Читать книгу Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership - Garry Joan - Страница 4

We are who we are because of the families that raised us. My mom passed away just after I completed this manuscript. As we went through her purse, I found a copy of the cover art for the book. On an otherwise dreary day, it made me smile. Until her last day, my mom was sharp as a tack. If I am smart, feisty, funny, and a bit of a dog with a bone about issues that feel important to me, it is because I am my mother's daughter. To steal a line from one of my kids, Thanks for birthing me, Mom.

My dad taught me the power of being a good coach. I saw him in action during years of being his right hand in Little League dugouts. And I admired him. Offering direction, support, and encouragement, he was not just a coach. He was a champion, and an educator. A quiet leader. Everyone wanted to be on his team. I was lucky. I was born into his team.

Father Jim Loughran, SJ, of blessed memory, taught my first philosophy class. He challenged me to consider the value of my moral compass, my own intellectual capacity and the power of inquiry.

We are who we are because of the people who shape our thinking during our journey. Attorneys Paula Ettelbrick and Suzanne Goldberg represented our family in a precedent-setting case to create a legal connection between our kids and me. These two triggered the activist in me, planting the idea in my head that it was time to get off the sidelines and onto the field.

In 1985, Showtime engaged consultants Joan Goldsmith and Ken Cloke. Joan and Ken were evangelists about making teamwork a reality (not a buzzword) in workplaces. And they taught me about the power of difficult conversations. Much of my work today feels like the baton they passed on to me.

Yes, this was the village that led me from a solid happy life to a life with real purpose – leading me to the nonprofit sector and never looking back.

During my tenure at GLAAD, I met activists, donors, and volunteers who inspired me to do my best for them. Lessons learned from this journey are too long to list but special thanks to “heart monitor Julie” and the five-star staff and board who partnered with me to build an organization to last. I hope you are lucky enough to find someone like Karen Magee to step into a board leadership role. I can talk about the power of that partnership because I speak from experience with Karen.

This book presents my chance to reach more people with guidance and direction. My deepest thanks to Scott Paley of Abstract Edge for believing that I had something to say and for working tirelessly to ensure that my message reaches far and wide. Without a blog and a podcast (both Scott's idea), there would be no book.

Seth Rosen, a coaching client from years ago and now the senior member of my team, was the first person to utter the words “So, when are you gonna write a book?” Thank you, Seth, for planting the seed and recognizing that leaders need authentic, compassionate, and practical advice with a dose of good humor added for good measure. As my right hand, Debbie McNally is great with clients, a first-rate writer and editor and often makes that one comment in a meeting that brings the conversation into especially clear focus.

Special thanks to my best friend since age 14, Kim Freedman. Through this process, as she has through life, Kim has been a cheerleader, a fierce advocate for my brand, and a first-rate thought partner from Day One to put my passion into print.

Thank you so much to Arielle Eckstut, my “book doctor,” and Jim Levine, my agent at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. Jim was a nonprofit leader in a former life and I could not have asked for a better advocate who really understands that nonprofits are messy. And of course I am so grateful to my friends and colleagues at John Wiley & Sons for believing in me (and for agreeing to put an image of a garbage can on the cover of one of their books).

Lastly, we are who we are because of the families we create. I never thought I'd be so lucky to have one and try never to take it for granted. I keep a Chinese fortune cookie note in my desk drawer. It reads simply: You Have A Colorful Family. Amen. Thanks to my three kids, Scout, Ben, and Kit, for letting me catch you, raise you, annoy you, amuse you, and love you with all my heart.

And, of course, to my legal wife of 3 years and spouse for 35, Eileen Opatut. In 1996, she casually suggested I leave the for-profit sector and apply for a nonprofit executive director job. We had three kids under seven and had just bought a big house: perfect time for a new low-paying job. She saw, as she always does, what I often miss completely – I was a leader and an advocate ready for a cause.

And so began a new chapter in my life. A life that turned from black and white to color the day we met. Like Dorothy's arrival to Oz. Complete with three munchkins.