You’re Never Too Young to Lead: Mary Galeti on Next Gen Leadership
I have the pleasure of serving on the Council of Foundations’ Next Gen Task Force with Mary Galeti and have been so impressed with her leadership style. The Council’s e-journal recently did an interview with Mary on her reflections of next gen leadership. From Thought> Action> Impact:
Chances are if you ask Mary Galeti to define “leadership,” the 26-year-old will offer a very candid view of the concept. As vice chair of the Tecovas Foundation, Galeti was thrust into the leadership spotlight in 2004, after the deaths of her grandmother, mother, and aunt who had previously been the foundation’s leaders.
“In my opinion, leadership means acknowledging that I don’t know everything. It also means letting the people who are good at what they do, do their jobs, and learn from their knowledge and experiences,” Galeti said. “I had to figure out on my own, and very quickly, how to lead my family’s foundation. I did have a base of wisdom to fall back on, but I couldn’t call my parents anymore.”
The experience was “terrifying and exhilarating” according to Galeti. And she credits the one-on-one conversations with experienced leaders in the foundation world as one of the most effective ways to learn about the issues and gain leadership insight.
Galeti is part of the “next generation” of philanthropists and philanthropic leaders who are growing in both strength and numbers. In the coming years, the onus will be twofold. For the field, it will mean identifying and developing the next generation. For these emerging leaders, it will mean participating and immersing themselves in the field’s most pressing and challenging issues.
Read the full article here.
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