The Bell Cow

A couple of years ago I was the guest speaker at a small nonprofit event. I was asked a challenging question by Sarita Kohli, who is President & CEO of AACI (Asian American for Community Involvement), an organization in San Jose, California, that brings healthcare resources to underserved neighborhoods.

Sarita described a situation that many nonprofit leaders face. The Boomer generation and Gen Xers are having to run organizations that are mostly staffed by the Gen Z and the Millennial generations. They have experienced the world in very, very different ways than many older nonprofit managers. She asked what advice I had for leaders to be effective with today’s workforce?

First I pointed out that older leaders should not lose confidence in themselves. They have seasoning that just can’t be replaced.

Next, it’s essential to get everybody on the same page. But they’re all going to be in different places, with different backgrounds and organizational roles. So, what do you do?

I shared an anecdote with Sarita and the audience. Being a farm boy, I’d always look for a bell cow. The bell cow is one that has a bell attached to its collar, and when you call her, she’ll come and bring the rest of the cattle with her.

So look for a bell cow within your diverse staff, a natural leader. Since people are pretty competitive in the ranks, they’ll start following the bell.

• Have you identified a bell cow within your organization?
• How do you use their skills when you need to pull the team together?

See this short video where I talk with Sarita about bell cows.