Board members and volunteer Presidents come and go. The one constant element within your organizational structure is you! While leadership from your Board is important to establish policy and provide ownership of the association to it's members, the Executive Director is the one person whose leadership will ultimately determine the success or failure of your organization. Are you simply managing your association...or are you leading it? Read on to discover ways to incorporate leadership into your daily activities.

1) Surround Yourself with Talent.
I've heard many association executives state "I won't hire someone who could replace me!" If you are doing your job well, that should never happen. If you are too insecure to hire skilled people to work around you, you shouldn't be in a leadership position. Without a strong management support team, you will always feel the need to make every decision, and the depth of talent needed to bring success to your association will not be present. You will ultimately be responsible for the shortcomings of your staff, because you did not hire people who were capable of or permitted to get the job done.

2) Be willing to "take risks".
Navigating into uncharted waters may seem risky to some board members and industry outsiders, but a true leader doesn't take his or her association into the unknown. You must conduct research, weigh the risks versus benefits, determine if other associations have effectively implemented similar ideas, and then work like crazy to make the idea successful. What looks risky to others should be simply a well thought out, innovative plan to you. The greatest risk is not taking one. Board members will not look favorably upon an Executive Director who merely maintains the status quo or is unwilling to broaden the Association's offerings.

3) Expect naysayers.
You must remember that regardless of the course of action you take on an issue, there will be alternative actions you could have chosen that someone else will think was the best or only way to address the situation. Being criticized and second guessed comes with leadership. As a leader you must buck trends. You must push the envelope. The true measure of leadership is not to have never failed, but to pick yourself up and continuing the fight after a setback. Leaders persevere where others make excuses or concede failure. Disagreement is not the enemy of progress!

4) Embrace controversy.
There is an old saying that nothing brings an organization together faster than an "industry brush fire". Remember how easy it was to sign up new members when you were embroiled in a legislative controversy? Nothing brings a Board or association membership together faster than having a common enemy. Mentally name the five greatest American Presidents throughout history. I guarantee you the names you chose all had a major event (war, depression, etc.) which formed their legacy. The fastest way to establish yourself as a leader is to embrace controversy, lead your organization through a difficult issue or crisis and demonstrate your leadership skills.

5) Always remain highly principled.
The fastest way to lose the respect of your board or membership is to compromise your principles, or take action that could be perceived as unethical or dishonest. If a board member is self dealing to personally benefit from their position, you must confront the individual or situation and protect the integrity of the organization. Say no when the Board starts to plan a retreat in an exotic locale which you know would offend your members. Don't permit yourself, your board or your staff to enjoy benefits which are unavailable to your entire membership.

6) Delegate authority.
The greatest mistake poor leaders make is to give their department heads responsibility for certain results without also providing the necessary authority to get the job done. Tell your people what you want them to do, not how to do it. You establish high credibility for taking a hands off approach to delegated tasks, and help develop leadership skills in your staff. Make sure your decision makers have the necessary resources to complete the task you have given them. Define objectives and time lines clearly. Be available to provide guidance and answer questions. Don't micromanage!

7) Accept responsibility.
Are any of you Detroit Lions fans? At this moment, they are 0-12 on the season. Whose fault is this? Do they need better players? Absolutely. But the coach is the individual responsible for the success of the team. If you order a task done by a staff person, you are ultimately responsible if they fail. Leaders are quick to praise staff for their successes, and just as quick to accept blame for their failures. Remember the saying, " There are bad things which will happen that you know nothing about and cannot control, but are responsible for."

It would be nice if all our associations ran smoothly, never had a bad convention, a decline in membership or an angry Board member. Your reputation as a leader will be made or broken based on how you manage people and handle controversy. Hopefully, some of the ideas discussed above will be helpful in meeting the challenge of leadership. Remember, anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

Until next time...