Leaders Who Makes a Difference examines the responsibility of a nonprofit leader to inspire, direct and provide strategic guidance for his or her organization. This effective leadership, the authors say, enables the organization to fulfill its mission, move forward and make a difference.
Burt Nanus, professor emeritus at the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California, is a noted speaker on leadership and has also consulted numerous nonprofit and government organizations. He is also the author of several other books on leadership. Stephen M. Dobbs was named part of “a new generation of foundation leaders” by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He has served in high positions at the Marin Foundations and the John D. Rockefeller III Fund, and currently serves as the executive vice president of the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco.
The book is divided into four parts and caters to an audience of future or current nonprofit leaders without discriminating the size of a nonprofit. Each chapter begins with a quote to set the tone. Part One serves as an overview of leadership, Part Two delves into the details of a leader as a visionary, Part Three provides more in-depth detail on relationship building, and Part Four covers the topics of accountability and management.
The leadership overview gives specific examples of leaders and their successes, as well as setbacks. The authors provide what they think are important qualities and characteristics of a leader, as well as measures of leadership. Emphasis is on exceptional leadership; the authors say this is critical for organizations to prosper, calling strong leaders “great enablers.”
The authors say that it is the leader’s vision that inspires others to act. Therefore, the role of strategy in vision is a critical one. In addition to providing specific examples, the book also provides general scenarios that give important insight on relationship building. For example, when discussing relationship building, the book explains relationships with an organization’s board and its expectations for the leader.
This book examines “the Greater Good” by exploring the concepts of social goods, the role of nonprofits and the measures of nonprofit success. This provides a strong foundation of understanding for readers. The authors seamlessly tie the topic of nonprofit success to successful leadership.
One of the most helpful features of this book is the inclusion of several diagrams and flow charts that organize information and concepts. For example, a Venn diagram organizes the “Three Main Sectors of Society” presented by the authors when discussing service. There are a few diagrams per chapter, which allows for easy reading without the clutter of too many diagrams.
By exhaustively defining the roles and responsibilities of leaders, the authors present a thorough look at the concept of leaders as “visionaries, strategists and agents of change.” I recommend this work for future reading in public information strategies as it includes important information on leadership that can be applied to any sector, whether government, nonprofit or private.
Chesley Kalnen
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Burt Nanus, professor emeritus at the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California, is a noted speaker on leadership and has also consulted numerous nonprofit and government organizations. He is also the author of several other books on leadership. Stephen M. Dobbs was named part of “a new generation of foundation leaders” by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He has served in high positions at the Marin Foundations and the John D. Rockefeller III Fund, and currently serves as the executive vice president of the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco.
The book is divided into four parts and caters to an audience of future or current nonprofit leaders without discriminating the size of a nonprofit. Each chapter begins with a quote to set the tone. Part One serves as an overview of leadership, Part Two delves into the details of a leader as a visionary, Part Three provides more in-depth detail on relationship building, and Part Four covers the topics of accountability and management.
The leadership overview gives specific examples of leaders and their successes, as well as setbacks. The authors provide what they think are important qualities and characteristics of a leader, as well as measures of leadership. Emphasis is on exceptional leadership; the authors say this is critical for organizations to prosper, calling strong leaders “great enablers.”
The authors say that it is the leader’s vision that inspires others to act. Therefore, the role of strategy in vision is a critical one. In addition to providing specific examples, the book also provides general scenarios that give important insight on relationship building. For example, when discussing relationship building, the book explains relationships with an organization’s board and its expectations for the leader.
This book examines “the Greater Good” by exploring the concepts of social goods, the role of nonprofits and the measures of nonprofit success. This provides a strong foundation of understanding for readers. The authors seamlessly tie the topic of nonprofit success to successful leadership.
One of the most helpful features of this book is the inclusion of several diagrams and flow charts that organize information and concepts. For example, a Venn diagram organizes the “Three Main Sectors of Society” presented by the authors when discussing service. There are a few diagrams per chapter, which allows for easy reading without the clutter of too many diagrams.
By exhaustively defining the roles and responsibilities of leaders, the authors present a thorough look at the concept of leaders as “visionaries, strategists and agents of change.” I recommend this work for future reading in public information strategies as it includes important information on leadership that can be applied to any sector, whether government, nonprofit or private.
Chesley Kalnen
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill