This past week, one of our Brigada participants drew our attention to the article at …
http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/the_five_minute_nonprofit_mba
where the author is discussing Nonprofit Management. In fact, he basically summarizes what he would consider to be the ideal “Five-Minute Nonprofit MBA.” After you’ve seen his thoughts, I’m curious: what would you add or revise? In other words, as you summarize your own ministry of leadership in a non-profit or church body, what are the leadership principles and/or resources that you feel would make the biggest impact on a young leader wanting to walk in your footsteps? Once we know the answer to that question, we’ll be better able to share with tomorrow’s leaders how they can start getting better-prepared today. Just click “Comment” underneath the online version of this item. Thanks for any input you can give.
The first thing that comes to my mind on this topic is the need to clarify the leader’s “white space.” Until a person understands how much room s/he has to be creative, make decisions, exercise authority, etc., leadership is going to be reduced.
The author of the “5 Minute Nonprofit MBA” barely scratches the surface when it comes to understanding the complexities of the multidisciplinary field of leadership. My doctoral students learn organizational leadership across several primary, integrated domains that include personal authenticity, adult learning, organizational change, and ethics and governance (to name a few). Inasmuch as leadership spans numerous disciplines (such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, business management, philosophy, and many more), no universally agreed upon definition for leadership has ever been established. However, there is an excellent and eminently readable $20 book that reduces the very complex field of leadership into 10 primary and easy to understand principles (based on 3 decades of research): The Truth About Leadership, by Kouzes and Posner. Consider it the 60-minute Masters degree in leadership. (I have no vested interest in the sales of this book!)
Good answer, Dr. Mike.