by Mitch Pomerantz
In February, ACB Next Generation organized a Zoom event at which aspiring leaders were given the opportunity to meet with a number of veteran leaders of the American Council of the Blind. I was honored to have been asked by Amanda Selm to be one of those leaders. Approximately 15 of us interacted with several individuals for three minutes each before being connected with another would-be leader. Longtime RSVA board member Ardis Bazyn and I were paired as leaders and shared our thoughts with five Next Gen participants.
Prior to this event I decided to make some notes on my own experience over nearly a quarter century as a leader in ACB; lessons learned, practical approaches to leading, things to do and not do. Although our approach in beginning each interaction was to ask if the participant had a specific leadership question, I thought it would be useful to have a few ideas to pass along just in case. It proved to be a good call in a couple of instances. The “leadership tips” I wrote down are both personal – based on my experience in various leadership capacities within ACB and elsewhere – and professional, based on several years conducting leadership development training for my former employer, the City of Los Angeles. I offer them here for whatever they may be worth to those of you considering future leadership within our organization.
- Leadership should be about serving the organization, not boosting one’s ego or enhancing one’s resume. Make certain you want to move into leadership for the right reason: because you believe you have something positive to contribute to ACB.
- There will be times when you will have to make decisions which will be unpopular. A good leader needs to be OK with that because, as the saying goes: “You can’t please all the people all the time.” If this makes you uncomfortable, you probably shouldn’t aspire to leadership right now.
- While a leader (e.g.), a board or committee chairperson, should always strive for consensus, achieving it won’t always be possible. There will be times when someone, or several someones, will disagree with a decision you have made. There may come a time when you will have to make a unilateral decision; hopefully not too often.
- Surround yourself with persons who are at least as smart and as knowledgeable about a given issue as you think you are. Good leaders need those who are not afraid to ask you hard questions or offer a different perspective. Avoid “yes men and women.”
- Don’t BS people; folks may not always like what you tell them, but they’ll respect you for your honesty. Never tell one person or group one thing and another person or group something that contradicts what you told the first person or group. Members do talk to one another!
- Learn as much as possible about all aspects of the organization, not just those areas which particularly interest you. This is especially important to keep in mind if you have any interest in someday running for a board position in your ACB leadership career. Consider serving on different committees to increase your knowledge about the organization.
- While ACB is membership-driven, it is – as are all not-for-profit organizations – also a business. As such, there are certain legal and fiscal responsibilities to which we are obligated to adhere. Become familiar with the business side of ACB.
- And finally, for your own sanity and for the good of the organization, sometimes you will need to say “no!” It really will be OK. Too many leaders don’t learn this lesson until they experience burnout, or get a reputation for not completing a task, causing others to pick up the slack. Know when you may be putting too much on your plate before you make a commitment to do something.
I would be less than forthright if I said that I was always able to follow my own advice while serving on various committees, sitting on the ACB board, or during my six years as ACB president, but I tried extremely hard to do so. None of the foregoing is especially new or unique. For me, what I have offered are practical “rules of thumb” which served me well through my leadership journey in ACB. And yes, I understand that times and approaches evolve over the years; nonetheless, I think that, by and large, if you follow most of them, you will be a successful ACB leader. I sincerely wish all up-and-coming leaders well as we veterans step off the leadership stage and you assume your roles as tomorrow’s ACB leaders.