Are you a leader at any level in STARFLEET? STARFLEET is running in place and if that needs to change, something’s got to change. And maybe what needs to change is you.

Take a deep breath. Not everyone needs real-world experience to excel at non-profit operations. After all, some non-profits have been completely blown apart by Harvard MBAs that should have known better. But if you don’t have it, you can still inform yourself about what’s going on in the world of non-profits.

So, you’ve gotten elected. You’ve been appointed. It doesn’t stop there. Dig deep. Learn more. Look around.

There are a lot of incredible books about non-profit operations, for example. Managing the Non-Profit Organization by Peter Drucker. Charity Case by Dan Pallotta. Forces for Good by Crutchfield and Grant. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. The Networked Nonprofit by Beth Kanter, Allison Fine and Randi Zuckerberg. Good to Great by Jim Collins.

If you want to make better decisions for STARFLEET, you need to look outside of STARFLEET. Don’t stop at non-profits. Hit the library and pick up some books on leadership and management. Wear out your library card. You’re going to find a ton of ideas that sound great but are impossible to implement. You’re going to find a lot of ideas that sound terrible and would also be impossible to implement. But maybe you’ll find something that sounds great, and you can start implementing right now by yourself.

Your election or appointment has given you a tremendous opportunity to do a great job. Don’t just accept the title. Accept the challenge. Take responsibility. Explore.