Being the king (or queen) is good, unless it isn’t, as attested by a host of literary and historical characters.

The nonprofit sector always has a need for good leaders, and demographic numbers indicate that there will be a huge need during the several few years. Individuals looking to move up do so for a variety of reasons. But, some of them are actually hit full-face with the realities of leadership.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Conference on Fundraising, Thomas W. Mesaros, president and CEO of the Alford Group, and Sharon Moulds, executive director and CEO of the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said that being aware of those realities can help prepare would-be bosses for the job and even warn off those who might not realize what is entailed.

They said the following realities should be fully known and understood:

• Discovering the real challenges of being a leader;
• Knowing that it really is lonely at the top;
• Being confident;
• Not being afraid to ask for advice, for help or for insights;
• Never being in a rush;
• Dallying: Don’t;
• Realizing that there is always more to learn;
• Remembering that, in the long run, financial are crucial to a nonprofit CEO’s success; and,
• Understanding that a CEO will be remembered for programmatic results.