One of the most important actions of a leader is to grow other leaders. Growth occurs in a number of ways. When leaders see untapped potential and encourage further development with their followers. By guiding, mentoring, and challenging followers to take risks, try a new approach, and increase responsibility, a follower can feel empowered to act and perform at a higher level. However, for nonprofit leaders, in particular, Executive Directors, the task of running an organization, raising funds, being present in the community, managing people, clients, volunteers, the board, donors, and all stakeholders can be overwhelming and eventually cause burn-out and fatigue. Bartlow (2017) describes the various duties of an executive director to gain an understanding of the volume of work being done. Offering another perspective, Mont (2017) argues the weight of the entire organization should not rest solely on the executive director. Whether you held a position of a nonprofit executive director, watched a leader from a distance, or had no previous knowledge of nonprofit leadership, respond to the following questions:

• What do you believe is the role of a nonprofit executive director?
• What differences and similarities do you see in leading a nonprofit as opposed to leading in a corporate environment?
• Select a nonprofit leader you admire. Describe the leader's behavior and style and share why you feel admiration.

References:

Mont, S. (2017) The future of nonprofit leadership: Worker self-directed organizations