When in Doubt, Ask for More: And 213 Other Life and Career Lessons for the Mission-Driven Leader

by Alex Counts

LEADING A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION is challenging, stressful work—yet it can also be richly rewarding. Alex Counts mastered the art of mission-driven leadership through decades of trial and error, as he built from scratch one of today’s most admired philanthropic foundations. Now he shares 214 of the most powerful lessons he discovered along the way—life and career secrets you'll never learn in school. Frank, quirky, counterintuitive, and ultimately inspiring, these nuggets of wisdom cover the toughest challenges nonprofit leaders defining your organization’s “Be bold, but be grounded." On running a “Agendas are made to be bent." On surviving business “Check the seat pocket one more time.” On people “It’s okay to have a few enemies.” On capturing an audience’s “Start with your conclusion.” And on the art of “Stop talking.” Those working in the nonprofit world will find that Alex Counts's sage advice can help them get through the day feeling more in control while making a greater impact on the world they seek to serve. “Each tiny lesson is a self-contained, salient observation that shines a light on a specific aspect of leadership. . . . Whatever the subject, the author condenses a meaningful pronouncement into its simplest, most elegant form, using high-impact prose to make his point. . . . Parceled out pearls of leadership wisdom.”— Kirkus Reviews “Alex Counts has been critical to creating and building the global microcredit movement from its start. He knows how to lead. And how to write! When in Doubt, Ask for More will help you be a more powerful leader—and have fun doing so.”—Bill Drayton, Everyone a Changemaker ABOUT THE Alex Counts founded Grameen Foundation and became its president and CEO in 1997. From its modest beginnings, Grameen Foundation grew to become a leading international humanitarian organization. Counts is the author of several books, including Small Loans, Big How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance Are Changing the World , and Changing the World Without Losing Your Leadership Lessons from Three Decades of Social Entrepreneurship . Today Counts is an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations, a professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland College Park, and an affiliated faculty of its Do Good Institute. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Center for Financial Inclusion and is an active Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

252 pages, Paperback

Published March 13, 2020

Reviews

[Cynthia Levin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book makes an excellent gift for anyone working or volunteering for a non-profit org whether they are in a leadership position or not! Alex Counts' book is full of insights for professional and personal life. It is clearly targeted toward people who lead non-profits, but you don't have to be a "mission-driven leader" to benefit from the advice in these pages. It's an easy read with most pieces of knowledge distilled into one short page apiece. I liked how each page started with an icon telling us what subject the advice would cover. For me, a volunteer for multiple non-profits ramping up my speaking engagements, I found the lessons on "public speaking" and "running a meeting" to be the most useful professionally. I don't presently have an urgent need for the advice on "board management" yet I appreciated it as well as the inclusion of "personal wellness," "people skills," and "travel." His advice runs the gambit from general and profound ("Train yourself to simply have fear rather than letting fear have you- that is, control you") to specific and logistical ("When giving a speech, it's usually best to have your mouth 8-12" from the microphone"). It's written in a friendly and accessible way. Like I mentioned before, it would make a wonderful gift.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a good book to have in the bathroom and to read a page a day. The layout and messaging is a bit hard to internalize all at once, like a word of the day calendar, a person is best off just reading one message and considering it in the context of their lives, their non-profit roles.

[Ida Hariati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for nonprofit leaders. Counts offers honest, thoughtful insights and advice on looking inwards while leading a mission-driven organisation.