In the summer of 2023, sports headlines reported the news of the Al-Ettifaq club signing Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. It was not just a coaching deal, but an expression of strategic ambition; a Saudi club attracting a global star to lead a transformational project in the Roshan League. However, the dream did not last long: one season, modest results, contract ended by mutual consent.

While the event may be reduced to football, it actually serves as an ideal model for reading one of the most prominent administrative issues in emerging sectors, especially the non-profit sector in the Kingdom. Here we are not talking about technical skills, but rather about the systematic confusion between "the skilled executor" and "the effective leader."

From Star in His Field... to a Predicament in Another

Gerrard as a player? A hero. A field leader, inspiring the crowds, decisive in moments. Gerrard as a coach in a different environment? Hesitant, stumbling, and perhaps alien to the context.

The issue was not with him, but with those who placed him in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with incomplete tools and high expectations.

The fundamental question: how many Gerrards are appointed in our non-profit institutions every year? How many brilliant individuals in their specialties do we burden with a heavy social project, then wonder why they didn't succeed?

The Recurring Phenomenon in the Non-Profit Sector

In Saudi Arabia, with the launch of Vision 2030, aspirations towards the non-profit sector have doubled. It is being asked to do what it has never been asked before: empowerment, impact, innovation, and sustainability. However, leadership appointments are still, in many cases, based on impression, relationships, or even the desire to be polite.

We bring in leaders from education, marketing, or media, and expect them to understand non-profit funding, manage volunteers, and build governance. We elevate the outstanding executor to a strategic position, then hold them accountable for a lack of vision. Here the mistake is repeated:

An excellent player does not necessarily mean they are a successful coach. A creative executor should not be assumed to be a natural leader.

Win the Executor... and Create the Leader

Here lies the essence of the administrative solution:

  • Enjoy the good executor.
  • Invest in them.
  • Raise their salary, not their position.

For the market today, especially in the non-profit sector, suffers from a scarcity of professional executors, much more than a scarcity of leadership titles. Institutions need those who can turn plans into action, not those who are content with crafting slogans.

There is no harm in having an employee remain professional in their position without becoming a leader. Leadership is not a promotion, but a talent and a mission.

Management Recommendations Before Contracting Your "Next Gerrard"

  1. Ask: Is this candidate a natural leader or a creative executor?
  2. Do not elevate the competent until you provide them with the tools, support, and appropriate environment.
  3. Stop burdening people beyond their capacity... as results are not just a product of good intentions.

Leadership is Not Inherited... It is Built

Gerrard did not fail because he lacked competence, but because he was not placed on the path that would develop it. Similarly, many executives in our non-profit sector are victims of haphazard choices without human feasibility studies.

Conclusion in the Language of Administrative Laboratory:

Not everyone who raises the cup is fit to raise the institution.

Leadership is a strategic decision, not an emotional one. The field, as in sports, does not tolerate random bets.