Hello Teamwork Facilitators!  It's Tom Heck, President & Founder of the International Association of Teamwork Facilitators, with your September 2010 teamwork ideas e-newsletter.

The economy continues to challenge many, particularly those who work in small and medium-sized nonprofits.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been talking with several Executive Directors (EDs) of small and medium-sized nonprofits about how they handle the development needs of emerging leaders ("rising stars") within their organizations.  Most don't have a clear plan in place.  All of the EDs recognize the need for leadership development, but two big obstacles stand in the way:

1. Cost of the leadership development (training)
2. Time away from work

Large nonprofits (YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Red Cross, etc.) don't have the same training and development obstacles that small and medium sized nonprofits do.  The big guys have entire   departments at the national office dedicated to advancing leadership development within the entire (networked) organization whereas the small and medium sized nonprofits are on their own.

One ED at a medium-sized nonprofit told me she would hesitate to provide leadership development to an emerging leader on her team because the average person only stays a year or two (especially true with Gen-Y).  So her team members do their best without any leadership training.  Before the recession, the ED found this system worked.  Now the challenges are great and her staff lack the leadership skills to move forward with confidence.

There is another way.

What if you provided cost-effective, results-driven leadership development to your emerging leaders (rising stars) knowing full well that staff would likely stay for one to three years?  The investment in staff development would pay off in two ways:  1) Your organization benefits from having inspired, capable leaders and 2) Word gets out in the employment marketplace that your organization is the place to go to receive the leadership training needed to advance careers (regardless of where one works).  This is the same approach many large, forward-thinking corporations are using (as reported by Gen-Y expert Bea Fields).

If you're the Executive Director of a small or medium-sized nonprofit, I want to talk with you and learn about your leadership development needs so we (the IATF community) can support you.  Take a look at the IATF distance learning leadership development program Leader As Coach Fast Track Program and let me know if this is the type of leadership development that would benefit your emerging leaders (rising stars).  Take a look at the IATF member benefits and let me know if your emerging leaders would benefit from inclusion in this inspired community of movers and shakers.  Let's talk.

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The IATF community is AMAZING.  Check out what some of our members are up to: 

• Demetris Booth shares secrets of Collaborative Intelligence.  CLICK  HERE for more.
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• Jaime Cipperly works with high performing sports team.  CLICK  HERE for more.
• Mike Cardus uses knives and marshmallows to help a team.  CLICK  HERE for more.
• Diane Crampton develops free training videos.  CLICK  HERE for more.

Video Clips

• Secrets of Motivation by Dan Pink.  CLICK HERE
• Can A Team Lead Themselves?  CLICK HERE
• Example of Poor Leadership Coaching  CLICK HERE
• Lessons about the Leader As Coach  CLICK HERE
• How NOT to do PowerPoint  CLICK HERE

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