The One Leadership Trait That Saved a 70-Year-Old Ministry
A young executive director inherited it. A decade later, the organization is still thriving — and it wasn’t talent that made the difference.
John sat across from me with his soon-to-be ex-boss.
The Handoff: When Henry Passed the Baton to John
The organization was in the middle of a change in executive leadership. Henry had run the Christian organization for decades. His father ran the organization before him. One of the single greatest things Henry did was hire John and make room for his leadership and enthusiasm.
It was clear they enjoyed working together. Henry looked at John with pride and relief. He was leaving his organization in good hands. He also wanted John to get the help that he needed to run an organization that had been in the community for over seven decades.
John’s board of directors agreed with that assessment. They became integral partners in helping him find his footing financially, supporting his work with Bold Leading, and growing the organization’s footprint through a capital campaign, team development, and expanded operations.
Looking back, I don’t think intelligence was what made John successful. Plenty of bright leaders fail. The quality that changed everything was his willingness to be coached.
Why Bold Leading Came Alongside a New Executive Director
At Bold Leading, we have had the privilege of coming alongside new Executive Directors who are energetic, humble, and love serving people. John was no exception.
The Five-Year Engagement: 2015–2020
From 2015 through 2020, five years of working together, building his team and teaching him fundraising saw him raise $1M in an online giving day that took six months of planning and execution. Our engagement wrapped up when his team had taken over every aspect of fundraising and John’s leadership was flourishing on its own — the clearest sign the work had done what it was supposed to do.
Six Things John Got Right as a Nonprofit Leader
When I think of John and those years of mentorship, here are the things that he got right.
He branded and lived his culture. Keep It R.E.A.L. Respectful. Encouraging. Accountable. Loving. The culture amongst his staff and the people he served was filled with the idea of Keep It R.E.A.L.
He built a team that supported his mission, vision, and values. They fit a culture that loved Jesus and loved the work of serving people.
He pursued donors consistently through in-person meetings, direct mail, and digital communications. He was intentional and committed week in and week out.
He was the same in person and in print. John’s authenticity is contagious. Not perfect but present.
He built systems that were repeatable and accountable. He learned systems can make up for smaller teams and still make a big impact.
He stayed coachable — by his board of directors, his team, and Bold Leading. The best fundraisers in the world eventually plateau if they can’t be told the truth. John never did. He let people who knew more than he did in certain areas actually lead him.
The One Trait That Made the Difference: Coachability
His organization has been a mainstay in his community under his leadership now for over a decade.
Henry moved out of the area not long after that handoff, but he still checks in with John from time to time. He reads about the giving days, the growing team, the community still being served, and takes satisfaction in it — his family’s work, carried forward well by someone he trusted enough to hand it to.
Henry didn’t just leave John an organization. He left him a way of leading — and John had the humility to take it, not just from Henry, but from all of us who got to speak into his life over those five years.
What 2 Timothy 2:2 Teaches Us About Leadership Succession
Paul wrote to Timothy, his own protégé in ministry:
“...what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
That’s the real chain here. Henry entrusted it to John. John entrusted it to his team. And a decade later, an organization that’s been serving its community for over seventy years is still standing — not because one person was brilliant, but because a leader was willing to be coached, and an organization was willing to keep pouring into the next one.
Why I Started Bold Leading: My Own Story
I know a version of this story firsthand. I took over a 60-year-old ministry after decades of institutional knowledge walked out the door — more than 20 years of board members and staff who had built something together, gone in an exodus that played out over six months. I was left alone in a room as the new Executive Director, with four staff members and no clear way forward.
We had to rebuild a new ministry from scratch — new board members, more staff, and a resolve to serve our community and proclaim Christ. Fortunately, I was able to seek out mentors who taught me how to fundraise and how to manage construction projects. I learned how to build a team the hard way, through trial and error. That’s why Bold Leading exists today: to be a source of encouragement and coaching for leaders who feel stranded or overwhelmed as first-time leaders. I’ve been in that room.
If You’re Henry — or John — in Your Organization Today
Ministries don’t survive because they find extraordinary leaders.
They survive because ordinary leaders remain teachable long enough to become extraordinary.
If you’re the Henry in your organization right now—wondering who you can trust with what you’ve spent decades building—that’s exactly the work we get to do at Bold Leading: developing and staying beside the Johns before you have to hand them the keys.
If you’re John in your organization today- don’t wait. We love surrounding enthusiastic and humble leaders who want to execute well, build the ministry, and serve their communities, especially in the name of Jesus.
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Dave Sena is the founder of Bold Leading and a nonprofit veteran with nearly thirty years of experience leading, coaching, and consulting faith-based organizations. If you’re stuck, burned out, or just need a clearer path forward — reach out. He’d love to offer prayer, honest feedback, and a roadmap through.
