Leading up to the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Annual Celebration on October 18, we are delighted to share with you insights from the finalists for the Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman 2011 EXCEL Award. This award recognizes and spotlights outstanding leadership among Washington-area nonprofit chief executives.

The mission of Bread for the City is to provide vulnerable residents of Washington, DC, with comprehensive services, including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. They recognize that all people share a common humanity, and that all are responsible to themselves and to society as a whole.

Meet finalist George Jones of Bread for the City.

Tell us about your leadership style and how this contributes to your organization’s success.

I consider my style of leadership a type of servant leadership.  I believe in putting the needs of the staff, Board and most importantly clients, who have elected to follow me, first. And while this doesn't always translate to only doing what the staff, Board or even clients want, I do try to consistently view my decisions regarding Bread for the City's work through the lens of those key stakeholders who turn to the agency for assistance, and who place their time, talent, support and trust in the agency.

This approach requires me to directly engage the staff, Board and periodically even clients in a dialogue regarding their views on how to best realize the agency's mission to "... help alleviate the effects poverty has on the poor, and rectify the conditions that cause poverty."

I'd like to believe that over my almost 16 years leading Bread for the City, my approach has been instrumental in the agency's growth from a $1.5 million annual budget to its current $6.5 million operation, and more importantly to the point were we now serve nearly 4,500 low-income families every month.  Perhaps another positive measure of my style is the fact that the nine program and administrative managers at Bread for the City have remained on the Bread for the City staff for an average of more than 11 years. And the most recent example of how that leadership style has played out is in the strategic planning process that we have been engaged in over the past 12 months. I realize that may seem like a long time, but during this period, I have dared to engage the 19 Board members, 75 staff and scores of clients through a broad series of informational briefings, surveys, facilitated focus groups and various meetings to gain some consensus about what the agency's strategic direction and related goals should be over the next three years. As our planning process is coming to a close, we have settled on five progressive organizational priorities that reflect the collective vision of our stakeholders and aligns with our mission.  While our process has taken a great deal of time, I believe the goals we have settled on will be well served by the wide spread buy-in this kind of involvement generates.

What advice would you offer for other nonprofit leaders?

Perhaps my best bit of advice would be to tell first-time or aspiring nonprofit leaders that there is no particular way to be a leader. There are numerous leadership styles, including autocratic, participatory, visionary, servant, etc., and I'm certain all of them have proven successful in various settings and organizations. The key, I've found, is that leaders need to know themselves and trust that their style is the right approach for them. Self-doubt can result in ineffectiveness and the loss of followers. I think it is extremely important to know and rely on one's strengths, talents and values, rather than worry about the things you don't know or do well. I've found that if you trust in and rely on your primary attributes, others involved in your work will follow suit by providing their own strengths, talents and ideas for the greater success of the agency/cause.

What does this award mean for you and your organization?

Personally, it is quite humbling to know that my peers, employees and leaders from the nonprofit community feel that my contribution to the important work that Bread for the City does warrants public recognition. I've been lucky to find work that is so meaningful and rewarding to me, and this kind of award really represents a kind of cherry on top.

Much more importantly I hope, for Bread for the City, is that news of this award will help inform a broader number of community members throughout the DC metro area about the very important work my agency does to make sure that no man, woman or child in Washington, D.C. goes without nutritious food to eat, a decent place to live, access to basic health care, or the support and counsel needed to address the kind of social and legal problems that the poor are so often forced to face alone.