Tenenbaum Leadership Initiative: Leading After the Legacy
“TLI was an amazing opportunity to develop my skills as a leader. Most nonprofit executive development programs focus on the various aspects of nonprofit management, but TLI is about leadership – about recognizing and developing the attributes needed to lead a successful organization."
-Kim Sweet, Executive Director, Advocates for Children of New York, Inc.
A Cutting-Edge Executive Development Program for Nonprofit Leaders
Leading after the Legacy addresses the succession challenges of being a new CEO. Targeting Executive Directors who are the first CEOs to succeed the founder in their nonprofit organization or are replacing a highly respected leader who had been in-place for at least a decade, the Tenenbaum Leadership Initiative (TLI) is now accepting nominations for a third cohort of up to twenty Tenenbaum Fellows in the Greater New York City Metro Area. All cohort members are awarded full scholarships.
Developed three years ago by faculty of Milano, TLI’s alumni represent leaders from a broad range of nonprofit organizations in the Greater New York Metro Area. While their organizations have ranged in size from a staff of 1.5 to 540 and work in the arts, youth services, housing and community development, healthcare, faith-based initiatives, and cultural organizations, they all faced similar challenges in leadership transition.
Leading after the Legacy: Is it for you?
Research shows that extraordinary non-profits create a pervasive energy of purpose and credibility. Since people are drawn to an organization with vision, the greatest legacy a founder or a long-term leader may leave is a vision to inspire others to embrace an idea that attracts followers and funding. This person has left; now, that person to lead is you.
You know that new directions are needed to keep the organization vibrant. Though you may have significant senior management experience, your current role may challenge your understanding of what it will take to lead authentically and credibly as you take the organization on a new course.
Do you find yourself asking:
- In what ways should I differentiate myself as a leader, as the new leader, of this organization?
- Can – and should – I challenge the status quo?
- How do I best engage critical stakeholders in setting new directions?
- What resistance might I encounter by leading the organization in new directions?
- How can I ensure that the board and staff become supportive as changes are made?
- How will my planned changes affect our funding streams?
A Commitment to Nonprofit Leadership Development
A generous grant to Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy from Ann Tenenbaum and Tom Lee has made this leadership program possible – with full scholarships for those accepted. What we expect from you in return is a commitment to:
- Learn about and acknowledge the unique leadership challenges before you
- Be open to new behaviors that may transform your leadership effectiveness
- Take calculated risks as you try to implement new ways of managing and leading
- Build a learning community among your Tenenbaum Fellow cohort members
We also require a commitment to participate one morning approximately every three weeks with others facing similar challenges, and to meet privately with an executive coach on a periodic schedule that fits yours. There are nine sessions, starting in early October and ending in early February.
Selection of TLI Fellows is based on their commitment to their organizations, their motivation for professional growth, and desire to be a member of a community that explores succession challenges in the nonprofit sector.
Program Highlights
Leading after the Legacy is a six-month fully-funded leadership development program developed by faculty members at Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy. Designed to meet your unique leadership goals, and your hectic schedule, you will convene approximately every three weeks for three-hour breakfast meetings with your cohort. Simultaneously, you will work with a personal executive coach who supports your professional leadership goals. The program is based on the most contemporary management research and represents practical application of leading-edge wisdom.
Consistent with the latest research on leadership development, the program is often experienced by participants as a "laboratory" which first engages you to recognize and accept your current leader-related behaviors. You will then set development goals and begin to “experiment” with new behaviors that serve to resolve your personal leadership challenges directly within your organization.
Your faculty-facilitators are experts in managing significant organizational change and leadership succession. Together, you and your coach will address the challenges of taking the lead and develop a strategic plan to apply it.