Yup, it's time for me to once again weigh-in on the projected plight of Livestrong, the nonprofit founded and fueled by Lance Armstrong.
The question most are asking: what is the future for Livestrong? My answer: there's never just one ingredient that determines a nonprofit's future and success. True, Lance Armstrong is a huge character who made a real difference in the success of his foundation. But it's equally true that Livestrong found a niche in the cancer market, a niche that moved money and action that satisfied consumers.
What is also true is what feels like an absentee board of directors. This, of course, is a classic problem with big character founders/funders -- they can easily overshadow their board and when crisis hit, without a really strong CEO in place, typically just tread water.
Maybe Livestrong will need to ride out the tsunami caused by its founder. But a proactive board, one that revisits purpose and direction and perhaps equally important, revisits the organization's values and the standards it wants to hold-up for how it does business and with whom, could make all the difference in how well the ride goes. If I have doubts about the future of Livestrong, it is pretty much because I have doubts about the board -- but that's just what I see.