Workshop series

Thriving as an Executive Director: The CompassPoint Leadership Seminar

How-tos don't run your organization—you do!

How-tos don't wake up in the middle of the night worrying about the budget. They don't go out and ask for money. They don't deal with a bully on your Board. You're the one who does those things.

Of course we need how-tos, lots of them. But they come second. You come first.

Leading a nonprofit is one of the most challenging things you could ever want to do, so it matters that you have all your inner resources working for you, and that you keep your spirit strong, and that you be happy in your work. In tough times, these things are more important than ever.

The largest study of leadership in history says forget demographics. All kinds of people with all kinds of personalities can be great leaders—that's if you get conscious of your natural talents and then turn them into sustainable strengths. For example, both a shy person and an extrovert can be great fundraisers, but they're going to do it differently.

THRIVING focuses on what you need, both personally and as a leader, because the better you do, the more effective you can be. And anyway, why be a burnout when you can more easily become a force to reckon with.

In this series you get four workshop days:

1.  You
We have a sweet and surprising way for you to discover your core talents. Then you get to see how powerful those talents can be in solving even tough organizational problems. Fact is, the more you know who you are, the easier it is to know what to do.

2.  Your own team
You'll design a Personal Leadership Network. This means people who support your success as a leader and who love doing it. They're there for you. You don't have to bring them coffee and donuts. You don't have to take care of them. We'll show you a special way to ask for this kind of support, and once you've got your PLN going, we bet you'll never want to go back to solo leadership.

3.  The staff you want
You'll discover what it takes to help your staff get to the top of their game. You'll learn what top performers really need, and it's something way more fun and satisfying than supervision. And from there you can go on to create a strengths-based culture in which "difficult" staff can't be difficult anymore.

4.  The Board you want
Why put up with a less-than-stellar Board? There are lots of hands-on things an EDs can do with a Board that needs to get its socks pulled up. And there's lots you can do to make a good Board great.

As part of the series, you'll get five half-hour individual sessions by phone with Rich. He does gentle but powerful coaching to help you make the breakthroughs you want so you can jump your leadership to the next level.

And you'll receive a copy of Soar with Your Strengths, an easy, but inspiring read.

We limit class size to 7 EDs (or about-to-be EDs), so you'll get lots of personal attention. THRIVING is designed to be a welcoming space. You don't have to put your game face on. You can relax and just be yourself. You can talk openly with other EDs who understand exactly what you're going through, and who get how important it is for you to pursue your ambitions and your dreams.

This series is on hold for now
Four Fridays: to be announced
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day (lunch is provided)
Each participant receives five half-hour coaching sessions by phone as part of the series.

Location:
CompassPoint San Francisco
731 Market Street, Suite 200 (between 3rd and 4th Streets)
San Francisco, CA  94103
415-541-9000

To register you can click here:
http://www.compasspoint.org/

If you have questions:
Feel free to call me at 510-663-3555 or send me an e-mail.

© 2008 Rich Snowdon