The Full Stack Leader

Via McKinsey Quarterly Q1 2018, The four questions to ask when serving on a nonprofit board. Question 4 hit home for me as I ramp up my leadership IQ, “Do we have the right ‘fuel’ to drive our organization?”

If you want to be an effective strategic leader, you can’t settle for a regimen of reading board books and showing up for quarterly meetings. You must engage fully on your organization’s mission; seize opportunities to observe frontline work; and, at each board meeting, take every chance to confront the big, long-term issues by asking tough questions.

After checking the gauges, you’ll know what to do next: keep effective performers, remove laggards, and ask the tough questions and demand answers.

This advice for board members applies equally to an executive team member in a business setting, leading teams at Automattic. In short—do the work, be open to the burden of responsibility, and seek out direct connections.