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Leaders Must Cross the Lines to Advance Their Organizations
Brian Kreeger • Mar 10, 2022
“The lines” are those unwritten places where a leader’s (board member or executive) words and actions can risk becoming inappropriate or unproductive, but have the potential to launch an organization forward. Crossing the lines can impact their mission and keep people engaged in a way that can actually enhance and deepen that mission.
Being willing to cross the lines is part of leadership, and leaders must have the courage to do so.
Examples of the obscured lines that may get crossed might be the length of meetings, when the discussion of a topic gets cut off, what topics are taboo and don’t get discussed, amount of operational guidance, level of commitment of board members, fundraising strategies, or any number of elephant-in-the-room topics.
Needless to say, the crossing of some imaginary lines can cause friction within a board of directors.
(This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at
briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book,
The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.)
And the big line
that becomes the elephant in the room: how deep do we dig into an executive’s personal life? Yes, the executive does a nice job pulling together all the reports and presenting them to the board in a clear, concise, and articulate manner. They seem to be well-liked by the board, the staff, and the community.
But you start to sense something is wrong, you begin to catch some verbal cues from the executive. You hear rumblings about some issues in their personal life. They seem to do a really good job technically, but you fear they may be struggling inside.
Is this even a board issue? Where is the line? If you step over that line and you are wrong, it may hurt the organization, you may look bad, or you will get harshly judged yourself.
Each board has their lines based on the history of the organization, the style of the leadership, and the personalities of the board members.
So, where are the lines in an organization?
Of course, there is no singular answer to this question. People are people, and the lines are ever changing. Those lines can change based on a conversation a board member had just before the meeting, the mood they are in, or who is attending a particular meeting. Sometimes it is just that random.
It doesn’t matter how long someone has served on a particular board, they are still figuring out, and massaging, where those lines are.
Figuring out where the lines are, and abiding by them, can be the difference between a harmonious board and one that is divided. Even more importantly, and I would say more productively, is knowing how far a line can be crossed.
Lines need to be crossed, but doing so in a positive way that communicates interest in the organization's advancement is absolutely the key. If a board member appears to be crossing a line based on their own personal agenda, credibility lessens and the possibility of friction arises.
Without productively crossing lines, an organization cannot grow and advance in their mission, therefore impacting more people. Again, leaders must have courage in order to cross the lines and challenge the status quo for the betterment of the organization.
For example, sometimes a board is financially conservative, almost to a fault. The suggestion of drawing down reserves in order to invest in a new program is a line no one likes to cross. Board members give a fellow board member “the look” when the topic is broached. But perhaps having the courage to cross that line may bring a greater impact to a community and actually increase the organization’s financial security through increased exposure.
But this can be a struggle, dividing the board and creating cliques and factions around a particular idea. A board must make sure human nature, a nature that mostly works in the interest of self, does not take over and that the advancement of the mission remains the focus.
It takes a mature, experienced, and skilled board chair to navigate these waters while guiding the board to maintain the already important work that is being accomplished. This maintenance includes the watchful eye they must have in monitoring the leadership of the organization.
Crossing unwritten, imaginary, and obscured lines, and the drama that can ensue, is just another practical area that can draw the attention of the board from those things that are most important in directing an organization.
As I point out all throughout my series of blogs, relationship is the key. A board of directors must be willing to make the effort to engage in relationship with fellow board members and the operational leadership of the organization.
Solid relationship makes the crossing of lines much more productive, even desired.
Be Courageous!
Be Proactive!
Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at
briankreeger.com. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My Story) of my book,
The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.
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You are the community, no matter what formal role you play in a particular organization, or if you play any role at all. My blog articles typically focus on the roles the leader and the board have in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. But I contend that the community that exists around organizational leaders and boards has a role as well. In fact, a community’s role can many times be much bigger. My next few blog articles will focus on the role of the community in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
