I'm a pretty strong person with plenty of getup and go and a pretty large dollop of self-discipline, but I'm definitely not what you'd call a loner.  I couldn't have achieved nearly as much at Purdue without really reaching out constantly in all kinds of ways and situations, and, God knows, there's no way I could've gone from vocational rehabilitation student to board member and CEO of the Lighthouse on my own. 

That's Virginia Jacko talking in The Blind Visionary about the importance of reaching out all the time to people around you, always being on the lookout for mentors, colleagues, friends, and partners.  I was reminded of the quote while sitting at my desk this morning wearing my nonprofit consulting hat preparing for next week's visit to the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. I'll be working with Virginia and some of her senior executives in fine-tuning the process for supporting the Lighthouse Board's standing committees, and I'll be doing a refresher presentation for the Board on the key elements of my High-Impact Governing Model, which the Lighthouse used in updating its Board structure and processes some five years ago.

Outlining my presentation to the Board this morning, I got to thinking about how successful Virginia has been as the Lighthouse's chief executive in building a really close, solid, and productive working relationship with the Lighthouse Board.  Early in my work with Virginia as her Board consultant in 2006, I picked up Virginia's passion about nonprofit governance, and realized that she was very well read on the subject.  But thinking this morning about her effectiveness in Board-CEO partnership building, I realized that her technical mastery of the subject of nonprofit governance, while it's obviously pertinent, has far less to do with her success than the fact that Virginia is the quintessential people-person.  When she says she's not a loner, she means it.

I quickly learned some five years ago, working closely with Virginia on the Board development front, that when she looked at her Board she saw a potential ally and partner that she really did want to work closely with in leading the Lighthouse.  I never heard her say anything that suggested she saw her Board as a potential meddler in her affairs that she needed to keep in check and guard against.  Believe me, I've run into many nonprofit chief executives over the years who play defense on the governance court.  But not Virginia, not even a tiny bit!

Virginia Jacko is an instinctive relationship builder. She didn't have to learn to reach out; it came naturally.  I'm much more of a loner myself, and partnership building definitely doesn't come naturally.  But I've learned, as you probably have, too, that you can teach and discipline yourself to reach out, looking for opportunities to connect with people, creating partners and friends.   And you've probably also learned that if you do it seriously and long enough, it begins to come naturally.  So, bottom line:  Just Do It, even if at first it maybe feels unnatural, awkward, or even a trifle dangerous.  Your work and your life will be the better for it.   

Owen Freed, Past Board Chair of The Miami Lighthouse; Michael Silva, Board Chair  and Virginia Jacko