Jeff is one of the most caring, visionary, and engaging leaders I’ve ever met. Under his leadership, YMCA fundraising for youth programs and childcare has grown significantly, and the Association has experienced remarkable overall revenue growth over the past two decades. Today, the YMCA of Greater Williamson County serves hundreds of thousands of families each year and continues to be a true blessing to the community. As a published author on nonprofit leadership, Jeff is regularly sought out on a national level for his insight and guidance on building strong, effective nonprofit organizations.
Here is what I’ve learned from Jeff that we can all use.
- The leader cares about the mission.
The mission for the organization will support the vision for tomorrow. While all leaders need vision, remember that the vision must be a shared vision. This means it must be anchored in the core values of the organization, thoroughly grounded in truth, and important to everyone on the team. Jeff consistently reminds the team (staff and volunteers) of the shared core values of the YMCA – Caring, Faith, Honest, Respect and Responsibility.
- The leader cares about the team and those affected by the team.
He/She puts the best interest of the team and those whom the team serves (the customer) ahead of their own personal interests. This makes the leader trustworthy and approachable. Team members know, without a doubt, the leader is not communicating to manipulate (selfish reasons), but communicating to inspire (selfless reasons). By contrast, if the leader cares only about personal motives, trust from the followers is quickly eroded.
- The leader is confident but realistic.
This is not just simulated confidence based on well-rehearsed body language and tone of voice. Instead, the leader has a natural, unwavering confidence that the team will succeed. While still acknowledging the struggles they might encounter, the confident leader is willing to try and fail more times than the unconfident leader is even willing to try. Confidence is expressed from the leader to the team through delegation, empowerment, and encouragement.
- The leader has an infectious positive attitude.
Setbacks are nothing more than learning experiences and opportunities to make adjustments. As my business partner and good friend Kevin Karschnik says, “What you bring to the stage is contagious.” The leader’s positive attitude becomes a wellspring of energy for the team when facing obstacles. This positive attitude is naturally expressed in the leader’s words, facial expressions and actions.
- The leader is focused on the next step. According to Noah Zandan, CEO and co-founder of Quantified Communications, the most visionary leaders tend to use 15% more present tense words and 14% less future tense than average communicators. While it’s important for the leader to share the future vision, it’s even more important to keep the team focused on the next step. Always ask this question, “What needs to get done today?” Zandan explains that a visionary leader would say, “We will achieve these results.” instead of saying, “We plan to achieve these results.”
I have no doubt that Jeff will continue to lead the YMCA to even greater heights. His vision for growth is never one of growth for growth’s sake. His vision is one of keeping up with the community’s needs. Modeling these five attributes of an engaging leader, we can all lead our teams to live out their core values and reach their full potential.
Never stop improving,
Russ
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