Comments from Nonprofit Leaders about CSL's Programs

I have worked with 5 national organizations and have had the opportunity to participate in several leadership development programs, all valuable, but none of which compared to the quality and depth of ECPNL… the quality of the presenters was second to none … I feel so strongly about the Program’s worth to both me in terms of the “return on investment” that I have received and to future participants in terms of how they will benefit from the Program and enhance the nonprofit field….I highly recommend this Program for nonprofit leaders at any stage of their career…

Joe Elmore, CAWA Director,

Strategic Development

National Outreach – MS Gulf
Coast
Hurricane Katrina Recovery

Listening to Anthony Silard speech he held this week in Cluj was indeed inspirational and I had quite a few "aha" moments.
The power which he manages to transpose to the audience is immense and I loved how many real-life examples he had and numerous quotes or words of wisdom for every question we turned to. What's even more amazing is how they all seemed to fit perfectly in the context and how broad his inspiration is from every corner of the world's cultural heritage.
Later on, when I got home and I sat down in silence for a while thinking about all the things I heard that day and I realized even more how much truth it was in those three hours of wisdom he shared with us.
Unfortunately the every-day noise of the mundane things I need to take care of, slowly moves me away from those deep thoughts that Anthony managed to awake in my mind so, when that happens, I wish I had a can of his speech stored away in the fridge that I can turn to and refresh my mind. Fortunately, I have the book I am reading and which hopefully will put me on the right path by the time I will be done reading it.



Liana Nemes
Toastmasters Cluj
Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
liana.nemes@nokia.com

Heartfelt thanks for a dynamic experience re Advanced Transformational Leadership discussion last evening.

The direct interaction / exercise for developing a Vision Statement was particularly helpful, and relevant for me. I appreciated your invitation to partner with you in the exercise! I believe I will now be able to move past 'the stuck' point I have been in for several weeks. Your invitation and encouragement to partner with a colleague to continue the process of developing a Vision Statement and Action Plan is excellent. Sometimes, to be in the forest among the other participant impedes reaching out; so the suggestion to choose a partner tied to witnessing the 'live learning exercise' and then discussing the value of the experience, was truly excellent! Thank-you.

I have earned six professional certificates over the past two years from universities and professional societies. They have all been, to a greater or lesser degree, beneficial. One thing nearly all had in common is that they were “nuts-and-bolts” instruction in nonprofit leadership. By contrast, the Advanced Certificate in Transformational Nonprofit Leadership is much more “flesh-and-blood.” It is a most comprehensive and rewarding training in the human element of nonprofit executive leadership and all its complexities. Tony Silard and the Center for Social Leadership are indeed transforming the way nonprofit leaders lead.

I thought the facilitation was great. Tony did an excellent job of keeping everyone on task and holding interest throughout—what could have been—a very long day. His facilitation style was relaxed and engaging. He made an effort to connect with the group by sharing pieces of himself and his own history, and by consistently soliciting feedback on activities and agenda items. I appreciated Tony’s sincerity, his flexibility, and his obvious expertise in the topics discussed.

I believe that many of us learned a lot more than we anticipated we would. Tony’s workshops fueled conversations that continued through dinners, evening walks on the beach, and late night groups who gathered around wine and intense conversation. We learned new information to take back home, information that will strengthen our organizations and ourselves as the leaders of those organizations. I believe that there was tremendous energy produced by so many intense and passionate people coming together in such a beautiful location…Tony helped us regain our focus and renew our passion and vision!

Tony has a way of being that is authentic and welcoming. I liked the references he made to his role as Board President of the Global Education Partnership and his work overseas. His passion and commitment was evident. The approach was powerfully and passionately delivered…The retreat absolutely exceeded my expectations. PASSION and TRUTH are contagious! Tony is an example of a confident, compassionate, gentle person who has made a difference in this world. He is very special and a treasure.

What I liked most about Tony’s facilitation was that he was very knowledgeable, had excellent tone and body mannerisms that provided a calming force during the process, and struck a good balance of letting us explore certain ideas while still keeping us on schedule….Tony has a very organized, orderly approach that prevents thoughts of “we’re missing something big”.

Tony was the perfect facilitator as he had walked the path I am on…I need more time for myself, I need to find balance and hone skills for my staff. I can learn a lot from Tony’s calmness and integrity.

The ED Retreat certainly hit the spot. Tony did a great job of facilitating the event, and bringing people together.

Tony really facilitated rather than trying to impose his ideas or beliefs. He led us through a very sequential process of coming up with the goals and objectives that we had in our minds already. Yet when we asked for suggestions and his opinion he was willing to give it and was very knowledgeable and experienced….What I most liked about Tony’s approach to Strategic Planning is how sequential and aligned it is.

It was a great event by all counts and the organizations couldn't have asked for anything better. We all had a great time working with Tony and it was especially great to have him here in Chennai...overall, it was a great experience.

Tony has lots of leadership values that concurred with my own: selfless giving, empathy, passion along with the specifics to make these values work within the organizations….I most liked the specifics, the ‘How to’. I really liked the mind and heart both needed in leadership being stressed….The retreat met my expectations. I got lots of answers as well as validation of my own views. I liked how Tony stressed the need for listening, something most people (including “moi”) need to do better.

Tony was very approachable, relaxed and attentive to hearing from as many as possible. He was able to relate to Social Service Staff experiences well…Tony’s approach to leadership is excellent. I like the empowerment model, and building in leadership within ourselves.
I liked the relaxed, approachable, flexible and knowledgeable nature of the facilitator. I liked the organization of slides and his preparedness. I liked that he allowed most of the solutions to come from us, and providing guidance based on research, and how he engaged us in determining the flow of the retreat.

I love Tony’s passion for his topic! I also am very inspired by how he merges many cultural philosophies….I like how he makes leadership a ‘concrete’ idea…I wish the retreat had been longer.

Tony’s sessions were practical, relevant, thought-provoking and clear. I would have enjoyed more time with him.

Tony made us interact with each other far more than we ever have…He was very clear and visual about the retreat process and what we were trying to accomplish, which put everyone in the right frame of mind. Tony kept us focused and concentrated, yet also allowed us to be able to work really well together…Tony is very knowledgeable and has a lot of expertise. He gave great feedback on everyone’s questions and comments.

Tony gave an excellent performance in New Delhi. I would not like to hide that I got a new insight into the functioning of our organization. Tony has provided many tools to be used.

I liked the way Tony encouraged participation from even those who would not naturally speak up, and brought in theoretical back-up…. I liked Tony’s approach - leadership doesn't always look the same - but has some consistent components.”

Tony’s 30 Principles of Leadership has definitely impacted my leadership philosophy in a very positive way in that I’ve learned more principles and practices of good management that I will set in motion at the organization.

Tony did an excellent job of drawing out input from each person…I feel that everyone now has a sense of empowerment to make a big impact on our future…Tony really helped us to organize and prioritize many of the thoughts that we already had regarding our needs as well as drawing some new conclusions. I feel that we are prepared to take a much more focused approach now.

I see myself continuing as an NGO leader because of my skills that I now have after this conference. Tony’s 30 Principles will help me in leading my organization to achieve its vision, mission and goals…This conference was really helpful and it should be organized again for other NGO Directors.

With warmth I share regarding the impact of Tony's vision and manifestation of programs / trainings offered through the Center for Social Leadership. In June 2008, I participated in the Executive Certification Program in Nonprofit Leadership. It was an invaluable experience! I am currently participating in the one year Advanced Transformational Leadership Training which commenced on 9-3-09. I offered Tony this heartfelt message: 'What a wonderful first session offered! I truly enjoyed the intellectual stimulation as well as the safe blanket for reflection. It is genius to say the least: offer a haven for a small yet diverse group of leaders to openly share. Thank-you heartfully for the vision you continue to move forward. I am truly looking forward to this training and relationships developing.'  I am honored to be part of this group of executives and look forward to an invigorating year.

I think Tony’s approach was good because we had the chance to discuss the different characteristics of a leader….He made us realize that we all have characteristics of leaders in us.

After the conference, I held two meetings, one with our field staff (like the wardens at our children's home and the teachers of our school) and the other with our Board of Trustees, discussing in detail all that happened at the conference. Almost everyone seemed to agree that the most interesting point we had gathered from Tony was the identification of passion, empathy and trust as the three essential qualities of leadership. We all agreed that the empathy with the poor (our clients) was of fundamental importance to all of us, leaders and workers alike.

I appreciated the facilitator’s ability to be flexible and allow things to change according to the needs of the group and yet also maintain things on track…I think that the relationship orientation that the facilitator took to leadership is especially appropriate for a social services agency…Tony facilitated a great session, especially the time management stuff!!

We all really enjoyed and absorbed the lessons Tony shared and will try and implement these in our everyday lives.

I would have to say that Tony’s “Success vs. Happiness” concept was an important one for me. Last year we provided services to over 3,000 women and children. I consider our organization very successful! However, the emotional price for me was that I had become too busy to stop, breathe, and enjoy the success of our vision. Although my workload has not lessened since the retreat, I have consciously relaxed and smiled a whole lot more! I have in turn asked my staff and Board to do the same. Our passion is the same, we just express it differently.

Tony’s 30 Leadership Principles will help me in our organization and personnel each day to make things happen….This workshop has affected my philosophy as I have gained more knowledge on what a leader is…The workshop was excellent. I hope we have another in future by Tony.

Tony did not allow any one person to dominate. He really searched to bring out ideas from each participant….He isn’t afraid to push us outside of our typical approach and boundaries…Tony energized us to run with the ball now so we’re not dependent on an ‘outside expert’…He interjected each session with good, solid anecdotal experiences and great, pithy ‘words of wisdom’ that really get us to think….He was very respectful of time and organized!…It was easy to stay for 3.5-4 hours – they just flew by!

Balanced blend of material! Excellent research. I liked the way Tony asked for permission to facilitate the norms. Good eye contact, voice tone. I most liked the human aspects of Tony’s approach! He touched the emotional core of belief that motivates the person. I needed to remember that even the stuffiest 3-piece suit was once a little boy with dreams…The retreat surpassed my expectations! I want more training from Tony, and I’ll even drive for hours to it!

The ATNL helped me fully appreciate my inner voice. It has allowed my philosophy of leadership to bloom! I would classify myself as a fledgling nonprofit executive. Three decades of professional experience in progressive leadership roles has brought me to the precipice of achieving the role of executive director. The ACTNL was helpful in allowing me to assess the basket of skills I have developed, and the vision of leadership I have held and groomed over the years. This process allowed me to confidently leap to assume the ultimate goal of executive director.

Yes, the CTNL influenced my outlook on how long I see myself continuing as a nonprofit director - by reinforcing the importance of being a strong but fair leader so that the organization can grow into a better service organization…The CTNL reinforced the importance of structure, honesty, transparency, and accountability when dealing with all the stakeholders and the needs of our organization.