Apr 8, 2014
Those who know me might (rightly) be concerned about a title hinting at a sports metaphor. But emboldened after attending a recent leadership and strategy conference, I am more convinced than ever that strategy is a team sport for nonprofits, and those nonprofits that recruit Generalists, individuals who can play a variety of roles, to their organizations often are better positioned for success when trying to fulfill their strategic plans.
Generalists Can Go Wide
Nonprofit teams need a seasoned player that can go wide and play different positions as an organization evolves. This is even more important in the rapidly changing world of nonprofits. Constituent needs, funding fluctuations, new opportunities, and unforeseen challenges require today’s organizations to be nimble, creative, and flexible. Within this environment, organizations often struggle with not having enough time, talent, or resources to accomplish what is vital to their visions and missions.
Having a Generalist on your team can bring a diversity of talents and skills without adding multiple FTEs. In fact, a Generalist with experience in several different sectors (various for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and/or combination of both) and variety of responsibilities (an array of functional skills, management of staff and projects, and both strategic and tactical accomplishments) naturally can tend to bring a more integrated approach to problem solving because they draw upon a broader range of past experiences.
There is no doubt that a senior level executive with deep and specialized skills plays an essential role on any professional management team. A chief financial officer needs accounting and finance expertise. A chief development officer should have expertise in generating contributed revenues. An IT executive needs to be able to adeptly navigate technological systems and tools. Depending on the organization, other executives may be required to have program and/or functional expertise that are critical to operational success. But a Generalist often can become a nonprofit team’s most valuable player (MVP) when faced with talent gaps and short-term challenges.
Making Room on Your Roster for a Generalist
Forward-thinking nonprofits of all sizes need to integrate risk tolerance into their talent strategies and evaluate the opportunity cost of not recruiting Generalists. Chief executive officers (CEOs) should review their leadership rosters, carefully analyzing the bench strength of the senior teams. Is there a leadership, management, and/or skill-based void in the organization? Is it a short-term or a crippling gap? Having a Generalist on board allows nonprofits the flexibility to leverage scarce human resources while also filling immediate needs. Critically, a Generalist can buy organizations both time and talent during these transitional periods.
Having a Generalist on the senior team also can be a strategic advantage. In fact, one often cited statistic shows that 70 percent of strategic plans are not successful often because they lack the right talent at the right time to implement.1 A Generalist can be a team’s MVP in this case, combining the roles of “thinker” and “doer,” and adding leadership that complements the CEO in driving change for the traditionally lean nonprofit. A Generalist’s approach introduces an important, unbiased voice in facilitating strategic success; his/her unique interdisciplinary perspective can help effectively frame trade-off discussions and challenge silo thinking. Drawing on past experiences and a diversity of skills, the Generalist becomes an essential and credible resource for helping turn inspirational vision into operational reality.
Lastly, a Generalist can help organizations score even when the game plan is changing. Generalists are frequently comfortable in playing the role of change agent. By virtue of their own diverse professional paths and choices, they embrace transition. Rarely complacent, they see change as a learning opportunity. While not always bringing the deep experience of an expert, they usually are quick students with a thirst for knowledge. Their ability to quickly assimilate and adapt also reflects a healthy tolerance for risk. Thriving in environments that foster change and innovation, the Generalist embodies the ultimate transition team player.
Generalists as Game Changers
Generalists offer a high “return on talent.” They provide managerial flexibility, add strategic value, and enhance organizational capacity. They become effective leaders within lean organizations constantly challenged by limited talent resources. In larger organizations, they act as broad-minded facilitators for translating big picture strategies into interdepartmental action plans. But most importantly, Generalists can play a variety of organizational roles because they represent a diversity of skills, experiences, and perspectives.
Every championship team recognizes the unique contributions of an MVP. For nonprofits, that can mean mission accomplished when a Generalist is part of their leadership roster.