Some of the strongest leaders never planned to lead.
They did not map it out at 18. They did not chase titles. They did not wake up one day and decide they wanted hierarchy, pressure, and the loneliness that can come with the top job.
They kept saying yes to challenges. They kept learning. They kept growing. And over time, people started looking to them for direction.
That is one of the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Chantel Scherer, Executive Director of the Nassau Humane Society.
Her path has been anything but linear. It has moved through golf, international business, communications, public service, COVID response, and now nonprofit leadership in animal welfare. But the thread connecting all of it is simple. She has always been willing to learn, take a risk, and keep growing.
That matters because so many professionals think leadership should look clean and predictable. It rarely does.
Growth often looks like saying yes before you have the full road map.
Challenge is often the doorway.
Chantel shared that she never had a neat answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She changed her major multiple times. She did not take roles because they looked easy. She took them because they would stretch her.
That mindset is powerful.
Research from Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset shows that people who view ability as something that can be developed are more likely to persist through setbacks, seek feedback, and perform better over time. That is not just true in school. It is true in leadership.
Use the challenge filter:
When a new opportunity comes up, ask yourself these three questions:
Will this stretch me?
Will I learn something I do not know now?
Will this help me grow into the next version of myself?
That does not mean saying yes to everything. It does mean to stop choosing only what feels safe.
Sometimes the best move is not the obvious move. It is the one that develops you.
Collaborative leadership is not weakness.
One of the strongest themes in this conversation was Chantel’s approach to collaborative leadership.
She described herself as a reluctant leader. Not because she lacks skill. Because she does not lead from ego. She leads by bringing in people with different strengths, creating space for ideas, and making decisions through conversation, not control.
That is not passive leadership. That is smart leadership.
Too many leaders still act like they need to know everything. They do not. In fact, that approach often slows teams down.
A study from Google’s Project Aristotle found that the highest-performing teams were not built around one dominant expert. They were built around trust, shared contribution, and psychological safety. People perform better when they feel heard.
Hire for your blind spots:
Write down three things you are strong at and three things you are not.
Then ask:
Who on my team fills these gaps?
Who do I need to hire, train, or empower to strengthen these areas?
This keeps leadership from turning into bottleneck management.
Chantel’s approach is simple. Surround yourself with people who know things you do not know. Then listen to them.
Leadership must flex to the person.
One of the sharpest insights in this episode was this: leaders need to adjust to the people in front of them. The team should not have to guess how to get what they need from you. You should learn how to lead them well.
That means one person may need autonomy. Another may need more check-ins. One may need a nudge. Another may need room.
This is where many leaders get stuck. They want one style, one system, one communication pattern to work for everyone. It does not.
Gallup has repeatedly found that managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in team engagement. That means leadership style directly shapes whether people stay, grow, and perform.
Build a people map:
Create a one-page leadership profile for each direct report. Track:
How they prefer feedback
How often they need check-ins
What motivates them
What causes stress or shutdown
How they like to solve problems
Review it monthly. People change. Needs shift. Good leadership shifts too.
This is more work. It is also more effective.
Nonprofits must act like businesses.
Chantel said something that every nonprofit board and executive should hear.
Nonprofits are businesses.
Yes, they are mission-driven. Yes, they operate under a different tax status. Yes, the heart of the work matters. But if they do not run with financial discipline, customer service, systems, and accountability, they will not survive long enough to fulfill the mission.
That is exactly why she was brought into Nassau Humane Society. The board wanted the organization to be more professional, more structured, and more sustainable.
That work included preparing for a full audit, strengthening financial systems, and treating their resale stores like real businesses, not side projects.
This matters because earned income is increasingly important in nonprofit sustainability. According to the National Council of Nonprofits, diversified revenue is one of the strongest predictors of long-term stability.
Run a mission-business check:
Ask these five questions:
Are we financially disciplined?
Can we explain how money flows through every major program?
Do we have at least two or three reliable revenue streams?
Are our customer service standards clear?
Do our systems reflect the quality of care we say we provide?
If the answer to several of those is no, that is your work.
A mission without systems burns out staff.
Systems without a mission burn out heart.
You need both.
Customer service starts before the front door.
One of the most practical points in this conversation was Chantel’s focus on customer service in the resale stores that support the shelter.
She made it clear that customer service does not start when someone reaches the register. It starts before they even walk in. It starts with experience, consistency, cleanliness, and how people feel when they are welcomed.
That applies well beyond retail.
Donors, volunteers, clients, adopters, board members, and community partners all experience your organization before they ever fully engage with it.
Research from PwC found that 73 percent of consumers say customer experience is a major factor in their decisions. The same principle applies in nonprofits. People return where they feel respected.
Walk your organization like a first-time visitor:
Once a month, walk through your organization and ask:
What do I notice first?
What feels welcoming?
What feels confusing?
What feels neglected?
Would I return here?
Do this with your website too.
Your mission may be strong. But if the experience feels careless, people will disengage.
The top is lonely, so build support on purpose.
One of the most honest parts of this conversation was the discussion of loneliness in leadership.
Chantel talked about the importance of working with an executive coach. She cannot process every challenge with her staff. She cannot unload everything at home. She needs an outside perspective.
That is not a luxury. That is leadership infrastructure.
A 2023 survey from Deloitte found that burnout, pressure, and isolation remain major concerns for leaders across sectors. And yet many still try to carry everything alone.
Create a leadership support circle:
Every leader should have these three things:
A coach or mentor who gives perspective
A peer group who understands the role
One trusted person outside work who grounds you
Do not wait until you are in crisis to build this.
If you do not have all three, start with one. Reach out. Schedule the conversation. Ask for the support.
Leadership gets lighter when it is not carried in silence.
Confidence is built through failure.
Chantel said something I deeply agree with. Leadership is not for people who need to avoid failure.
If you are going to lead, you are going to get things wrong. You will miss signals. You will make a call too early or too late. You will communicate one thing and someone will hear something else.
That is part of it.
The goal is not to avoid every mistake. The goal is to stay open, learn fast, and keep moving.
Research from Harvard Business Review has shown that leaders who model learning from mistakes build more adaptive and innovative teams. Teams are more willing to speak up when they know failure is not fatal.
Build a failure review habit:
After any major project or decision, ask:
What worked?
What missed?
What did I assume?
What would I do differently next time?
Keep this review brief and honest. No blame. Just learning.
Confidence does not come from never failing.
It comes from surviving failure and becoming wiser because of it.
Leadership is daily, not permanent.
One of the best lines in this conversation was this: leadership is not a destination.
You do not arrive and stay there forever.
Like happiness, it is daily. It is made up of small choices, daily awareness, repeated adjustments, and ongoing humility.
That is what makes leadership hard.
It is also what makes it meaningful.
You do not lead once.
You lead again and again and again.
End each day with three questions:
What did I do well today?
Where did I need to adapt?
What does my team need from me tomorrow?
These questions keep leadership active. They stop complacency. They build self-awareness over time.
If you are uncertain about stepping into bigger responsibility, let this be your reminder.
You do not need a perfect plan.
You do not need to know everything.
You do not need a straight-line career.
You do need curiosity.
You do need humility.
You do need courage.
You do need to be willing to learn.
And maybe most of all, you need to remember that leadership is about people.
Not control.
Not image.
Not titles.
People.
Lead them with respect.
Adjust when needed.
Ask for help.
Build systems.
Keep learning.
That is how confidence grows.
That is how resilience holds.
That is how purpose becomes practice.