I'm in the process of writing a long article entitled: Why Organizations Thrive.  The article details fifteen lessons I learned while growing the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), buttressed by my observations of dozens of other groups both in Oregon and across the country.

Collectively, I believe these lessons are a very useful set of principles that any Executive Director can use to improve their organization's capacity to fulfill its mission.

Past lessons include topics such as: Lesson 2: Relentlessly focus on relationships and Lesson 6: Know and tell your stories. 

Lesson 13 is: Aim high in hiring staff and cut your losses quickly when you make a mistake.

In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins says one of the keys for what makes any organization great is that they have the right people on the bus.

I believe this absolutely holds true with nonprofit advocacy organizations.  If you're setting out to change the world, or just a small part of the world, you can't do that with a mediocre effort.

That means aiming high when hiring staff and cutting losses quickly when things go awry.

With aiming high, I'm not just talking about hiring somebody high quality.  I'm also talking about your expectations for their role and how hiring additional staff can help the Executive Director shine more in their role.

What do I mean by that?

Download the PDF from my website