Governance
The DNA of great leaders : key attributes of the best mayors and board chairs
McCormack, Ian, 1968- author.
2022
"What attributes make a good leader? Countless books and essays have been written on this subject from a business perspective. Few such texts exist for those seeking to lead a municipal council or a not-for-profit organization, yet these leaders make the essential decisions that shape the communities we live in. This book aims to enhance the conversation around what makes a good community leader. In The DNA of Great Leaders, McCormack provides 25 key attributes of great leaders around three major thematic areas: personal characteristics, community leadership, and governing. Each chapter dissects a key attribute, contains examples and quotes from mayors who embody these attributes, and end with questions for reflection. While this book is primarily about mayors, many of the aptitudes apply to anyone in a leadership position or a position of trust, particularly for an organization that is in the public or non-profit sector. Not only that, but these aptitudes also apply to individual members of a board or a council, particularly those who aspire higher."-- Provided by publisher.
The imperfect board member : discovering the seven disciplines of governance excellence
Brown, Jim, 1961-
2006
Joan Garry's guide to nonprofit leadership : because the world is counting on you
Garry, Joan, author.
2021
"In each chapter, you will find honesty, wit, compassion, and actions you can put into motion ASAP to improve your ability to share your leadership effectively. Garry offers a recipe for a real partnership between an executive director and a board chair. She draws on her own staff and board experience and her work with hundreds of clients to share what it takes to be a first class fundraiser and public speaker. She will also offer practical advice on managing crises, graceful exits (those two not always connected) and organizational transition. Throughout, Garry's belief in the power of storytelling as core to nonprofit success shines through. In this book, Garry establishes her role as your biggest champion, your fiercest advocate and a coach offering authentic, practical and actionable advice to enable you to find the joy in the messiness of the nonprofit sector. Joan is planning an update of approx. 30% new content. This will be achieved in the form of a new introduction in which she addresses some of the changes in the NP landscape in the last 2-3 years and her first-hand experience dealing with those changes for and with her clients. She will also be including 2 new chapters; one on the unique power that smaller nonprofits possess in today's world of social-media born social movements; the second detailing the struggles that these smaller nonprofits often face, and how she helps them to overcome those struggles."-- Provided by publisher.
Who's driving the grader? : and other governance questions
McCormack, Ian, 1968-, author
2021
It’s time to pull the curtain back on local government. Answering the question “what is good governance?” shouldn’t come with the baggage of exhaustive platitudes. Life moves too fast nowadays. In Who’s Driving the Grader?, Ian McCormack aims to separate the wheat from the chaff. He explains the core principles needed to steer today’s leaders from an uninspired abyss. Accountability, clarity of purpose, openness? McCormack asks the question: “What is missing from your community?” Buzz words have had their day. Echo chambers have led local institutions on a wild goose chase. The stick and carrot are now held by individuals stuck inside their own feedback loop. McCormack suggests that “common sense” is another overused casualty of this wayward divide. Who’s Driving the Grader? is a call to action for a renewed sense of leadership. Cultivated and community-sensed ideas are coming out to play in the real world. But the people generating these ideas are often the least interested in stepping up to the plate. McCormack wants to change that. Each chapter is anything but mundane, drawing from real-life encounters in local government. McCormack puts a passionate and humorous spin on the modern issues facing municipalities. Nuggets of wisdom and takeaways abound in this book. Public officials will find it insightful and helpful. And it will also be inspirational for anyone interested in local government. With a foreword by local government legend George Cuff, this book offers a valuable shock of insight and nuance for local leaders.