February 21, 2017 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Diana Aviv headed Independent Sector for 12 years and became a prominent leader in the often-fragmented nonprofit world. In 2015, in a move that surprised many, she took the helm of Feeding America, the nation’s largest antihunger nonprofit, an organization with a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.
Here, Ms. Aviv offers advice on hiring, managing, and leading.
What have you learned about working with people whose views are dramatically different from your own?
One of the things I’ve been reminded of this past year as I’ve visited with our food-bank leaders is that as a group we hold wide-ranging views on just about everything.
In hearing very different views shared by people with widely varying life experiences, values, and priorities, I realize that my own view is also derived from my background and experiences. Instead of trying to persuade them, I first listen to see if there is common ground and try to understand where they are coming from.
What management lessons did you learn at Independent Sector that have informed your work at Feeding America?
I gained a true appreciation for the power of broad-based coalition advocacy in achieving a common goal. The key to success is to find a path to win-win.
Working with a smaller staff of just under 50 people [at Independent Sector] meant that folks wore many hats, and the key to our effectiveness was getting alignment with members and creating a collective will to move forward. When you are a CEO of a very large organization, you may have a vision and an idea. But the only way you succeed is by building a really strong team and empowering them to do the work needed to execute that vision.
What do you look for in new hires?
I look for passionate people who want to make a difference — that really matters. This is less a job and more a calling. It’s important that they are innovative, strategic thinkers who are able to bring thoughtful perspectives and insights to the table who reach beyond their direct areas of expertise.
I also pay close attention to the team dynamic. I believe it’s important that leaders feel they can work productively with each other, even if they don’t agree with every decision along the way.
What advice would you give to aspiring nonprofit leaders?
You have to think big picture, where culture and social good are headed just five years from now, and then figure out how to leverage the best thinking and distinctive organizational assets you have so that your organization doesn’t become obsolete or irrelevant.
The clearer you are about what you want to achieve, the easier it is to get there. Always be in listening and learning mode. Listen and know that you don’t have all the answers. The answers come sometimes from your own team, peers, your network. There are many more roads to Rome than a particular one that you charted.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
