>> My name is Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region.
A chief executive officer in a nonprofit organization
like Big Brothers Big Sisters is never -- one day -- no days are the same.
You start off going into the office.
And I try to make sure that I see my staff and make sure I try to motivate them in some way.
And then I think about, you know, what I have for the rest of the day in terms of reaching
out to donors, talking to my program folks, what's going on with the kids that we serve?
Normally, during the week I have three or four speaking engagements, so I try to get prepared
for whatever audiences I'm going to be in front of because I think it's important as a leader
of a nonprofit that we inspire people.
And so a mentor of mine once told me, it's important to ensure --
to know Marcus that you're on 24/7.
No matter what you're doing, whether it's in your personal life, your professional life,
your life is made up of being in the nonprofit world.
And so that being the case, I know that I always have to think about how do I motivate
and inspire people that are around me?
And how do I make sure that I don't disappoint them because a lot
of times people can admire you from afar and the closer they get up on you they say oh,
that's not the type of guy I thought he was.
So I have to always be mindful of that, whether I'm in the office, I'm out of the office,
or I'm working or I'm not working.