Remember: We Are ALL Leaders

If there’s ever been a year that we needed leadership, it’s 2020.

But wait a minute, Mike: it's 2022!

Today—in the wake of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona, with conflict overseas and instability in our markets both at home and abroad, and so much going on in all of our lives—I'm going to revisit some words that I wrote in 2020, which just go to show that the urgent need for leadership is truly ever-present.

"The combination of challenges we’ve had to navigate, the people we’ve needed to reassure and inspire, the vision and resilience that has been required to stick to goals and principles—all of these have required strong, capable leadership.

And yet, even as I write these words, I have to check myself. What does it mean to be a “strong” and “capable” leader? Is strength always a sign of an effective leader?  There are so many ways to be a great leader, and so many opportunities for us to lead. Can there truly be just one set of qualities that can describe good leadership?

While I think there are some general principles for good leadership, I want to emphasize that we are ALL leaders, and we all have different leadership styles.

We may not all be presidents, vice presidents or directors, or even have the word “leader” in our title. But we can still be leaders. We can demonstrate leadership and make a difference to our organizations, our communities and the people we serve.

Because it’s not our titles that make us leaders—it’s what we do every day that demonstrates leadership. It is our commitment to ethics, the dedication to best practices, the connections we create, the way we treat others, and the impact of our work—to name just a few—that are the hallmarks of leadership.

In addition, I think fundraising is inherently connected to leadership. Think about what we do. We connect people to causes and inspire them to take action. We work with teams of staff and volunteers to ensure we deliver programs and services. We bring communities together to change the world because we are the IMPACT profession. THAT is leadership!

But there’s always more we can learn about leadership. There are always new skills and knowledge about leadership that we can bring to our organizations, which is especially important in this challenging time.

Leadership isn’t something you’re born with. It’s a skill you develop as you get to understand yourself and learn from the experiences of others."

As we prepare to journey to Houston for AFP LEAD 2022 (October 20-22), followed by the opening of registration of AFP ICON 2023 (hint: coming soon) and then the AFP IDEA: Emerging Leaders Virtual Workshop, remember that AFP is here to help you develop that skillset. In addition to these amazing upcoming events, also be sure to check out our new TikTok account (that's right: we're on TikTok now!) featuring some leadership tips direct from me.

Whether you’re a senior leader or just getting started in your career—or anywhere in between—AFP is always here for you.

I hope to see many of you in Houston soon! And if you have any thoughts on leadership, don’t hesitate to email me at Mike.Geiger@afpglobal.org or on Twitter at @AFPMikeGeiger.

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA