Chapter 10: The Leadership Imperative

Focusing on human capital helps organizations stay on the leading edge by providing a platform for sustainable growth in intellectual and financial capital. What keeps nonprofit leaders up at night is whether they have the right people in place and if those people have the skills to help the organization thrive (AchieveMission, 2012).

In the out-of-school-time (OST) sector, human capital is particularly important because positive youth development relies on effective staff practice led by competent adults who make authentic connections with young people. But effective staff practice will not happen consistently over time—across different workers, in different programs, or at different sites—unless it is supported by both management and leadership practices. Good managers support staff practice by implementing effective systems for hiring, onboarding, training, communicating, and managing performance. These management practices lay a solid foundation for high-quality youth development practice.