Leading a charity is often compared to pushing a rock up hill for eternity. This little beetle is cuter than Sisyphus.
Chatting with people from the charity world always leaves me thinking the same thing: why is this work so much harder than it needs to be?
We honour and applaud the fact that leaders are spokespeople, fundraisers, planners, managers, and advocates. We also expect them to be subject matter experts and systems experts. And we expect them to roll up their sleeves and do the work, but to also delegate and direct others. Then we expect them to be liked by donors and constituents, media, stakeholders, and staff.
Charity leaders are supposed to be all things to all people. If you're not perfect, then you're not good enough.
Finding superheroes who can do it all is incredibly difficult. Relying on heroes to be around forever is foolhardy. This kind of thinking doesn't build resilient organizations. It doesn't nurture the next generation of leaders or create space for different voices.
Most importantly, it won’t solve the environmental, social, and economic crises that we face.
Does it have to be this way?
What if we allowed actual humans to lead charitable organizations? What if we allowed people with a few key strengths work with a strong team to get the job done? What if we shared responsibility instead of convincing ourselves we'd "solved" the problem by finding the perfect leader to solve it for us?
The truth is, staring social issues in the face every day is hard enough. You are confronting truths about injustice and loss and you’re not allowed to look away. You are often supporting people in the midst of trauma or watching the world change in tragic ways.
“Surfing waves of grief, anger, frustration, and powerlessness” should be part of the leader’s job description, but it never is.
Some people are willing to take on injustice and inequality day in and day out for years on end. They already carry a heavy burden for their communities. We shouldn't make a charity leader’s job harder than it needs to be. Not if we want them to actually succeed.