The Haitian Crisis: An Unaddressed Founder Syndrome!
By Judite Blanc, Ph.D., Biobehavioral Scientist, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Jolette Joseph, M.S, Social Justice Community Organizer & Social Communicator
Is anyone in Haiti or its diaspora unfamiliar with Haitian figures transitioning from non-profit leadership to politics? In our community, it’s common for Haitian politicians to leverage their non-profit leadership experience to gain electoral support. They emphasize community engagement, advocacy work, and understanding pressing social issues. While non-profit leadership offers politicians a platform to showcase their commitment to community service and address societal problems, we, along with numerous friends and colleagues, worry that the founder syndrome among these non-profit leaders poses a significant threat to social justice and meaningful transformation within the Haitian communities. Here’s why we believe that the fate of our nation is intertwined with accountability in non-profit and social justice movements in Haiti and its diaspora.
How Nonprofit Founder Syndrome Fuels the Haitian Leadership Crisis
In the realm of non-profit organizations, few figures evoke a mix of admiration and criticism as strongly as founders do. Founders are the individuals who initiated and established a non-profit organization. They were pivotal members of the original group that created the organization, dedicating their passion, hard work, making sacrifices, and sometimes even risking their assets, including their homes. Their unwavering commitment led them to pause their personal lives to turn a remarkable idea into a tangible reality. Without their dedication, these non-profit entities wouldn’t even exist.
Consequently, as individuals, supporters of non-profits, as a community, and as a sector, we owe them a significant debt of gratitude. However, what goes wrong with these well-intentioned personalities? When do Founders become more detrimental than beneficial? A nonprofit founder’s overbearing influence and reluctance to relinquish control can impede an organization’s growth, innovation, and adaptability to changing needs. Our friends, colleagues, and ourselves could write an entire book illustrating the harmful effects of nonprofit founder syndrome in our Haitian communities.
Nonprofit founder syndrome is a well-documented phenomenon that can hamper the growth and effectiveness of non-profit organizations. It occurs when a founder’s presence and influence become more harmful than helpful, often leading to stagnation, lack of innovation, and limited succession planning. While nonprofit founder syndrome may be confined to the organizational sphere, its impact can be observed in various aspects of society. The Haitian crisis is a stark example of how this syndrome can pervade nationally.
Haiti, characterized by its rich history, cultural diversity, and persistent challenges, has encountered numerous difficulties. From our experiences and observations, these challenges are exacerbated by founder syndrome, which has translated into social inequalities, political stagnation, and hindered economic development. Several reasons underlie our concerns when analyzing dynamics within Haitian nonprofit organizations and the pro-social justice movement.
Narratives and Identity
Nonprofit founder syndrome is marked by a founder’s narrative overshadowing an organization’s mission. The tendency to prioritize a founder’s story over an organization’s mission aligns with the dominance of singular narratives in the Haitian crisis. Similarly, political reports in Haiti often cast a shadow over the nation’s collective identity and aspirations. The focus on a small group of individuals has sometimes resulted in neglecting the diverse stories and voices constituting the Haitian identity and social fabric. This lack of inclusive representation perpetuates social inequalities by marginalizing specific population segments, particularly youth from rural areas, individuals with low socioeconomic status, and monolingual Creole speakers.
Ego-Centric Approaches
Oftentimes, Haitian non-profit founders’ egos grow bigger than the organization projects itself. The excessive focus on showcasing the founder’s accomplishments and achievements through institutional communication channels and community gatherings reflects a self-centered approach to leadership within Haitian organizations. We have observed Haitian women and men who have been non-profit founders, serving as presidents and coordinators of organizations for decades. These “almighty founders” are the unique decision-makers. They can meet elected officials and businessmen, raise funds, spend, assign roles, and enroll and expel members at will. Some of them have no checks and balances. These egocentric founders become suspicious and criticize non-loyalty if a member collaborates with other Haitian non-profit leaders or organizations engaged in similar work. It’s as if the other member’s mission is to reinforce the founder’s influence and flatter their ego rather than advance Haitian communities’ well-being.
For instance, this behavior is particularly evident in Haitian organizations focused on community empowerment, anti-globalism, politics, anti-corruption efforts, human rights advocacy, feminism, intellectual pursuits, and the arts. Many of these individuals or groups of friends steadfastly cling to leadership roles within movements or organizations for decades, displaying pronounced signs of founder’s syndrome exceeding the norm. They struggle to relinquish control or adapt to the evolving conditions within the Haitian context. With its pathological aspects, this behavior adversely affects the progress and effectiveness of both organizations and our communities. Unfortunately, these same individuals consistently represent us in national and international political gatherings, approaching these scenarios with the same narcissistic and authoritative mindset. This contributes to the ongoing political deadlock that characterizes the Haitian crisis. Each leader or faction asserts their exclusive authority or ownership over the ability to conceive, innovate, and instigate transformations amid our polycrisis.
Nepotism and Concentration of Power
As mentioned earlier, founder syndrome can lead to favoritism, nepotism, and the concentration of power within a select group. In the Haitian context, this syndrome has resulted in power being concentrated among a few individuals, often from light-skinned families, those with greater English and French proficiency. They marginalize qualified dark-skinned and monolingual Creole-speaking Haitians from political decision-making spaces. This culture obstructs equitable politics, perpetuates inequalities within Haitian communities, and fosters dependency on a small circle of individuals. Sometimes, when Haitian leaders or groups of friends establish non-profit organizations, it’s merely to maintain their grip on power. They might justify their actions by citing their employees’ or new members’ supposed lack of experience or outsider status. According to renowned anti-corruption advocates and certain colleagues leading Haitian non-profits, when establishing an organization, it is advised to include only trusted friends and family members, mainly if you aim to safeguard your initiative from potential interference by outsiders.
Resistance to Change and Mismanagement
Founder’s syndrome often leads to founders resisting transitions to new leadership, hindering organizational growth. Similarly, Haiti has experienced resistance to political shifts and reforms, impeding the country’s ability to address systemic issues. Mismanagement of resources and ineffective policy implementation have led to stagnant economic growth and persistent poverty.
Mission Creep and Accountability
Founder’s syndrome can cause an organization to deviate from its original mission. In some cases, founders may become so focused on preserving their legacy that they prioritize their vision over the organization’s initial purpose. This can result in the organization staying on its intended path, potentially causing stakeholders confusion. In Haitian communities, leaders have sometimes shifted their focus away from addressing core social and economic challenges. This deviation has resulted in misallocating resources and a lack of accountability for the population’s needs.
Moving Forward
The connections between founder’s syndrome and the Haitian crisis underscore the negative consequences of entrenched leadership, self-centered approaches, and resistance to change. The lack of trust in founders or leaders impacts the Haitian crisis, undermining the potential for achieving the consensus necessary for crisis resolution. Often, founders rely on long-standing companions and trusted individuals to oversee various matters, even when these individuals lack the required skills. They encounter challenges in placing trust in other members of the organization. This phenomenon is evident in the Haitian crisis through the struggles of civil society organizations and political parties to engage in respectful and productive dialogue, leading to a harmonious agreement. This lack of trust hampers the delegation of significant authority to those chosen to represent them in political negotiations to resolve the Haitian crisis. Each faction believes it possesses the ultimate solution, dismissing alternative input or proposals. Consequently, collaboration between these groups becomes complex. The repercussions of these dynamics are particularly pronounced within the context of social inequalities and economic underdevelopment prevalent in Haitian communities.
Overcoming nonprofit founder syndrome in Haitian organizations requires collective awareness and action. Recognizing the parallels between organizational and national contexts is essential. Haitians must transition from a founder-centered narrative to one that embraces the entire population’s diverse stories, experiences, and aspirations. Dismantling nepotistic networks and colorist practices, promoting inclusive governance, and prioritizing organizational practices and policies that address social inequalities are critical steps toward resolving the Haitian crisis. Breaking free from founder syndrome within Haitian organizations demands a concerted effort to redefine leadership and establish a culture of accountability and transparency at the community, political, and national levels. All stakeholders must commit to collaborative decision-making and prioritize the nation’s well-being over personal gains. As Haitian non-profit organizations evolve beyond founder-centric models, Haitian leaders must transition toward a governance structure that empowers all citizens and stakeholders, promotes equal opportunities, and fosters sustainable socioeconomic development. Haiti can surmount its challenges through this transformative shift and pave the way for a brighter future.
