14. How has your leadership style changed as you have progressed in life?
I know I now have more fun being an unpaid leader, as opposed to when I was paid and had to match someone else’s expectations. I am now part of a group which develops and tries to match our own expectations, and this has allowed me much more freedom. Also, being less analytical and more spontaneous now is something I like. I have also learned to intervene earlier with others when I see that they are not aligned with the agreed upon mission. I’m more willing and I don’t wait as long in resolving conflict at an earlier stage, whereas earlier I was much more averse and cautious in dealing with conflict.
15. What is the one mistake you see leaders making more frequently than others?
I see some leaders being ego-driven and thus power-driven. They express their own ego needs rather than the needs of their organization. In the commercial sector this usually translates into being money driven. I also see this in the nonprofit sector but to a significantly lesser degree because there is less opportunity for people’s egos to get rewarded through financial benefits and additional power.
16. What are you doing to continue growing and developing as a leader?
I try to stay up to date in the areas where I am working, currently primarily in the arts. And I attend any workshops on nonprofit management that are available locally.
17. The three characteristics most often associated with sage leadership are unusual experience, sound judgment, and wisdom. What does having wisdom mean to you?
Being able to be appropriate in the simplest possible terms. To be able to see the context you are in and apply yourself to that context in the most creative way. It’s about the holding of dichotomies and being able to pick an appropriate position. Patience and impatience, big picture, bias toward action, tolerance of people versus being able and willing to correct, guide and suggest. In addition, I think a sense of humor is important. I see wisdom as the ability to pick appropriate response from dichotomies.
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