I really appreciated the opportunity to sit down with Patton McDowell to talk about nonprofit leadership. Specifically, Patton and I discussed my “ten commandments” for an Executive Director working with a board of directors.

As I say on the podcast:

“The dynamic between the nonprofit executive and the volunteer board can be the strangest employment situation in the professional world.”

I think that’s definitely true. How many bosses do you have—1? 5? 17? 0? If you’re unfamiliar with it, it can be a strange experience.

I was so glad to unpack my “commandments” with Patton. Some are clear—”Don’t fudge the numbers!” but some will be very useful if you haven’t thought about it already (One of my favorites: “Never surprise your board president at a meeting.”)

We also discuss some ideas for a nonprofit director to grow their organization.

I hope you’ll check it out.

Thanks again, Patton, for having me on the show!