BOSTON, MA-July 16, 2009- A candidate for a leadership or management
role can have the right credentials, experience, and accomplishments,
but without the right cultural fit, she/he can fall flat on the job.
This is especially true in the nonprofit sector, where cultural fit is
highly regarded and can often turn a 100 percent match in skills and
experience, according to the recent Bridgespan study, "Finding leaders
for America's Nonprofits."
(http://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Library/Recruit/FindingLeaders.aspx
)
To better understand this issue, Bridgestar, an initiative of the
Bridgespan Group, interviewed Brian O'Connell, author of Fifty Years in
Public Causes: Stories from a Road Less Traveled
(http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-PublicCuases-Traveled/dp/1584654767)
in its July newsletter
(http://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Newsletters/2009/July2009.aspx).
O'Connell is also cofounder and president emeritus of Independent
Sector, the U.S. umbrella group for voluntary initiatives. In sharing
his perspective, O'Connell highlighted the following points in the
article "Cultural Fit in the Nonprofit Sector: A Conversation with Brian
O'Connell"
(http://www.bridgestar.org/resources/recruiting/culturefit.aspx) about
nonprofit culture and leadership.
* The sector has a culture of public service of citizens, but
there is a very broad base, some of whom are antithetical to one
another.
* It takes a unique person to succeed in a nonprofit staff role
but characteristics for success include: ability to get along with
people; patience, tolerance, maturity; and, a willingness to work hard.
* Even if someone has not had prior experience in the sector
they can succeed: prior volunteer service can mean a lot as can the
ability to work within groups for the good of the group, not for the
individual.
* Finding good people and placing them in the sector gets too
little attention. Invest in an executive search believing that success
will pretty much guarantee a return at the end of two or three years.
* To identify the right cultural fit, spend time looking at
candidates' board or committee track records and drill down hard with
the candidates' on the fit; assess their passion.
* As for advising those contemplating a move from the for-profit
sector, they should be cautioned about the time involved in achieving
success.
* Last, nonprofit leaders need to avoid getting caught up only
in operations; they need to inspire staff and boards to "keep the dream"
alive." Even though the rewards aren't monthly, big things happen.
About Bridgestar
Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an initiative of the Bridgespan Group
(www.bridgespan.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides a
free nonprofit management job board, content, and tools designed to help
organizations build strong leadership teams and individuals pursue
career paths as nonprofit leaders. Bridgestar's goal is to attract,
connect, and support senior talent, leading to greater organizational
effectiveness and social impact.
Each month, Bridgestar's newsletter, "Leadership Matters," focuses on
nonprofit leadership career- or recruiting-related themes. Available to
Bridgestar's more than 50,000 members (or, for a complimentary
subscription), please email subscribe[at]bridgestar.org. "Leadership
Matters" is part of a robust portfolio of offerings that includes a job
board that lists nonprofit management and leadership positions across a
range of service areas including the environment, human services, elder
services, human rights, and youth services.