Managing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations

12From Theory to Practice: Bringing It All Together

The strategies we have explored throughout this book are strategies that I have employed throughout my career as a nonprofit leader and manager. They are strategies I have learned from my studies and research within the field, from my mentors along the way, as well as from trial and error as I worked to develop my own leadership capability. Now more than 40 years into my leadership practice I can say with surety that the road we travel to become effective nonprofit leaders is truly a journey. Even now I continue to realize how much more there is to learn in my quest to be the best leader possible. Throughout this journey I have tried to treat each experience, encounter, and challenge as an opportunity to develop my skills and build upon the toolbox that helps to ensure successful leadership and management.

The strategies explored throughout this book come together to provide you with a framework that supports your leadership success. It is not enough to think about your individual leadership style and techniques. While efforts to develop your individual capabilities are extremely important, your ability to lead effectively exists simultaneously within the multiple levels explored in this book. Building an effective team and impacting the organizational culture are but two additional areas that require mastery in order to ensure your leadership efficacy. As you develop your ability to be effective in these areas as well as ...