What makes a good Executive Director? | By Amy Delamaide

In the summer of 2002, I got the opportunity to volunteer full-time with two Wichita nonprofit organizations.  One of those organizations was the Lord’s Diner. I served at the Lord’s Diner 3-4 evenings a week that summer and got to know Wendy Glick, who was the Volunteer Coordinator at the time. Wendy went on to become the Executive Director. I stopped volunteering my time but continued supporting the organization as a (very small) donor.

The Wichita Eagle reported last week that Wendy is stepping down as Executive Director of the Lord’s Diner in mid-July.

My experience of working with Wendy and the announcement of her impending departure made me reflect on what I learned from Wendy’s example as an Executive Director. 

Sticky note with a message on it from Wendy that I keep on my bulletin board.

Keep in touch. When I stopped volunteering, Wendy kept in touch with me. I was on the Lord’s Diner mailing list and got their regular newsletter and donation appeals. About once or twice a year, I made a small contribution to the Lord’s Diner. I would get a letter in the mail thanking me for my donation and stating the amount for my tax records. Often, these letters had a quick “Hello, Amy!” from Wendy hand-written on the letter. Now, the Lord’s Diner probably sends out hundreds of thank you letters. But Wendy took the time to say hello to someone who gave just a little. And that meant a lot to me. It has been what keeps me connected to the organization and interested in its welfare—and, importantly, it has kept me contributing financially.

Know your mission. I love the way Wendy and the Lord’s Diner board members communicate the mission of the Lord’s Diner, even in a Wichita Eagle article announcing Wendy’s departure. “‘This is as pure of a mission statement you can have: Feed the hungry, no questions asked,’” said Pete Meitzner, the board chairperson. This is an organization that knows its purpose and speaks to it regularly.

Stick to your mission. I remember a decision Wendy made in late 2002 or early 2003. It was winter, and the Lord’s Diner had been donated some hats and scarves to distribute to those who needed them. The donation was appreciated, but it also caused some difficulty. The Lord’s Diner did not have a system in place for distributing hats and scarves. Its purpose is to serve meals. It has systems and procedures set up to optimize the serving of food. In fact, distributing clothing would distract its small staff and its many volunteers from their purpose of nourishing people with food. So Wendy made the tough decision not to accept donations of clothing to distribute, trusting that there were organizations in place to receive and distribute such items. She helped the organization stick to its mission.

Wherever life takes Wendy next, I wish her the best. And I wish the best for the Lord’s Diner as it transitions from Wendy to an interim director to a new Executive Director. May their next director be as people-oriented and mission-driven as Wendy.

Listening as Ministry | By Seth Bate

Kansas Windfarm by Eye of the Storm Photography

I read Lael’s post on the heels of reading The Missional Leader, by Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk, which views storytelling as a leadership skill. The authors propose--and I’m inclined to agree--that people must be able to articulate their own narrative but also the narrative of the community around them.

Listening to and then telling the story of the community may be the hard work, but it is critical. People and communities who cannot name the way their worlds are changing have less power with which to engage, understand or confront the change. The authors suggest that those who cannot name the deeper sources of their anxiety focus on the symbols of the change rather than what’s beneath those symbols. An example in the book is Christian parents who focus on getting Harry Potter books out of a school library when they are really worried about a much broader question: how “do we form a cohesive community of identity and belonging that shapes our children within the narrative of Christian life?” Deep attentiveness may be a way to draw out and shape these stories.

For Christians, there is also much to be learned from viewing our stories and the stories of our community through the story of Scripture. The Missional Leader makes this sound like the most natural thing in the world. After all, the Bible takes great pains to describe the ordinariness of the people chosen to God’s work.

I see this attentiveness modeled in the life of Jesus, who began with the lived experience of the people he encountered. He started where they were. As The Missional Leader puts it, “he enters those experiences weaving God’s story through their lived stories.”

After reading Lael’s post and this book, it seems to me that storytelling (and listening) may be an act of peer support. It may be an act of leadership. And it may be an act of ministry.

If you would like to explore the impact of missional leadership on your faith-based organization, join us for a free Compassion Kansas workshop  "The Missional Faith-Based Organization" on September 20, 2011. Call 316-978-3843 to register.