2. The new CEO will need to work with both the employees of HFHI and its hundreds of thousands of volunteers and donors. What leadership style will you look for in prospective candidates to meet the needs of those two constituencies? With 500 full-time employees, roughly 500,000 unpaid volunteers, 2,303 affi liates worldwide, and upwards of $160 million in annual donations, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is the 19th largest nonprofi t organization in the United States.87 Since it was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, HFHI has built some 175,000 houses around the world, more than 20,000 of them in a single year. Clearly, what started as a straightforward, ecumenical Christian ministry has grown into a global force for housing the poor and one of the world’s most renowned nonprofi t organizations.

And that success is due in large part to the efforts of Millard Fuller, an avid fund-raiser, prolifi c author (he has written nine books), sought-after public speaker, and an all-around passionate spokesperson for the cause.

When Fuller’s tenure as president was set to end after 28 years at the helm of HFHI, he and the board of directors had serious disagreements about the transition of leadership.

Fuller feared that the board was moving toward a culture of

“bean-counting” and away from a strong Christian commitment.

He charged that many board members were not spiritually grounded. The board defended its Christian focus, but recognized that the organization’s mission had become much larger than the infl uence of a single individual.

After 11 months of wrangling, Fuller, who was approaching 70 years of age, agreed to step down as CEO and hire an interim CEO. Fuller took a new position with the title Founder/President and became the chief spokesperson for Habitat. Taking the CEO position was Paul Leonard, who couldn’t have been more different from his predecessor. Leonard, a retired real estate and construction industry executive, had expertise in organizational development and a deep knowledge of the construction industry.

He accepted the position and with it responsibility for the overall management of HFHI for a period of two years.