Ordering Information

8″ x 5.5″, softcover, 172 pages.
ISBN: 978-1-937721-75-6 : print edition. $19.95

ISBN: 978-1-937721-81-7: eBook edition. $8.99.

Order copies from your local independent bookstore, or on the seacoast of NH/ME visit Water Street Books in Exeter, NH.

For the eBook edition, or to order a printed copy, please visit online retailers, such as Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

The Observant Leader: Warning Signals That Can Cost You Your Job and What to Do about Them

by Donald Ruhl

About the Book

The leaders of smaller not-for-profit organizations, because of their limited resources, have to pay continuing attention to issues of the first importance. The Observant Leader provides you with insights into the inner workings of successful leadership in smaller not-for-profit organizations that you can utilize in your own practice as a successful leader irrespective of the organizational setting in which you work.

Readers’ Comments

“In the modern era, longevity among leaders, in all fields, is as rare as finding dinosaur bones in your backyard. The keys to a successful career are clearly outlined in The Observant Leader, which provides priceless nuggets of wisdom to individuals in leadership positions in organizations of all sizes.”

From the foreword by Barry Gorman, legendary head soccer coach (1987–2009) at Penn State and past president of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America

“Smaller not-for-profit organizations, which include many chambers of commerce, cannot afford periods of poor or average performance. They must be ‘on their game’ all of the time. In this book, Dr. Donald Ruhl, who has vast experience as a leader ‘in the trenches,’ provides an insider’s insights about how to keep your job, lead with excellence, and have a real impact in helping your organization achieve its goals. If you want to be a better leader, read this book!”

Joseph Bevilacqua, President/CEO of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce (Massachusetts) and past chairman of the New England Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

About the Author

Dr. Donald Ruhl is an organizational consultant specializing in not-for-profit organizations. In addition to his teaching experience in two-year and four-year colleges and in universities, Dr. Ruhl has more than thirty years of experience working in leadership positions in not-for-profit organizations. These experiences, along with his chairmanship and membership on a variety of not-for-profit boards, has given him “on the firing line” expertise to write The Observant Leader. Dr. Ruhl is Dean Emeritus of the College at Northern Essex Community College (Mass.) and the former President of Garrett Community College in Maryland. Dr. Ruhl served for fifteen years as the Executive Director and then President of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts. Dr. Ruhl is the co-author, with Dr. Howard Brown, of the pioneering book, Breakthrough Management for Not-for-Profit Organizations: Beyond Survival in the 21st Century. Dr Arthur Levine, former President of Teachers College, Columbia University, said of the book, “Brown and Ruhl have managed to produce an extraordinary volume that could become a new standard text both for individuals considering the not-for-profit field and those who are already professionals in the field.” Dr. Ruhl is also the author of two other books: Survival Fundraising and The Happy Volunteer.