Leadership in Non Profit Organizations
Institution
Name
Date

Introduction It is evident that nonprofit organizations have proved to be indispensable in improving the vitality of communities in the current society. They enhance the quality of life, reinforce democracy and exemplify societal values. The purpose of this paper is to explore the foundational things that are necessary for leadership development in nonprofit organizations, to develop insights to avoid making mistakes in that leadership model, and to correlate Jazz music and leadership. Leadership in the nonprofit sector revolves around the fundamental values of transparency, accountability, strategic planning, quality governance, commitment, and stewardship of human and financial resources. Nonprofit organizations are faced with a legal and ethical obligation to embrace transparency and accountability in all their operations. This implies that they must openly convey information to the pubic concerning their objectives, activities, decisions and accomplishments. By doing so, organizations build public trust and understanding and thereby establish a good reputation (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2014). The significance of strategic planning in nonprofit organization leadership cannot be underestimated because it is imperative that a general direction is set to ensure that the mission is accomplished in the end. In addition to adopting a clear strategic plan, organizations must ensure that it is acted upon and that it is revisited regularly as a guide in the decision-making process. Quality governance is equally important if a nonprofit organization is to be successful in its operations (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2014). Every organization usually has a board of directors to provide overall guidance and direction. Such a board ought to be representative of all the organization’s stakeholder groups and should be highly committed to the values and mission. Board members should uphold diversity by recognizing significance of the role of each person.
In addition, the success of nonprofit organization is highly dependent upon the commitment of each member of the team. All stakeholders including the public, board of directors and employees must hold a resolute commitment to see to it that the goals and objectives of the organization are achieved. For this reason, conflicts should be constructive and ideological in nature; the aim being to propel the organization to greater heights rather than to bring it down. Nonprofit organizations are obligated to be responsible stewards in managing their monetary resources. They must adhere to sound accounting guidelines to produce accurate financial information, which is a display of responsibility and accountability. This will win the trust of the public and that of donors, who will then be motivated to provide more funds. In order to accomplish its mission, it is essential that an organization promotes cooperation by making the best use of the energy, knowledge, and expertise of its human resources. They ought to put in place practices that favor the acquisition, engagement and retention of qualified employees (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2014).
Mistakes are bound to be done in any institution and nonprofit organizations are no exception. Lack of focus is a problem, which keeps happening in most nonprofit organizations. To counter it, organizations are encourage to keep conducting regular monitoring and evaluation to assess whether they are still on the right track. These will ensure that the organization sticks to the original goal and meets the needs of the community it serves. Periodic self monitoring will always notify the organization’s leadership of any deviations from the mission (Ratnanesan, 2015).
Another mistake that requires to be avoided is the temptation to have a fixed mindset. Certain organizations tend to stick to same standard operating procedures for too long a time. While they may produce acceptable results, newer methods and techniques may go a long way in producing exemplary results. This therefore calls for the need to have a mindset that is more receptive to change; as it might be just what the organization needs to ascend to higher levels in its operations (Ratnanesan, 2015).
Some leaders in nonprofit organizations make a mistake by failing to trust the capabilities of the employees. This causes such leaders to do everything on their own, which only leads to a waste of time and resources, not to mention straining their on energy. Such a mistake can be avoided by delegating activities that do not require a specific set of skills to other employees. Passing on some responsibilities will provide the leader with ample time to focus his energy and attention to other duties that cannot be entrusted to anyone else (Ratnanesan, 2015).
At a first glance, jazz music may not seem like a likely place from which to seek leadership insights. However, often the best ideas originate from the place that is least expected; as leadership at its best is very similar to jazz. Just like jazz music, leadership is something that results from a blend of creativity and passion. Leading a jazz band is no different from leading an organization because both are faced with the test of getting all entities to work together while acknowledging individual differences rather than imposing uniformity (Hasse, 2004).
Great leaders are flexible and open-minded listeners who value ideas from every member of their team. Jazz and organizational leadership requires that values are shared between the team and the leader, yet the input of every individual remains special (Hasse, 2004). In both cases, positional power is undesirable as it undermines collaboration; instead listening is key.
One can therefore conclude that, leadership just like jazz involves listening closely, being innovative, taking risks, finding and nurturing talent of every team member, and collaborating creatively. Both situations require teamwork with none attempting to outshine the rest.
References
Hasse, J. E. (2004, March 24). Leadership Lessons from the Jazz Masters. Retrieved July 13, 2015, from www.johnedwardhasse.com: http://www.johnedwardhasse.com/John_Edward_Hasse/Author_files/Leadership%20Les sons%20handout.pdf
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. (2014). Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence: A Guide for Nonprofit and Board Members. MCN.
Ratnanesan, A. (2015, March 17). 5 Biggest Mistakes CEOS of Nonprofit Organizations Make. Retrieved July 13, 2015, from Energesse: http://www.energesse.com/5-biggest-mistakes- ceos-profit-organizations-make/

QUESTIONS TO ASK 1. How can leaders of nonprofit organizations incorporate lessons learnt from Jazz? 2. How can mistakes in leadership impact organizational performance?