In conversations with nonprofit leaders over the last few months, I found the most common unmet need in their organization was not funding, or new donors, or volunteers, but leadership. What they were talking about was the situation created by the exodus of executives from the for-profit sector to the private and non-profit sector. Specifically, they lamented the dearth of leaders who approach nonprofit work as a means of attaining or recapturing their lost sense of worth by approaching the challenges of nonprofit leadership as a personal quest for vindication and validation.

A friend of mine (who will remain nameless) heads a fundraising organization that has generated over $170M for nonprofit organizations over the last six years noted that many of his clients have leaders who place personal ambition ahead of the organization’s vision. Sometimes, the leader’s personal ambition dovetails quite nicely with the direction given by the board. However, the initial aggressiveness of these leaders begins to clash with the benevolent aspects of the organization. The loss of a “people-first attitude” degrades to a “me-first” attitude. People quickly learn that their new leader’s greatest goal is personal advancement through narcissistic fulfillment. Workers begin to withhold their best as their own self-worth and personal gratification in doing a good job is pulled away upstream to feed the ever enlarging ego needs of the leader. Inevitably, volunteers begin to evidence a keen sense of personal ambition that erodes the unity and direction of the entire organization.

As I spoke with a number of nonprofit board members, they cited how they are changing the way they approach the hiring process. One organization is including a clinical psychologist in the interview process citing that the previous three leaders over a five year period were charming, eloquent, polished, heavily credentialed leaders that “fit the suit” or “dress” but soon after taking the reigns went through tectonic shifts when dealing with staff and volunteers. A member of the board, a board certified clinical psychologist began to look into the hiring process and recommended full pyschiatric evaluations as part of the process. Shortly after noting on their application forms that such evaluations would be part of the process, eleven of the eighteen applicants for the Executive Director position withdrew their names from consideration. Perhaps some of those were attributed to finding other employment? Perhaps not. However, the individual they eventually hired has proven to be emotionally stable and has brought a tremendous sense of focus to their organization, healing many internal wounds, regaining internal credibility, and providing steady, predictable leadership over the last two years.

Though none of the leaders I visited with were willing to go on record with their names and organizations, for obvious reasons, I understood what they were saying. There are some leaders who rise to the top by shear aggressiveness and bravado who then use bullying tactics to maintain their leadership. I find it ironic that such oppressors would be drawn to organizations that seek to assist the oppressed.

So, what can a nonprofit organization do to prevent being suckered in by a charming but ruthless deceiver? Might I recommend that at some point in the early conversation with potential candidates you mention that personality testing and psychological profiling may be part of the final round of interviewing? Then, if you are getting mixed signals or something is just not quite right about your candidate, you will have established the grounds for requesting an interview with your choice of psychologist or psychiatrist. Before you invest a quarter million in your next leader, invest $170/hour for a session or two with a certified counselor who can identify any major problem areas. Obviously, what the client says to the counselor is confidential but you would be surprised how people with personality disorders recognize the potential for exposure and will move on to easier marks.

Remember, you do not want to hire a wolf to care for the sheep. Take every precaution to know, in advance, who you let in to your organization. Perform your due diligence, check references, verify educational credentials, do a criminal background check, request on your application form that candidates provide any and all aliases used in the past.
Best wishes as you do the homework that could save your organization, protect your constituents, and preserve your best workers.