This is the second instalment of leading a voluntary organisation successfully

After discussing at great length the top six leadership challenges of voluntary organisations in the August issue; we now move on to how these challenges can be addressed through integrating Murphy’s Principles into your organisation, as well as key focus areas in which organisations can follow to developing better leadership style.

Murphy’s Principles 1: Mindset to Listen and Learn

Everyone one of us was designed to have two ears and one mouth. And it is meant for us to listen twice as much as we speak.

When voluntary organisations inculcate a listening culture, its members will be forthcoming to offer their brilliant ideas and everyone can learn together! That way, everyone can be fully engaged and voluntarily uphold their responsibilities to grow the organisation together.

Key focus areas of the week:

a) Ensure that one of the first words uttered by you is in the form of a question

b) Listen to fully appreciate the actual meaning of the speaker and not to react with own reasoning

c) Ask ourselves, what have we learn today that will lead us in achieving our goals tomorrow?

Murphy’s Principles 2: Understand People
No man is an island! What this means is that no one is able to live a meaningful life without interacting with others regularly. And to interact effectively with people, it’s better to start off by first understanding them.

From understanding comes appreciation; more so when this trait becomes a rare practice. After all, the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated! And from appreciation comes likeability. When we like someone enough, we would go out of our way to get things done for that person and that’s how miracles happen!

Great leaders understand and work with people to bring the best out of them by observing their beliefs and values, so that leaders get things done through them. These leaders are aware that the biggest driver of human action is their outlook of their future and where they stand at the moment.

Key focus areas of the week

a) Seek to understand before being understood by others

b) Take an interest to learn about human behaviour

c) Learn about people’s beliefs and values about the prospects of their future

Murphy’s Principles 3: Responsibility Rules

We assume leadership roles in voluntary organisation for various reasons and whatever that reasons may be, many people underestimate the importance of the responsibility that comes along with those leadership roles.

Let’s look at what responsibility is about. Responsibility is one of the greatest influences in decisions we make every day. Responsibility can be defined as choosing to do something when we don’t feel like doing it! Our capacity for taking up responsibility will directly affect our level of self esteem.

Hence, taking up responsibility is an attitude that prevails regardless of the type of organisation we are serving. By accepting responsibility in the first place, we make ourselves aware that our actions have a direct impact on ourselves and others within and beyond the organisation we serve.

Key focus areas of the week

a) Cultivate the discipline to say what you do, and do what you say

b) Don’t bite more than you can chew. This is where experience counts a lot

c) Recognise the importance of service by inculcating a servant leadership mindset

Murphy’s Principles 4: Purpose and Passion to Lead

As mentioned earlier, we are usually given one term to lead and time flies when there seems to be too much on the plate. If we are not clear of what to focus on, then getting started is a big challenge by itself!

As in any leadership roles, there are common practices such as bringing the organisation forward via a common platform; grooming successors to take over at the end of the term and generating or sustaining benefits for members to enjoy so that the members continue to remain committed to the organisation.

There are many challenges in organisations, more so in the voluntary type. It is through these challenges that great leaders excel over and above ordinary leaders. In order to stay in the heat and solve problems effectively, it is mandatory to cultivate our passion in leading so that we can enjoy the fun in leading ourselves and others!

Key focus areas of the week

a) Run the “five-why”s exercise to uncover the real reason of assuming leadership role in your voluntary organisation

b) Remind yourself and your leadership team every time you conduct the EXCO meeting

c) Express your  good feeling in leading your voluntary organisation to greatness at all times

Murphy’s Principles 5: Habit to Go the Extra Mile

Without sufficient passion, we’ll always do just enough to get by. Only leaders with strong passion excel beyond the minimum requirements and emerge as champions because that’s what drives them ahead of obstacles and associated challenges.

Scientists and philosophers have for centuries recognised that the habit of Going the Extra Mile is one of the basic laws of nature. This profound principle enables every individual to enjoy the advantage of reaping the law of increasing returns by rendering more and better service that for which he/she is compensated.

Imagine a motorway that is packed with cars, crawling along slowly making its way to their respective destination. Imagine there’s another highway above this that is rarely used and it’s a breeze for those who uses it. The only catch is you have to pay to use the higher motorway. Which motorway would you rather be on? For those leaders who choose to go the extra mile, they will be on the higher motorway because they seem to be so few of them around.

Key focus areas of the week

a) Realise at once the law of nature works for anyone at anytime in anywhere as soon as it is activated

b) Build your endurance by establishing a firm footing, one step at a time

c) Always strive to deliver a higher level of service than what members expect
Murphy’s Principles 6: Yearn to yield the right results

Leadership is never about personal glory and all about the success of the entity. When that attitude is well-sorted out, then getting the right results becomes more eminent. Right results are what every leader wants to enjoy but very few are prepared to make the sacrifices to achieve it. This really sets apart average leaders from GREAT leaders.

The right results can only happen when leaders listen attentively to their members and learn about the situations impacting the voluntary organisation. The leader learns to get things done through people and to do that effectively the leader has to understand his/her members’ behaviour amongst other things and assume 100% responsibility of the decisions they and their members make.

When that happens, the voluntary organisation can then inculcate a habit of going the extra mile in serving its community at large.

Key focus areas of the week

a) Realign to the vision, mission and core values of the voluntary organisation

b) Focus on the end in mind

c) Take massive action to achieve the results that matches the end in mind