for beliefs;

• Competence: capable, effective, have a proven track record, lead by example;

• Inspiring: enthusiastic, communicate dreams in ways that inspire, communicate shared values; and

• Forward Looking: see big picture and can point to each employee’s spot in it, identify constituents’ wants and needs, and can build consensus.

‘Engage’ your employees
When my firm takes on a search for a nonprofit looking to increase its fundraising performance, the first order of business is to clarify the expectations of the CEO and the board. We force them to consider “the terms of engagement” and define what they want and need.