Chapter 5

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP
This chapter addresses the following topics:

Characteristics of Excellence

Motivating Volunteers

Recognizing Why People Volunteer

Essential Leadership Skills

Why Volunteers are Essential for Chapter Survival

Creating a Chain in Elected Leadership

Overview
Associations are made up of members -- groups of people who voluntarily come together
to solve common problems, meet common needs, and accomplish common goals. Only by
working together, under innovative, effective leadership, can these members solve
problems, meet their needs and achieve their goals.
The hallmark of a successful chapter is continual renewal through ongoing leadership
development. And while we all know that natural talent contributes to leadership skills,
leadership does not come naturally to people. Leadership combines skills and attributes
that can be learned and improved upon. Studies indicate that about two percent of the
members of any group have the capacity to be leaders. Leaders emerge in two ways -either by coming forward themselves (that is, volunteering) or through a carefully planned
process of being sought out.
For a chapter that wants to ensure an ongoing leadership base, it is important to identify the
people with the greatest potential (who may or may not volunteer their time) and guide
their development. The first step to leadership development is understanding what makes a
good leader, and then learning to recognize those traits. Next, you can identify and involve
potential leaders in the chapter; then reward them and give them opportunities to enhance
their potential.

Characteristics of Excellence
According to a recent study, there are three critical elements needed for excellence in nonprofit organizations: a sense of mission; the presence of a strong leader; and an involved
and committed leadership.
Mission
A clear sense of mission serves as the focal point of commitment for both members and
leaders. It is also the guidepost by which your chapter's success can be evaluated In
essence, it defines the way in which your members' world will be different as a result of the
chapter's efforts. It is important that the mission of a chapter be aligned with ASHEs
mission, which can be found in in the the section entitled, Introduction to ASHE at the
beginning of this handbook.

Developing Leadership

Presence of a Leader
Successful organizations need an individual who truly leads, and who creates a culture that
enables and motivates others to work together to fulfill the group's mission. The best
leaders have clear goals, a vision to look beyond today's crisis, the ability to develop
strategies to achieve this vision, and the capacity to involve others in the process. They
must also have the courage to make extremely difficult decisions and a willingness to take
risks and challenge the status quo dispite what others may think.
Involved and Committed Leadership
While most chapters are headed by a president -- a single individual who is the official
group leader -- chapter leadership should be a shared experience. With an involved and
committed group of volunteer leaders, your chapter is more able to relate effectively to
your members and to ASHE. Your leadership group also provides a bridge to the larger
healthcare community.
As a volunteer leader, you can successfully involve the members of your chapter through
the following activities:
Regularly gather information from members about what they need, want, experience and
expect from your chapter.

Provide members with a continuous stream of information about what you are thinking and
the rationale behind it.

Provide quality programs and services that serve their common interests.
Motivate voluntary participation by offering opportunities for members to achieve whatever
benefits they consider important.

Motivating Volunteers
Essential Elements
There are nine elements that contribute to the creation of an environment where members
are motivated to participate. The conditions for motivating volunteers exist when people
have the opportunity to:
1. Use their special knowledge and skills
2. Give their life purpose and significance
3. Help others
4. Be recognized and acquire status
5. Feel useful and needed
6. Develop new skills
7. Participate in enjoyable activities
Developing Leadership

8. Gain competencies and visibility that advances them in work or social arenas
9. Use leisure time and reduce loneliness and boredom

Recognizing Why People Volunteer

People will join your chapter when there is a match between their needs and interests.
They get involved in the work of the chapter for somewhat different reasons. Many want
to achieve specific goals and therefore are achievement-motivated. Others are motivated
by power, and they want prestige and authority and to influence others. Still others are
motivated by the need to interact with other members. By understanding what motivates
people to become involved, you can be successful in placing them in the appropriate
volunteer position.
How to Reward and Praise
The kinds of satisfaction people gain from being involved in a chapter are as diverse as the
people who volunteer. Self-satisfaction for a job well done is important. But being
acknowledged and praised for their work by friends and colleagues stimulates the desire to
continue working hard. Among these many different ways to reward hard work are
awards, certificates, pins and plaques, as well as public recognition and thanks. You know
best the culture of your chapter and can project which of these will work.
The Difference Between Leading and Managing
"Managing" and "directing" are often used interchangeably. When we think about a
manager, we think about someone who presides over the process by which an organization
or a group functions, who allocates resources wisely and makes the best possible use of
people. Leading conveys a more visionary and less technical concept. Those who lead
must be able to focus on vision and values. Leading requires long-term thinking, being
able to understand and motivate people, and having intuitive political skills.
Being a leader and being a manager are not mutually exclusive. Although some leaders
cannot manage, and some managers cannot lead, true leaders have the ability to both lead
and manage. Chapters need "leader/managers" who are able to blend the positive qualities
of each aspect.
Control vs. Motivation/Inspiration
The leader/manager focuses less on controlling what people do and more on getting things
done through other people. That involves identifying their strengths and creating an
Developing Leadership

environment where they will be motivated to work toward achieving individual and group
goals. Leader/managers begin with a vision of where they want to go, and then
communicate the benefits of working together to those they want to influence.
Those who are successful are able to inspire others by painting pictures that capture the
imagination. By both their behavior and their words, they have the ability to create an
environment in which others want to follow them.

Essential Leadership Skills

The skills described below are those typically depicted as management skills. The added
dimension leaders bring to these management skills is their ability to involve others in the
process of getting work done. Leader/managers help people turn their potential into
performance.
Leadership/management skills include:
Planning and organizing -- establishing goals; developing a specific plan; soliciting input and
support from members for realistic time frames for achievement; identifying who does what.

Listening -- keeping in touch with members' needs and expectations.

Selling -- selling ideas to others and involving them in the implementation of the plans.
Delegation -- giving members more responsibility, encouraging them and rewarding creativity.
Communication - communicating effectively both orally and in writing, being able to speak in
public and to write in a clear, brief and benefit-oriented style.

Problem-solving - helping people learn how to help themselves rather than solving their
problems for them.

Furthermore, potential leaders should be open to criticism, sensitive to people and willing
to change. As a leader, your ability to be flexible and adapt to a variety of situations will
be augmented if you are aware of and comfortable with your own limitations. A good
leader doesn't need to be able to do everything by themselves or to be all things to all
people. They learn how to delegate, realizing that the end can be reached from a variety of
roads, and understanding that many times being right is less important than being involved.

Why Volunteers are Essential for Chapter Survival

About 20 percent of the people in any given group are actively involved while 80 percent
wait for things to happen. You need to focus your attention on the 20 percent, most of
whom will be your potential leaders and volunteers. Leaders cannot do all the work that is
Developing Leadership

required to move the chapter forward. Therefore, it is essential that you actively seek out
those who have demonstrated a ready willingness to work, and quickly involve them. A
good way to identify potential leaders are volunteers is to ask them to create a Volunteer
Resume (Appendix xxx). This will allow you to equally assess each persons individual
skills, experience and leadership ability. Then you need to identify specific opportunities
for each individual so they feel more attached to the chapter. This will be a great challenge
and will call upon all your leadership skills.
Take the Time That's Offered
Leaders who give so freely of their own time frequently find it hard to remember that not
everyone may have the same flexibility. Job, family and career demands, as well as
differing lifestyles all limit the discretionary time members have to give.
As a leader, you must be creative about breaking volunteer tasks down to accommodate the
differing schedules of your members. The rewards for making this extra effort are great,
for the end result will be the involvement of more volunteers and an increased infusion of
new energy.
Create a Positive Volunteer Experience
One of the most important tasks of established leadership is to provide a thorough
orientation to new leaders. By acquainting them with the history of the chapter, the issues
of concern and ground rules for behavior, you will be helping them succeed. They need to
have a clear understanding of expectations in order to perform well. Time and again it has
been shown that when the expectations and benefits have been described early on, people
will meet them.
In those few situations where expectations are not met even after extensive coaching, you
need to shoulder the burden of leadership, thank the volunteer for serving, and suggest that
they may want to volunteer at another time when they will be able to meet the demands of
the situation. Even this "dismissal" of a volunteer should be carried out in such a way that
it is a positive experience for the volunteer.

Creating a Chain in Elected Leadership

The greatest reward of leadership comes from being a mentor and encouraging protgs to
move into leadership positions of their own. In most chapters this comes by going through
the chairs.
Developing Leadership

The Value of Working Through the Chairs

Once you have identified potential leaders, it is important to give them opportunities for
involvement. One of the best ways to start is to have someone serve as a committee
member under the guidance of an experienced leader. Throughout the term of the
committee, those individuals who have shown promise can then move on to chair the
committee, and then continue to move up the chapter leadership ladder.
Chapters frequently place a high value on leaders' gaining experience before rising to the
presidency. People who have had progressively increasing responsibilities and are
experienced in key areas of chapter decision-making usually have sharpened their skills
and bring more to the process. However, it is important to maintain a balance between
developing sufficient experience and knowledge about the issues, and having aspiring
leaders spend such a lengthy apprenticeship before they are considered ready for the
presidency that they lose interest.
In addition, while experience and knowledge of the history of the chapter are important,
fresh ideas and innovative thinking can revitalize an organization. Therefore, chapters
need to encourage those with fewer years of experience in the organization to become
involved in leadership, and then provide opportunities for them to move up the leadership
ladder, this is the most effective way for you to identify potential leaders and maintain a
quality pool of experienced volunteers.

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