The 5 Truths for Transformational Leaders

5Truth 5: Continue to Grow as a Leader

“What got you here won't get you there.”

Marshall Goldsmith

In his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There Marshall Goldsmith (2007) makes the case that the skills, focus, and mindset that make people highly successful managers may not enable them to succeed as a senior leader or as the CEO. I believe this is also true for nonprofit CPOs who have transformed the scale and impact of an organization. The behaviors, mindset, and actions that enabled them to stabilize and begin growing the organization may no longer be what the organization needs to continue evolving. Adams and Bell (2017) make the case in their article “Leading for Mission Results” that “short term success is very different from long‐term sustainability and progress on mission.”

Some leaders are able to lead an initial transformation. They are able to stabilize the organization, shape efficient operating mechanisms, and build a strong team, but then they become stuck. In fact, initial success may convince leaders they have discovered the one true formula for effective leadership. Instead of continuing to evolve as a leader as the organization grows, they work harder at providing the leadership that initially turned the organization around. This can be a recipe for disaster. Transformational leaders are able to adapt and change their focus as their organization evolves and grows. Evolving in this way is difficult. One CPO shared that making needed changes to her leadership ...