I’m a story teller by nature and by vocation, so I shivered a little bit when I read this sentence in Mario Morino’s excellent Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity, …

All this year, I have been writing a blue streak—here, here, and here—on the topic of “managing to outcomes.” In this, the fourth and final column in this series, I will focus on …

My parents’ generation has rightly been called the Greatest Generation. They overcame the Great Depression, defeated Hitler, and produced a middle class that was larger and more stable than any the world had ever known. They earned the title not only for their accomplishments but also for their attitude. For my parents, giving of themselves for family, community, and country wasn’t a noble act; it was simply an expectation of what everyone should do. It came naturally to them as immigrants in this land they loved.

One of the most difficult challenges facing entrepreneurial, innovative leaders who found organizations–whether business or nonprofit–is knowing when it’s time to move to broader-based ownership so the organization becomes independent and capable of sustaining its long-term impact. Sooner or later these founders face a day when the organization they helped birth is no longer theirs alone.