Introduction
Nonprofit organizations require strategies to necessitate achievements and goals to establish the growth and development of the organization. On profit organizations are facing multiple challenges in the changing rates of demands and other operational services. To fulfill this the nonprofit leaders must find attempts to establish organizations that can grow despite of any changes realized. Strategic management in nonprofit organizations is defined as selecting and determining strategic programs needed to achieve goals and the necessity of establishing methods for the implementation of policies and strategic programs (Porter, 1997). Strategic management in an organization depends on the workers’ skills, the time of the planning period, the structure of the organization, and financial potentiality (Herman, 2010). The steps involved in nonprofit organizations include goal formulation, environmental analysis, and strategic decision making. The paper gives further analysis on the primary work of the Chief Executive Officer in nonprofit organizations.
The Primary Work of a CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO) is categorized as the highest-ranking executive in an organization or company whose primary roles include making corporate decisions. The CEO is responsible for deciding how the organization should run and how it should progress to meet its desire (Gowdy et al., 2009). Also, the CEO decides on goals to be achieved by the organization after a certain period. The CEO communicates on behalf of the organization with shareholders and to the public (Herman, 2010). Furthermore, the CEO informs shareholders and the public if there is any change made in the organization and makes the public aware of the good progress ongoing in the organization.
Furthermore, the CEO must be an all-round person, who can balance several tasks and duties. The CEO carries the responsibility of managing and controlling all operations and resources of the company or organization (LaPiana, 2008). The CEO can create and aid in implementing the organization’s vision or mission. Also, the CEO is to evaluate the works of other executive leaders in the organization (Gowdy et al., 2009). Additionally, the CEO is responsible for ascertaining that the organization maintains high social values from the workers to other leaders (Herman, 2010). Such a duty involves setting codes of ethics, employee guidelines, complaint protocols, and leading as an example.
The CEO also determines the gaps and identifies risks that the organization is likely to encounter, and finds ways on how they can be minimized to aid in the organization’s success (Gowdy et al., 2009). The CEO is responsible for maintaining awareness of the competition of other organizations and setting strategies for the expansion of organizations (Gowdy et al., 2009). Also, the CEO is responsible for recommending the work done by other workers in the organization and pointing out where the improvements are required for the success of the organization’s development (Gowdy et al., 2009). Additionally, the CEO leads the development of the organization’s short-term and long-term strategies to expand the organization.
Relationship between CEO’s competence and effectiveness and organizational success
Effective performance in the management system is necessary to ensure individuals and the team’s goals align with the organizational goals in implementing the management practices’ effectiveness. Concerning this, the CEO is required to enhance excellent systems and to adhere to the focus needed by the organization (Herman, 2010). This is achieved by enabling employees to develop and expand their talents, enhance effective communication systems between the manager’s and employees and assign work to individuals to reach the organization’s set goals (LaPiana, 2008). The CEO has management coaching skills for the employees, which leads to improved performance of the organization (Herman, 2010). Likewise, the organization relies on goal settings for its excellent performance; this goal setting has a positive outcome in job performance.
As the CEO can control all organization activities, the CEO uses the teams to increase the organizational effectiveness, which leads to the organization’s success is the ultimate end. Additionally, the CEO enhances public relations and positive practices in the organization pointing out principles that can be implemented to the organization’s success (Porter, 1997). Likewise, the CEO finds the gaps and creates awareness of the risks likely to be encountered by the organization (Herman, 2010). Through the CEO, the organization becomes successful since the CEO monitors all the organization’s activities and recommends the improvement of the general efforts of the employees in the organization.
CEO’s Essential Requirements
For the CEO’s proper working, ideal qualities are considered, such as their capability of leadership, communication, and confidence. Alongside these qualities, they do not seem to impact how the CEOs do their job well (Gowdy et al., 2009). Therefore, a good CEO should be capable of several multitasking duties critically in the organization (Herman, 2010). To achieve this, the CEO needs to foster and build a good relationship with the team and always listen to their complaints. Furthermore, a good CEO should have the following desirable qualities to run the organization (Gowdy et al., 2009). Firstly, the CEO should know that the CEO must have critical thinking in planning on the organization’s future possibilities. Also, the CEO must be highly knowledgeable since he is dealing with a lot of money, multiple investors, and several business activities as well as the organizations developments to avoid encountering financial crisis (Stevens, 2001). Secondly a CEO should be equipped with knowledge skills. A CEO should have practical listening skills to listen to what the team members have to say, mostly in meetings chaired by the CEO.
Additionally, the CEO must be skillful in building the team carefully to help find the best team to work with, with competency and trust. This will lead to a positive performance and management realized in the organization (LaPiana, 2008). Also, the CEO should have skills that necessitate improved standards and the organization’s features to adaptable changes in one way or another (Porter, 1997). The CEO should be able to find out the system that allows one to monitor various changes and point out the organization’s developments.
A CEO should have the ability to lead the organization in the desired direction and focus on the team’s objectives in the organization (Porter, 1997). Likewise, the CEO should inspire workers in the workplace to retain employees in the organization who have aided in the organization’s development (LaPiana, 2008). On the other hand, the CEO should have the ability to address the risks and challenges faced in the organization. Other desired characteristics include reliability; that is, the CEO should enhance transparency following a guarantee of what will happen or what will not happen to build honest (Herman, 2010). Also, decency is the critical trait that significantly helps one to make a better CEO.
The significance of a CEO’s job is building a relationship with shareholders, employees, investors, and the public, which involves building trust and understanding from the people shown by genuine decency and care towards them (La Piana, 2008). Lastly, a CEO must be adaptable to changing environments and keep open minds whenever she realizes a need for change (Porter, 1997). CEOs ought to see challenges as opportunities to sustain the organization’s growth, development, and management.
Due to the difference of each nonprofit organization, competencies are difficult to articulate. Additionally, the CEO should be prepared to adapt to changes in particular scenarios that need resistance or accept the change and find ways to influence the other employees to comply with those changes (LaPiana, 2008). However, some of the nonprofit skills in leaders that aid in exercising excellent leadership include the following cores; program knowledge, such as helping the needy. However, some nonprofit organizations face problems since they lack well-trained leaders with the knowledge required to work in that particular sector (Stevens, 2001). Additionally, human resourcing is needed since the nonprofit leader must know how to assign tasks and manage the functions and treat workers with fairness to increase the nonprofit organization’s credibility.
My Preparedness for a CEO Job
I am prepared to serve as the CEO through the following ways; Firstly, I am well equipped with the management skills to run the nonprofit organization since I can draw strategy plans and set the nonprofit organization’s objectives and goals (Porter, 1997). Also, I have got experience in the CEO job since I have worked in another nonprofit organization. Additionally, I can relate well with employees because I have good public relations with the workers at any given time (Porter, 1997). As the CEO, I am ready to allocate more resources to support the nonprofit organizations’ strategy as effective resource allocation boosts the nonprofit organization’s development since lots of investment can be laid down, which in turn grows the nonprofit organization (Herman, 2010). I can initiate the use of incentives in the nonprofit organization as a way of motivating workers. Additionally, this will aid in retaining the workers and providing proper performance and provision of services. I will hire supportive managers who will lead as an example by working hard and upholding professionalism (Stevens, 2001). I can look for investors from other organizations and public leaders to increase the profit margins, which can enhance sustainability and stability in case of any financial crisis.
Moreover, I have the quality of knowledge; this helps incorporate culture and can support employees’ motivation as I am articulating a vision for the nonprofit organization. Another quality is the ability to initiate workshops, seminars, and conferences to train my employees and empower them with working skills and any other requirement to be considered in the workplace. This will lead to desirable performance and management in the nonprofit organization. (Stevens, 2001). Also, I do my work with honesty and possess strong morals in the workplace. Still, whenever another worker goes against this, I become intolerant, which can lead to firing a worker immediately.
However, I am deficient in reliability in the workplace as I tend to prioritize my family. Once I become a CEO, I will need to balance between attending to my family and work availability (Stevens, 2001). I can use digital tools to create work schedules that do not interfere with family time, while preparing for work emergencies that might require the CEO’s presence (Gowdy et al., 2009). Additionally, my performance in the workplace could be low due to a lack of sufficient management skills. This course will significantly boost my managerial skills, confidence, and knowledge (La Piana, 2008). To improve the quality of reliability and integrity, I need to attend a seminar in another nonprofit organization to learn how other CEOs are coping with this.
Conclusion
The paper above analyses the roles and responsibilities of the CEO in a nonprofit organization. It details the desirable vital qualities that can make the CEO manage the nonprofit organization, bearing highly ranked leaders in an organization. Management of the nonprofit organization requires a competent leader, a knowledgeable leader, a leader who is flexible at any given time, and a leader who always aims to achieve the target set in goals by the nonprofit organization. On the other hand, huge investors brought into the nonprofit organization lead to increased profit margins at a given period. Additionally, the CEO should know how to relate with the workers, find ways of motivating them and providing a better working environment. This is achieved by use of incentives, seminars, workshop and trips to motivate workers and retain them for a longer period. Also, the CEO should be able to check and monitor the performance of the workers in the workplace at a given time and point out those who are providing their services properly. The CEO must be able to build a strong team work as well as manage it to obtain desirable performance in the workplace. This increases the interests of investors and other individuals to venture into the business increasing the popularity of the organization as well as increased profit margins realized in the ultimate workplace.
References
Gowdy, H., Hildebrand, A., La Piana, D., & Campos, M., M. (2009). Convergence: How five trends will reshape the social sector. The James Irvine Foundation: San Francisco.
Herman, R., D. (2010). ‘Executive leadership.’ In Renz, D., O. (Ed.) (3rd ed.). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management, San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, 157-177.
LaPiana, D. (2008). The nonprofit strategy revolution: Real-time strategic planning in a rapid response world. St. Paul, MN: Fieldstone Alliance.
Porter, M., E. (1997). How competitive forces shape strategy. Harvard Business Review: 75(4), 1-10.
Stevens, S., K. (2001). Nonprofit lifecycles: Stage-based wisdom for nonprofit capacity (2nd ed.). Long Lake, MN: Stagewise Enterprises.