Taking Flight©: Success For Leaders

Not-for Profit Leaders face all the same challenges as any business leader but do not have the advantage of a product or a service to sell. Mission driven businesses require an additional set of skills that are not addressed by traditional leadership development programs. Taking Flight© was designed to address the unique needs of not-for-profit leaders.

It also povides a cultural competence that is vital to the success of leaders of color. Executive Coaching can be highly beneficial in the development of executives, but it has also been used to coach leaders of color out of organizations. Taking Flight© seeks to bring the benefits of coaching to leaders of color in a culturally sensitive manner designed to advance their success.

Taking Flight© is an individualized approach to leadership development. It builds from an assessment of the leader’s strengths and opportunities for growth; the establishment of goals and the metrics for evaluating success.

The program is unique because it is based on decades of leadership experience from a variety of sectors and is culturally aware and sensitive.

The assessment will use previous performance evaluations and personality tests from the executive’s current and or prior positions to determine the areas of opportunity and growth.

Outcomes are improved performance as measured against specific objectives such as fundraising, board development and staff retention, enhanced job satisfaction, and succession planning. Outcomes and detailed specific metrics are identified and agreed upon after the assessment.

After the initial assessment, an executive participates in individualized sessions (six or more) to address the identified challenges and opportunities.

While the following list will be individualized and can be expanded, it generally speaks to the most common areas of concern and the skills needed for not-for-profit executive’s success:

Marketing & Branding

Marketing addresses opportunities for the executive to promote the organization and its mission through social and traditional media as well as by working with other organizations. Specifically identifying whether these relationships exist and if not, how can such relationships be built and or strengthened.

Branding focuses on the opportunities to promote the organization and the executive’s individual brand and keep awareness of the organization and the executive top of mind.

Advocacy

This focus area addresses how the executive elevates the organization mission and becomes a recognized subject matter expert.

Partnerships

Relationship building and collaboration are essential to success. This focus area provides specific tools for collaborating with other organizations, corporations, foundations, and community as well as political leaders.

Development

The executive has a unique role in fundraising. This focus area will improve and enhance the specific skills needed for effective fundraising and enable the executive to cultivate new revenue sources.

Board Development and Board Relationships

A highly effective board requires leadership from the executive. This area focuses on the role of the executive in board training, identification of skills needed on the board, board communication and engagement.

Leadership v. Management

Not-for-profit executives frequently get mired in the minutia of management and fail to cultivate staff or lead the organization. This focus area will identify specific skills to help the executive internalize how to lead and to help staff grow and develop.

Strategic Vision

Strategic Vision requires more than an 18–36-month strategic plan. It requires the executive to lead consistently with that plan and to be alert for opportunities to ensure the relevance and vitality of the organization. Execution, modification of the plan and evaluation of its effectiveness are the responsibility of the executive.