Three Leaders

In this article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the different types of leaders (monk, architect, diplomat)—seen as necessary for organizational success—are examined.

As the spiritual aspect of nonprofit work is, I believe, the most important part, here is an excerpt from the role of the monk.

“BE A MONK, NOT A FATHER

“Monks invite you to become spiritually engaged in your work. They do this by subtly modeling the values they want to impart. They listen carefully, never direct you paternalistically, and always strive to help you find your way.

“Successful social entrepreneurs recognize that their primary role is to turn the organization’s mission and values into practice. Like monks, they know that everything they say and do—and don’t say or do—sends signals through the company about what values are important.

“So be mindful of your powerful effect on people in your organization. No matter what the formal company documents say, you make values visible. If respect for others is an important company value, what do you do when you, the CEO, walk into an office where two co-workers are engaged in a business conversation? Do you interrupt them because you and your agenda are more important, or do you wait your turn until they are finished? Gun Denhart, cofounder and former CEO of children’s clothing company Hanna Andersson, responded by saying: “I wait until they’re finished. If it goes on, I’ll leave and come back. I don’t break in and interrupt their work. Unfortunately, I’ve seen that rudeness too often from ‘important people.’”

“Don’t feel you need to know everything. If you did, there’d be no room for anyone else to contribute. Admit to “not knowing,” even as you help others develop their competence. This creates an atmosphere of honesty and transparency, where employees share information and responsibility, accept doubt, and expect help in finding sustainable solutions to business challenges.

“Another way to lead like a monk is to incorporate spirit into your work. At RSF Social Finance, a San Francisco-based socially responsible financial services organization, when monthly financial statements are sent to investor clients, each client’s company representative personally initials each page of the statement. In these moments, they are mindful of their client’s situation and of communicating that attention simply. Over the last 60 years, that one practice has received more positive response from investors than any other of the bank’s client services.

“Entrepreneurs can extend that mindfulness beyond traditional company boundaries, too. One CEO, for example, after recognizing how her seasonal business affected the working hours of her distributors’ employees, shared her market research with her distributors so they could better predict work cycles and not increase seasonal employee stress.”