Are You Missing Out?

Don't Forget the Valuable Talent Pool Among Women!

Liz Selzer 

Leaders—effective leaders—seem fewer and far between, as more societal needs appear and more nonprofits are founded to address them. Unfortunately, it seems leaders are passed around from one organization to another, rather than new ones being developed to fill these positions.

So, where do we find the leaders we need?

I believe many prospective leaders are being overlooked, mostly because they're women. No, I'm not just another feminist tooting the female leadership horn. Theologically, I'm quite conservative. I don't believe in elevating women to leadership just because they're women. I do believe in elevating God's people to leadership who are called according to his purpose. Many organizations may have blinders on when it comes to selecting leadership, and they potentially miss half—perhaps more than half—of the qualified candidates.

When I first started at MOPS International, I had no idea the depth of leadership that existed quietly behind the scenes. I found 25,000+ leaders throughout the United States and in 29 other countries around the world. These women invest 15, 20, even 40 hours of volunteer work per week in this organization, lead large groups of women, inspiring them to maximize their influence with the women whose lives they were in a position to touch. I found these leaders to be trained and capable, and among the best-kept secrets in the nonprofit leadership world.

What Have I Learned?

I now know that:

• Women leaders are out there, but don't often see themselves as leaders. They need to be inspired to activate their influence to change the world around them. 

• Women who've been leaders in the workforce are waiting for the right circumstances to return to part- or full-time work situations compelling enough for them to want to become involved outside their home again. 

• Women often turn to education instead of leadership because it's a world in which they're welcome. Yet often, upon completing a given degree, they find commensurate employment opportunities few and far between. 

• Women truly desire to learn and grow, but find few available resources aimed directly at them. 

• Many women apologize for their leadership—"Oh yes, I'm just a Bible study leader, or a Girl Scout leader, or a PTO committee chair," … as if these positions required any less dedication, people savvy or leadership skills than a paying corporate position would require.

• There's a common frustration among women in Christian leadership, whether it's that subtle glass ceiling, the lack of support they feel to develop their leadership skills, the doors which shut as they try to implement change in an organization, or the common denial that, when they work, what they do really counts. Often women and the men they work with see a woman's leadership as a hobby, something to pass the time but not to be taken seriously. 


Finding the Talent

Here are some basic thoughts on ways to recruit women leaders:

• Inspire them: Women (as well as men) want to be inspired to take on leadership roles. Convince them they need to move the multiple responsibilities around on their plate to make room for the position you're looking to fill. Inspire them with a truly compelling vision of what you want to accomplish in your nonprofit organization—compelling enough that they can't remain passive. 

• Capitalize on "second career" women: There are a number of talented and trained women leaders who've chosen to stay home for a season of mothering. There's a "second season" career decision these women make in deciding how and when to return to the workforce. This is a critical opportunity to show these women why working in your nonprofit would be a satisfying move for them.

• Magnify their call: What has God equipped them to do? How does he desire to use their gifts, talents and experiences to help his kingdom flourish? Help them see they have a call and that this call is real. This investment in the kingdom will be worth it. 

• Help them get past the apologizing: Demonstrate that they don't need to apologize for their volunteer leadership hours. Just because they didn't work for a salary in a given life season doesn't invalidate the leadership skills they've developed. Help them see how their past experiences have equipped them as leaders today. Recognize what they've done in leadership equipping fields: Scouting, PTO, managing a household, etc. All are leadership equipping fields. Highlight their influence and how it may be applied to your organization.

• Educate, train and resource them (and make sure they know you're willing to do this up front): Odds are there are skill areas that if developed will make them into exceptional leaders. Even women who instinctively lead well can use training to bolster what they already know. This investment in them also speaks to your confidence in their future with your organization.

• Create packages attractive to leaders who also have family responsibilities: I've met many extremely capable women who are incredible leaders, but who feel they can't take on leadership positions for fear it will compromise their families. While this is a personal decision, I think there are a number of women who'd lead if given flexibility in the workplace. Allowing some work hours from home, or the flexibility to go pick up sick children, or periodically take them to an orthodontist appointment, could help you gain a great leader for your organization. In fact, this family flexibility is also attractive to your male leaders.

• Tap into their tenacity: No one's more tenacious than a woman who's promoting or defending someone or something she loves. Help her become passionate about your vision for your organization and you'll be surprised at the benefits she'll bring. 

• Be willing to share power: Studies have shown that many women are willing to work more cooperatively than competitively. Capitalize on this and help them work synergistically with your team. The results can be exponential.


A New Resource for Developing Women Leaders

To address the training and resourcing of women leaders, MOPS International has recently launched FullFill, a resource to help Christian women live out their influence. For more information, log on to: www.FullFill.org.

Locating Leaders

There's no denying that a leadership deficit exists in the nonprofit arena, but we can change that deficit. It's incumbent on all of us to get involved in locating existing women leaders, and developing potential women leaders, as a great "natural resource" to address this leadership shortage.