Despite much belief that D.C. is a stuffy city centered around stuffy politics, there are some amazing leaders in the non-profit sector there that are getting things done. Today I met with John Bridgeland of Civic Enterprises and David Smith from the National Council on Citizenship who are both changing the way the non-profit sector is solving nation-wide, intense issues. John Bridgeland, who is an expert in the sector created Nothing but Nets to completely eradicate malaria from Africa, which is an amazing feat. But, by contacting American Idol and creating 'Idol Gives Back,' he has found creative and innovative ways to educate the American public on these international issues while gaining funds for them. The American Public has become exhausted with pictures of small, starving children and pollution in third world countries, so new tactics have become necessary to raise funds for these issues in developing countries, and John Bridgeland is the one to create these tactics. He is innovative in the way a leader should be and fights for what he wants. I was completely impressed by his drive to participate in a changing non-profit sector, but yet his ability to still be held accountable to his family at home.
He is not one to boast of his achievements, which is another admirable attribute to his amazing leadership. His stories of how he has coped with crises brought me close to tears--we need more leaders like him in the world who care more about their followers and those they are helping than their own reputation, jobs, or even health. David Smith was also extremely selfless and has taken on numerous projects to alleviate need throughout America in the past several years. I noticed first thing that he looked very young, but as he began to speak about his company, I realized that his age did not matter at all. He was not as experienced as John Bridgeland, but he knew enough about how a think tank non-profit worked to be able to lead his workers and projects in the right direction. He was extremely intelligent, even if he could not quote Shakespeare like Bridgeland could. David Smith was definitely a revolutionary who embraced change and admitted that he was not afraid to make change happen; to even have to step down when necessary for the better of the foundation, which was really selfless and therefore one of my own top qualities for a great leader.
Both leaders were very charismatic in nature, but Smith was definitely less charismatic than Bridgeland. Bridgeland's stories kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire meeting. But both leaders were also very forward-thinking and really cared about the near future of the growth of their country and were concerned about how that growth would occur, which is the responsibility of the CEO of any company.
