I’ve been trying to write a new blog post for a while now. But today, as I sit in front of my computer and sip an afternoon coffee (which I shouldn’t be having!) from my favourite office mug, I am prompted to finally put an idea that has been on my mind for some time now into blog form.
This thought of mine has been percolating (note the subtle coffee reference) for some time now and I’m seeing it referenced a few other places as well – the notion of an aging “emerging leader” cohort.
Confronting my own aging “emergence” has most often come in mug form. The favourite office mug that I was just referring to above is a tacky Carlton Cards one that says, “I’m not old. I’m just chronologically gifted!” At first I gravitated towards it because I thought the juxtaposition of seeing this phrase on a mug held by a young looking 33 year old would be funny.
But then it dawned on me. I’m 33! Not quite the young employee working in the non-profit sector that I once was over 10 years ago when I started out working at Volunteer Richmond.
I have unpacked this idea before, most recently at the same meeting Tim Beachy blogged about in his last posting. I am no longer new enough to be considered “emerging” by some definitions (although I follow the school of thought that we’re always emerging in some way) and not a veteran of the sector to be considered a current leader just yet. And there are a lot of us out there in this middle group. We’re sort of a forgotten bunch in all the succession chatter, which focus mainly on the new to the sector and the soon to retire.
In the meeting both Tim and I were at, someone used the term the “Prince Charles cohort” to describe this group. We all laughed (and so did I – particularly hard I must say), but there is some truth in that description. I truly believe some of us in this middle group will become inspiring leaders in our own right. I’ve met many of them along my travels!
But I do worry about how many people might be in “Prince Charles” circumstances, where leadership opportunities may not come in a timely manner. How many Prince Charles are out there in the non-profit sector who will only get the chance to stretch their leadership wings when it is far too late to make the kind of impact current leaders have been able to over decades of being visionaries? Will some not have the opportunity at all and instead continue in a supporting role, but for exciting new leadership from the generation after us? What are some of the solutions or strategies to avoid a whole cohort of Prince Charles?
I think this is a notion that I will continue to unpack. Does anyone out there have any thoughts? One thought that I’ve come across was from non-profit blogger extraordinaire Rosetta Thurman in a posting she provided to The Chronicle of Philanthropy called “The End of the Next Generation”. A very proactive viewpoint I thought. Thanks to the Next Leaders Network for reblogging it!
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