High Energy and Experience-Rich
The senior sage leaders see themselves as high energy and experience-rich leaders. In Jim Collins terms, they are often Type 5 leaders who combine persistence with humility. They know how to sustain efforts toward a specific goal, get the job done, and coordinate efforts to increase efficiency and effectiveness. They learned years ago how to delegate and mentor, so they know how to bring out the strengths and skills in other people with whom they work. Emulating Collins’ leadership trait of modesty, these senior sages can step aside when recognition is being assigned for a successful project: “I don’t need to take credit any more for the work being done.” The corollary is, “You can lead from the back of the bus as well as from the front.” These sages don’t need to have the official title of “leader” in order to be influential and respected by their colleagues.
In many instances, the past experiences and perspectives of senior sages have had to be adjusted when working within nonprofit organizations. Many senior sages formerly worked in very large corporations, and they find that their favored nonprofit organizations are much smaller and certainly more resource poor. This means they have to roll-up their sleeves and dig into the work of the organization. Senior sages also receive much quicker feedback on their performance, and virtually everyone is a volunteer who has a gift to contribute. Command and control no longer are appropriate values. So while past experience is valuable, personal values are of even greater importance.
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