Recently I passed along a VP of Development job opportunity to a former colleague who was looking for a new position. I got back a text saying, “Jeff, I wouldn’t touch this one with a ten foot pole. Did you see how long the Executive Director has been there? 15 years! Not a good sign.”
Remember the “good old days” when longevity in a job meant you were a stable, hard-working person that took pride in his work? Those days are long gone. In fact, from my colleague’s reaction, it’s just the opposite.
I recall a few months ago sitting around a conference table telling an organization what Veritus Group could do for them. Previous to that meeting, I was having discussions with the CEO of the non-profit who was not happy with his Director of Development. “He is just not on the bus with us, Jeff,” said the CEO. “I think I need to move him out.”
In the meeting, the tension around that table was palpable. You could tell that this was not a good working situation. There was a lot of blaming and passive-aggressive behavior.
Later, I was speaking to someone that knew more about “the situation” at this particular non-profit. She had another story. “Jeff, the CEO there is trouble. He’s been there for over 20 years and if you don’t do it his way, you are gone. They’ve had a revolving door for Development Directors and Major Gift Officers for years. Be careful on navigating your way around that situation.”
Well, okay… good advice.
Separately, Richard and I were involved in two situations last year where the organizations’ founders, while no longer CEOs, were still “hanging on” as board chairs. Both of these organizations have what is called “Founder-itis” The CEO cannot do her job properly because the founder, who is heavily invested emotionally, cannot let go of the day-to-day running of the organization. This causes havoc – resulting in a long series of CEOs coming in and out.
Over the years Richard, our Veritus team and I have worked with many MGOs who have been working at the same organization for decades. While on the surface you can admire their dedication to the mission, when you dig deeper, you realize the passion left a long time ago – now it’s more about a paycheck, and fear that there is nothing else out there for them to move on to.
This is terribly sad, and unfortunately it’s much too common in our industry.
While you could look at each of these situations and say, “Well, these people have just been in those positions for too long,” I would challenge that notion and say it’s not about length of time; it’s something else.
You see, for every story I could tell you about someone who is hurting their organization because they have “just been there too long,” I can also tell you story after story of good people – Founders, CEOs, Development Directors and Major Gift Officers – who have been at one organization for years and years and they are highly effective, successful and loved.
So what is the difference between those folks who have been at an organization for years and need to leave today, and those who should continue? Here are some thoughts:

1. Effective leaders continue to learn. They don’t think they know it all. They are always open to new ideas, thoughts and opinions. Ineffective leaders hold on to what used to work, and they keep pushing that same agenda. Richard and I have seen some really toxic non-profits because the leader was “stuck in her ways,” and it paralyzed the organization.
2. Successful non-profit leaders know how to hold on just tight enough. I was always struck by a book by M. Scott Peck about golfing. He used golf as a metaphor for life. He said, “Great golfers know how to hold a club: not too tight, not too loose… and they swing with ease.” This is how good leaders lead. I’ve been in the office of great CEOs who founded and ran non-profits – you sit across from them, and you sense an aura of wisdom and love about them. It’s because they know exactly when to push and when to let go, when to hold tight for a bit and when to release. Conversely, leaders whose time it is to leave an organization usually run the place with an iron fist. They run the organization by fear. This is also where Founders can get into trouble. They had such passion and vision to start the organizations, but they don’t know when to let go so that others with newer skills can take it to another level.
3. Real leaders are self-aware. Richard and I have known some incredible Development Directors and Major Gift Officers who know exactly who they are, what their strengths are, what they are not good at, and who they need in their lives to make them better. These are usually folks who know they need others to hold them accountable and to stay focused. They welcome honest feedback. They don’t shy away from healthy conflict if it leads to some kind of enlightenment. Unfortunately, we also see many who have been in organizations for years, and they are dug in. They don’t know who they are, and everyone has to tip-toe around them to get things done.

I don’t think that ineffective leadership – whether you are a Founder, CEO, Development Director or Major Gift Officer – is about being in the job or at a particular non-profit for some period that’s always “too long.” It’s really about you.
Are you open to learning new things? Do you know when to let go? Do you know who you are? Are you willing to change… and then change again if you need to? Can you put other people first? Can you hire people that are better than you? Do you still have passion for your mission and your donors? Can you let others lead when they need to? When you wake up most mornings, do you still have that desire to change the world?
If you can’t answer YES to all of these, and if you are really honest with yourself… you will see it’s time to go. You will do yourself and the organization a huge favor. But if you still have the fire, I don’t care if you have been at your non-profit for 40 years… carry on!
Jeff