Dear Santa, all I want in a new CEO is…
Our CEO announced his decision to retire this week, after eight years of leading our NPO. This lead me to think about change management within our organization, and all the exciting possibilities that a change at that level can bring. Each CEO has a unique management style that affects employees, constituents, volunteers, board members, and the public perception of the organization. Managing an $80M+ non profit is no easy task, I’m sure. It’s easy for those of us a bit further down the ranks to make judgements about our leadership in times of change, and that is not my intent here.
I want to imagine the kinds of skills and personality traits I would like to see in our next CEO. I have worked in our NPO for ten years, under two different CEO’s and six direct supervisors – four of them within a year and a half. This has given me the opportunity to work for a diverse group of individuals, each of whom brought their own personalities and styles to the job. But I’ve also been able to see how they affected the organization, whether by thought or deed: action, intention, or lack thereof.
I would like to imagine being able to select the best from each of them, like leggo pieces, and build a great CEO for our nonprofit. Some of the obvious qualities will be a given: a high degree of intelligence, ethics, business and financial acumen [should] go without saying. So, dear Santa, I know I haven’t been really good so far this year, but I’m going to ask anyway. If it isn’t too much trouble, this is what I would like our next CEO to be like…
- A woman! Let’s get this out of the way first. We haven’t had a female CEO in our 150 year history. I could be wrong about this, but I doubt it. We have a “hall of fame” of board of manager presidents, and they are all white males. For once, I’d like a woman, and/or or a person of color, in charge. It would be great to have a strong woman leading us; someone intelligent, cool, sensitive and fit. A little arm muscle wouldn’t hurt, especially if she arm wrestled a bit. In short, having Michelle Obama for a CEO would be perfect.
- Compassionate: I want a CEO that understands the needs of our constituents and is mission-driven. Thousands of people depend on our services and it’s important to know how the work we all do affects their lives. I don’t just mean those facing financial difficulties who need scholarships. I also mean people who struggle to make good choices – every day – about their spirit, mind and body. People that have to care for elderly parents, obese children, or their teens joining a gang. I mean teenagers who are pregnant and don’t know what to do. And I also mean employees who work long hours to support their families, and still go home at the end of the day to get their reports done while the kids do homework.
- Funny: I want a CEO that can laugh: really, really laugh every now and then, in front of staff, under crisis or by the water cooler. I want someone that can handle tough situations with a smile and laugh away stress before it consumes them (or for the rest of us).
- Worldly: I want a CEO that has seen the world. Someone who understands diversity beyond the traditional constructs of gender and race. I want someone that knows there are differences between a Mexican, a Puerto Rican, a Spaniard and a Catalan. I want someone who knows where Barcelona is, on the map. I want someone who enjoys the Chicago lakefront as much as the Mediterranean. And I want someone who can tell the difference between a Picasso and a Thomas Kinkaid.
- Family Driven: I want a CEO that is madly in love with their spouse. If they have children, they come first, not the Blackberry (or better yet, the iPhone!). If they have grandchildren, I want their drawings hanging in the CEO’s office. I want the CEO to go home at a decent time, and let us do the same, because we also have families, significant others, hobbies – or we just need time to ourselves at the end of the day. We’ll work hard at the office and in the field, but we need to balance our lives so we can stay passionate.
- Inspiring: I want a CEO that inspires me to do my best, to improve upon my best, and to share that with others. I want to be a mentor and a mentee. I want a pat on the back every now and then when I deserve it, and honest criticism when I need it. I don’t know everything, and I’d like a CEO who can gracefully put me in my place, but teach me better for the next time around. Kind of like my mother would.
- Cool: I want a CEO that keeps fresh cut flowers in the office because she likes them, not because her husband’s in the dog house. I want her to be cool, smart and strong, rarely fly off the handle but do so gracefully. Like when a reporter asks Barack Obama a really biased question twice, rightafter he’s just answered it. And then moves on with a smile.
- Honest & Trustworthy: I want a CEO that will give it to me straight. I don’t care if it’s bad news: sh-t happens, right? I want someone who I can trust to lead the way honestly.
- Personality: I want a CEO who isn’t afraid to show their personality. I want her surrounded with people that think differently, and to gain strength from those differences. I want to know who our CEO is, and how she would handle a situation, even if I disagree. Of course, she’d be smart enough to consult me before making decisions, but that may be for next year’s wish list.
- Flawed: I want someone who makes mistakes, because she experiments, and learns from them. Our CEO should embrace best practices and innovation equally. She should trust our collective experience but listen to young minds. She should want measurable outcomes but also go with her gut on some things – a little like Agent Gibbs on NCIS.
- Strategic: Our direction should not be a surprise. I want a CEO that can think long term, evaluate and react periodically, but let the rest of us manage daily operations. A great CEO should surround themselves with the best and the brightest, period. Those people should help set the tone and direction of the organization and be just as representative of the mission as the CEO.
- Innovative & Creative: Need I say more? Yes. The CEO doesn’t just need to be creative, they also need to encourage and reward others’ innovation. I don’t just mean she should pass out little gold stars. But maybe those stars are three dimensional and they have that squishy, glittery stuff in them or maybe they light up when you press them. Maybe they have little eyeballs that follow you around as you move. Like fish. Or maybe she lets us keep fish in the office. Or maybe I get carried away with this stuff, but she humors me every now and then.
- Tech-friendly: I want a CEO that can figure out her email, but wouldn’t dream of needing a computer to get it. In fact, she would be a big fan of social networks and could teach me a thing or two about Twitter. I hope she’s not following Ashton Kutcher, though. The CEO would not focus all of her attention on having massive enterprise systems that take years and millions to implement; she would simply want whatever works best: what lets our staff be efficient, offers our customers a great experience, and helps us deliver our mission every day. We would not think of it as technology any more than we do our phones, but rather, just how business is done.
So, dear Santa, I hope this is a manageable list. Oh, and I’m in a hurry. I am very excited at the prospect of a new leader and this can’t wait till Christmas. We can’t let too much time go by between the current and the new CEO, or the grass will grow under our feet and we’ll lose the momentum this kind of change can bring about.
Please hurry down the chimney.
