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Business Women First
Aradhna M. Dhanda: Nonprofit leader challenges with ‘What’s next for you?'
There is a saying that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I have been blessed with several remarkable teachers and mentors during my professional journey, perhaps because I actively seek them out. I am always on the lookout for smarter, wiser or more experienced people who might be generous enough to share some of what they have learned with me.
I wish I could pay homage here to all of those who have helped me, but I will just have to be content with the hope that they know how grateful I am and how important they have been to me.
One of my favorites, though, is Dr. Walter Smith. Walt is executive director of Family Resources, but describing him that way hardly does him justice. He has done the hard work of building a nonprofit organization, leading it through lean and good times, and delivering on his personal passion to improve the lives of others. A few years ago, he took me aside after a meeting and suggested we “sit down and talk.” I was terrified that I had done something to upset him, but it turned out that he simply wanted to challenge me.
“What’s next for you?” he asked, inviting me into a conversation about this community, my place in it, and what I wanted to offer. That was the first of many lunches since where I have talked, laughed, sought advice and shared stories with Walt. He is there for me whenever I need a trusted adviser to help me think through the challenges of directing an organization and delivering real value to our demanding leadership classes. Never the sort to just tell me what I want to hear, he will often quietly suggest an idea and then caution me, “Just think about it — that’s all,” which I inevitably do.
In my classes, I sometimes mention Galileo’s notion that even the sun manages to make every single grape on the vine feel cherished, because that’s how I see good leaders, as making the people around them feel valued and uplifted. That’s what Walt does for me. Not afraid to share his own vulnerability, he is real and authentic and powerful, and a model for the person I aspire to be.
Aradhna M. Dhanda, president and CEO, Leadership Pittsburgh Inc
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