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Nonprofit Leadership Falls: It's Tough at the Top-1
Brian Kreeger 1:5 • May 13, 2021
Assuming the role of nonprofit leader is easy. But, carrying out that leadership can rock the leader to their very core and leave them asking who they truly are.
In last week’s article I wrote about the very basic aspects of human nature that enter the equation when considering the relationships that take place with, and around, the nonprofit leader.
Intentions are usually good, but many facets of human nature can subconsciously block the harmony in a nonprofit organization needed to prevent a leadership fall. I wrote of the battle against human nature that must take place.
While the leader nearly every time must take responsibility for a leadership fall, this article and the one that follows will examine those difficulties that weaken the leader and make them vulnerable to a fall.
A little side note….my hope is that simply writing about these difficulties will comfort leaders in knowing that you are not crazy. Most leaders deal with these same difficulties.
Leader, you made the choice to enter leadership. You make the choice every day. Thank goodness!
(This article is the fifth in a series that 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. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the Introduction and the Appendix (My story) to my upcoming book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.)
Leaders often go into their new positions a bit starry-eyed. They overplay the benefits of their leadership role and underplay the challenges. They think of that nice new office, the heightened level of respect they will receive, the larger platform, the ability to enact their own ideas, and the decisions they make impacting a lot more people.
Veterans of leadership recognize that there will be challenges, and everything is not as rosy as first presented. But everyone-new to leadership or a veteran- taking on a new leadership position wants to believe. They want to believe that they will make the difference that will help the organization realize its full potential. A potential that will propel it to the level of success those they serve deserve.
Things go well in the beginning as the new leader settles into their new responsibilities. They talk of the future and the changes they are going to make that will benefit the clients, the employees, and the volunteers. They give the impression that it is going to be much easier on everyone with them in charge.
Then—surprise!—the honeymoon ends. Problems begin to come from all directions. The reality of why their predecessor is not there anymore sinks in. Eventually, the executive’s eyes open when the problems find their way to their door. Those problems are a wake-up call: the financial issues, the human-relations issues, the operational issues, the community-image issues, the fundraising issues, etc.
Darts are being thrown as people need someone to blame, and the new leader recognizes the target is on their back.
The pressure builds.
On top of all that, no one seems to understand. Whom can the leader trust? Who is their ally? Are they all alone? Where did the board go?
Plus, there is this person of the opposite sex who seems to understand, and builds the married leader up when they are discouraged about their struggles.
Many leaders with years under their belts recognize this entire process as part of the deal and handle it well. Many reading this fall into that category.
But there are also many leaders-whether they are newly promoted, just hired, or even those with much experience-who struggle when the surprises are revealed in their new organization or role.
The perspective they have of their position has now become more balanced. Yes, the benefits of being the leader are great, but the challenges that come along with those benefits are more difficult than they initially thought. They wonder why they left their last job and why they made this choice. They were so good in their previous position and things were under control.
Hmm. I’ll bet this sounds a little too familiar, right?
The above account doesn’t necessarily fit every leader’s experience, and leadership falls don’t all occur because of struggles within an organization. But it highlights some of the biggest struggles that can weaken a leader and tempt them to let down many people in a big way.
This was a good lead into this, and then next week’s articles that reveal some issues leaders, especially nonprofit executives, allow to weaken them and sometimes cause them to fall.
Remember, right now I am writing to define the problems that can lead to the fall of nonprofit leaders, not solving them….yet.
It’s lonely at
the top. According to Harvard Business Review, at least half of CEOs express feelings of loneliness and 61% even believe loneliness hinders their job performance.1
Churchleadership.org reports that 58% of pastors feel they do not have any good, true friends.2 84% of pastors desire to have close fellowship with someone they can trust and confide in according to pastoralcareinc.com.3
I have yet to talk to a leader of an organization who does not list loneliness and isolation at the top of their professional challenges. Notice I did not say nonprofit leaders or Christian nonprofit leaders. Loneliness is a struggle for leadership in both corporate and nonprofit worlds. Because of this particular challenge, most falls occur with the title “Moral Failure.”
One pastor (a Christian Nonprofit Leader) I interviewed who has served for over 35 years told me that isolation in ministry and not having someone to talk openly and honestly with has been a major problem in his life. “Sometimes when you are struggling as a pastor, people don’t necessarily want to know,” he said. “They want to know you are real to a certain extent. But when you discuss your struggles, in a lot of cases, they begin to lose confidence in you.” He explained that sometimes people are not discreet, or they themselves become burdened for you. That’s the last thing a pastor wants to be—a burden to their flock.
This same pastor spoke about peer groups that are supposed to help with the pressures of pastoral leadership. He commented that it is even hard for human weakness not to creep into these types of relationships, and that many times people want to talk more about how well they are doing as opposed to sharing their struggles.
Leaders, how open do you feel in sharing the deep, difficult struggles you have with other leaders? We all want to be thought of as successful within our peer groups. This sometimes prevents us from being fully known and limits us if we are prevented from being spurred on to increased confidence and eventual success as a result of honest, open relationships.
The inability and/or unwillingness of a leader to show vulnerability in an attempt to solve problems in their lives and their organizations leads to loneliness and isolation. This can lead to a leadership fall.
Loneliness and isolation are definitely the number one set of reasons for a leadership fall. Period.
I will reach much deeper into this topic when I write about the proactive approach in preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. But again, right now, I am defining the cause of temptations that may lead to a leadership fall.
Next week I will write about other difficulties nonprofit leaders face, sometimes weakening them to a level from which they are tempted to fall: Loss of True Identity, The Something New Trap, The Perfect Leader, and Being Yourself.
1Harvard Business Review, CEO Snapshot, 2012
2Churchleadership.org, Statistics on Pastors; 2016 Update
3Pastoralcareinc.com, Statistics in Ministry, 2020
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 Introduction and the Appendix (My Story) to my upcoming book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.
Brian@briankreeger.com
#Leadership Fall #Leadership Survival #Human Nature #Nonprofit Relationships #Proactive Approach #Loneliness #Isolation #New Leader #Leadership choice
Executives -pastors or nonprofit executives in our context- are put on a pedestal. It’s not that the typical person necessarily believes they belong there or desires to put them there. But it is human nature that this happens. The general public often places much higher expectations on leaders than they do on themselves. Sometimes it is appropriate, and the leader has put themselves in that position. In some cases, it is simply scriptural. For instance, James 3 points out that those who teach will be judged more strictly, thereby heightening the expectations of those who lead and teach. But what about when we accept, and enact, those elevated expectations and forget the humanity of our leaders? Often a community heaps on a leader the expectation that they are to perform with the perfection of Jesus and not simply be a Jesus follower and disciple just like them, but with a unique calling and heightened responsibility. Too many times when a leader shows human imperfection, the respect we have for them is damaged. Leaders fall under strict judgment, and we forget they are no less fallible than us. The imperfection they have colors any positive experience we would have had with them otherwise. While most of us acknowledge this strict, hypocritical judgment and recognize it as not being how we want to treat our leaders, it is a difficult battle to fight in our own attitudes and minds. No matter who the leader is, they are not Jesus. But please allow me to reverently make some comparisons. (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. )
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. )
