Respect the expertise of your staff, and learn enough about the functions
of different departments to recognize when you have a bad apple who is
making life harder for other staff.

On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 12:48 PM, Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 12:10 PM, Michael Reuter
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Do any of you out there have any advice for someone who is about to
> become
> > an executive director for the first time? I’ve done as much reading and
> > research as I can to this point, but I know that learning doesn’t all
> come
> > from books. If there are any peers or colleagues of mine that have any
> tips
> > or kernels of knowledge that they would like to pass on, I’m all ears.
>
> I will respond with an example from this weekend. I was at a big event
> at a major museum, which brought in thousands of visitors and probably
> used a couple hundred staff and volunteers. In the chow line for the
> participants, I spied the museum director, a retired 4 star Marine
> general, serving food just like he was a regular volunteer. It wasn't
> a photo-op nor was he dressed any differently than anyone else other
> than his name-tag. I thought this was an excellent display of
> leadership and humility.
>
> So as an executive director or any other kind of director for that
> matter, never think that you are above your staff or that any job is
> beneath you. If you are willing to get in the trenches and do what
> needs to be done, your staff will rise to the occasion as well. This
> is not an excuse to work them to death but to say that a staff's
> attitude reflects that of their leader. If morale is sucking, look at
> yourself first and see what you can change, not at your staff. If you
> aren't willing to do a job, chances are they aren't going to want to
> do it either. The old cliche' is true: if you want to learn how to
> lead, first learn how to follow.
>
> So good luck! The rest is mainly paperwork anyway. ;)
>
> Deb Fuller
>
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