“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” 

— Warren G. Bennis

If there is one thing that every leader knows, it’s that leading people through a crisis or unchartered territory requires grit and a solid team. That’s why it important for a board of directors to be made up of not skillful, well-rounded leaders, but also people workers, volunteers and donors can trust. The quote above by Warren G. Bennis beautifully summarizes the power of a leader who is innovative and communicative; speaking in a way that people can understand. During these unprecedented times, many organizations have found themselves working to balance a fluid vision with reality. Board leaders have to first find a way to communicate their new ideas with each other and then develop a strategy and tone for delivering the vision to workers and supports.

But thinking on your toes is not as easy for some organizations as it is for others. For some companies, the difficulty may be shifting their fundraising approach, while others may have a board member that is unwilling to change. On top of the ability to pivot, this time of crisis also calls for changing the way board leaders execute their governance. More now than ever, leadership must be reliable and relatable, meeting needs that did not exist within the company until the pandemic.

In this video, BoardSource Consultants Ann Cohen, Nancy Lee, and Jim Schwarz share their thoughts on how board leaders and staff must work together to maintain their organization and communicate their mission to supporters. This panel has vast experience in nonprofit and for profit sectors, giving them the skillset needed to provide specific advice, as well as outline ways to identify short-term and long-term goals no matter the structure of the organization. The panel also tackles one of the toughest issues many leaders may face: inadaptability. What steps do board members take when a fellow board member or a worker is not open to change during a time that requires great fluidity? One of the short answers you’ll hear in this video is, “We’re in a crisis situation, and when you’re in a crisis, I think you have to get down to what the business is.”

Are you ready to get down to the business and translate the necessary vision to make it a reality? Our Governance in Crisis board is ready to help.