Issue 42
November 16, 2005

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work. It includes items of interest to the nonprofit community in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas, as well as resources available at NEW. NEWSNOTES is proud to celebrate its fourth year of publication, with delivery to over 550 subscribers every month! We welcome your feedback and suggestions!

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its Community Partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Leadership's Core Qualities: Character, Vision, Behavior, and Confidence

by Alfred C. DeCrane, Jr.*

Throughout the years, I have tried to define and record the core leadership competencies of those I've admired and have sought to identify individuals with these core competencies... I've noted numerous variations in leadership styles and modifications in approaches, but the fundamental qualities have largely remained constant. I've placed these core qualities into four basic areas: character, vision, behavior, and confidence.

Character

Real leaders are fair and honest, and not just because of laws and regulations; they are ethical, open and trustworthy. These basic roots of character, perhaps more than any others, garner the respect that is needed in order for an individual to be called a leader. Leaders are also:

• Infused with humor and humility, and by nature inclined to treat individuals in their organizations equally, without "smiling up and kicking down.”
• Self-aware, and honest with themselves as to their own strengths, weaknesses, and sincere efforts to improve.
• Inquisitive and approachable enough so that others feel safe offering honest feedback and new ideas.
• Open-minded and capable of respecting their competitors or adversaries and learning from them, in both leadership situations and general business conditions.
• Action-oriented, which surfaces not as a desire to move for movement's sake but to move directly toward a clear goal with a relentless follow-through.

Vision

Leaders who can spark the imagination with a compelling vision of a worthwhile end that stretches us beyond what is known today, and who can translate that to clear objectives, are the ones we follow. The Federalist Papers confirm that Madison and his colleagues understood that the most elegant documents and structures were irrelevant if they did not help the readers form a vision, an outcome, through clearly stated, overarching objectives.

Successful business leaders develop goals to achieve their vision. Their commitment to the goals, and thus to the vision, is made obvious by both their actions and their repeated communication of what must be done, and why.

Behaviors

With clear objectives in mind, the issue then becomes what a leader will do, how he or she will behave while working with and through people in pursuit of the end goal. Although leaders must adapt to a specific and ever-changing set of circumstances, the most successful leaders exhibit a common set of behaviors. Those leaders will:

• Act and be unwilling to rationalize inaction, with relentless follow-through to ensure that the action is implemented.
• Create and shape change, rather than passively accepting it, and challenge the status quo, refusing to accept the response, "We've never done that before."
• Seize the opportunities of the present without compromising the need to invest and build for the future.
• Flourish in a boundary-less work environment by focusing on results, knowing that much can be done if it doesn't matter who gets the credit.
• Evaluate and deploy people based solely on strength, performance, and potential.
• Think positively, never give up, seek out the opportunities that lurk in every challenge, and realize that things are never as bad as they seem.
• Be detailed oriented enough to know whether the objectives are being met or the course is correct, but not so detail oriented that they "miss the forest for the trees."
• Seek consensus without being paralyzed by the thought of making a mistake or intolerant of those who make them.
• Communicate constantly -- influencing, encouraging, critiquing, and listening. a title.

Confidence

Leaders share another attribute that is critical for success: self-confidence. Sharply distinguished from arrogance or egotism, a healthy level of self-confidence enables the leader to undertake the difficult ventures necessary to meet his or her goals.

I have found that self-confident leaders are not threatened by the success of others in the organization. They are quick and genuine with their praise for others’ successes and don’t waste energy worrying about their status or that of their peers in the organization. Achieving the vision and the goals consumes their thinking.

*Reprinted with permission from The Leader of the Future, Jossey-Bass, 1996. Chapter 25 “A Constitutional Model of Leadership.” Mr. DeCrane is former Chairman and CEO, Texaco, Inc. He is a member of the Leader to Leader Thought Leaders Forum.

Executive Directors: join your colleagues for Leadership²Go Friday, December 2, 8:30 –10:30 a.m. at NEW.

FEATURED ITEMS

Workshops at NEW

There is still time to register for the remaining fall workshops! Remember, register online and receive a $5 discount.

If you have paid for two workshops (minimum $25 value), you may register for a third workshop in this fall series for free. For details, see NEW’s website.

Funders’ Forum Tuesday, November 29, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building $40
Representatives from three foundations will each discuss their organization’s giving programs, application procedures and required reporting during and after a grant has been awarded.

• Cheryl Elliott, President & CEO, Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
• Brian G. Glowiak, Vice President and Secretary, DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund
• Thomas K. Reis, Program Director, W.K. Kellogg

Collaborations and Partnerships Wednesday, November 30, 9 a.m. - noon
NEW Center $55
Participants will be guided on how to define their partnership needs and how to initiate and follow through with mutually-beneficial collaborations. . Presented by Cynthia Koch, owner of CK Consulting. We invite you to bring one colleague free of charge to help with the brainstorming process. Contact Ms. Dallas Moore (734-998-0160 x228).

Healthy Board and Staff Relations Wednesday, November 30, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
NEW Center $55
Attend this practical workshop to find out how best to help your board and staff leaders work effectively -- both independently and in tandem. Appropriate for executive directors and board chairs. Taught by Susan Katz Froning, President and CEO, NEW and Phyllis Donaldson Adams, Attorney, Dykema Gossett PLLC.

Securing Your PC Wednesday, December 7, 9 a.m. - 11a.m.
NEW Center $40
Find out how malicious viruses and spyware come into your computer. Learn ways to secure your PC and its information by the use of a personal firewall, spyware and virus protection. Presenter: Christina Fleming WAN Administrator, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Leadership²Go: Ready, Set, Lead!

Friday, December 2, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
NEW Center, 1100 N. Main St., Ann Arbor

NEW’s Executive Director Series next quarterly session will be "Ready, Set, Lead: Nurturing Your Personal Leadership Style." Hear several prominent nonprofit executives share their secrets to success in leading their organizations and communities - and learn how you can incorporate a few of their ideas in your own work every day!

Leadership²Go is reserved for nonprofit executive directors. Advanced registration is requested online or by phone 734-998-0160. The cost to attend is $10 and includes a continental breakfast.

BoardConnect Training for Organizations

Is your nonprofit looking for new board members? NEW has scheduled one more BoardConnect nonprofit training in 2005: Monday, December 5, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Building Your Board - For Nonprofits Seeking Board Members covers important aspects of recruiting new members for a nonprofit’s board of directors, including recruitment planning, identifying and cultivating candidates, and electing new members. You’ll also learn about BoardConnect’s matching services and boardnetUSA, a national online database that connects candidates and nonprofits. After the training, let BoardConnect help strengthen your search for new members, starting at an affordable $200 per year. See our website for more details.

Junior League Grant Money Available

The Junior League of Ann Arbor, Inc. has Flexifund grants up to $2000 available for nonprofits that serve at-risk populations in Washtenaw County. The League’s projects usually involve significant volunteer time, but the flexifund allows them to spread their philanthropy farther into the community with monetary support.

Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status may apply. Applications may be downloaded from the League’s website and are due January 15, 2006. The grants must address an immediate and specific need in the community, and are not intended to fund salaries for employees. Recipients will be notified in March. Flexifund grants shall not be granted to the same organization in two successive years.

Membership Discounts for SNPO

The Society for Nonprofit Organizations wants to make it more affordable for nonprofits to gain access to support services they need. The Society is offering 50% off individual membership fees until the end of November. For an annual fee of just $29 you will receive 6 copies of Nonprofit World, their management support magazine; Funding Alert, a monthly e-newsletter with current grant opportunities; free job listings; a searchable archive of articles; discounted educational programs, etc. Take advantage of this offer now. Membership will revert to $59 on December 1.

Half-off BoardSource Membership

Friends of NEW are being offered the chance to begin new memberships at BoardSource for just half the usual price. The Alliance for Nonprofit Management is extending this discount to further the promotion of excellence in nonprofit management. BoardSource offers a host of practical information, tools and practices, training and leadership development related to board governance. For just $49, a new, annual membership, will give you:

• Up to 25% product discount -- (including their extensive / excellent publication library)
• Six FREE issues of Board Member® magazine, the leading source for regular updates on trends in nonprofit governance
• FREE monthly e-newsletters with up-to-the-minute news on governance topics
• Discounted registration for the BoardSource Leadership Forum
• Searchable topic papers covering years of research in critical board issues
• Searchable archives of full-length Board Member® articles
• FREE downloadable e-books

Use the link www.boardsource.org/am49 and discount code AM49 to access your discount.

DTE Awards for Nonprofit Excellence

The DTE Energy Foundation is again offering $100,000 in awards to recognize best practices among nonprofits.

The Detroit-based foundation has added a special achievement category this year to recognize the nonprofit that is responding to the escalating need for services brought on by Michigan's economic downturn. Since their inception in 2003, DTE Energy Foundation's Achieving Excellence Awards have recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofits for exemplary performance in three areas: leadership, collaboration and sustainability.

The deadline for applications for the 2006 awards is January 31; 2006. The awards will be announced in June. For more information and to request an application, visit the DTE website or call (313) 235-9271.

Computer Security Program Helps Nonprofits

Protect your computer system against unauthorized disclosure, modification or destruction. Interns from the Computer Security Program at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) may be matched with your organization for a commitment of 80 to 150 hours. Your organization can elect to have an intern do anything from help desk support to conducting a full penetration test on your computer system to find security breeches. WCC will work with you to find a student with the appropriate skills to meet the needs of your organization.

Some facts about potential interns in this program: their median age is 34; 30% of them have a 4-year college degree; an additional 21% have transferred to WCC from a 4-year institution because of the uniqueness of this program.

WCC has partnered with the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance to improve academic programs in this area throughout the Midwest. Contact Victoria Bennett, Computer Security Outreach Coordinator, (734-973-3364) for more information.

Raising Funds from National Funders

The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) is working with local co-hosts and Access Philanthropy to present a program on 100 national foundations making grants in Michigan. The program is offered in two locations:

Tuesday, November 29, 2005, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Salvation Army, Eastern Michigan Division
16130 Northland Drive
Southfield, MI

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Foster Community Center
200 N. Foster
Lansing, MI

Program participants will receive:

• A fast-paced, participatory, up-to-date briefing on 100 national foundations making grants in Michigan
• A briefing on positioning your message, funders to approach, timing and what you bring to the table
• Entrée to Access Philanthropy’s web page with more than 750 funders and the workshop PowerPoint presentation

Register online: $99 for MNA members; $110 for not-yet members. For more information contact Mike Corbin (517-492-2400).

NEW's 2004-2005 Annual Report Available

Download a copy.

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Events Calendar

Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau calendar of events. E-mail Nick Miller to request a password to submit an event.