Windows, Not Mirrors: Leadership Lessons Ten Years On
- The Elischer Foundation
- Jan 12
- 3 min read
Today we mark ten years since Tony passed away. For many of us, his absence is still felt — not just personally, but in the conversations about leadership, responsibility, and integrity that he so often provoked.
Tony wasn’t interested in leadership as performance or personal branding. He was interested in leadership as practice: how we notice the world around us, how we respond to complexity, and how we take responsibility for more than ourselves.
One of Tony’s most resonant ideas was his call to use windows, not mirrors. In a short piece he wrote, Tony challenged leaders to look outward — through windows — rather than inward, into mirrors. To focus less on self-image and more on impact. Less on individual ego and more on shared responsibility. You can read that piece here: Look Outside
Why this idea still matters
Ten years on, Tony’s words feel, if anything, more relevant.
We lead today in a world shaped by uncertainty, division, and rapid change. There is enormous pressure to have all the answers, to perform confidently, to protect reputation. Mirrors are everywhere.
But leadership that truly matters still asks different questions:
Who else is affected by this decision?
What are we not seeing?
Whose voices are missing?
What responsibility do we hold beyond our formal role?
Looking through windows requires humility. It requires curiosity. And it requires the courage to stay connected to people, context, and consequence — even when that’s uncomfortable.
Leadership as a shared practice
At The Elischer Foundation, we exist to support leadership that is reflective, inclusive, and grounded in real-world responsibility. Tony’s thinking continues to shape our work — not as doctrine, but as an invitation.
This ten-year anniversary feels less like a moment to look back, and more like a moment to gather collective wisdom.
Tony’s leadership wasn’t defined by a single idea or moment. It lived in conversations, in questions asked at the right time, and in the way he challenged people to think more broadly and act more thoughtfully.
A living legacy: your leadership lessons
To mark this moment, we’re inviting people who knew Tony, worked alongside him, or were influenced by his ideas to contribute to a shared Recoboard.
We’d love you to add:
a short story about working with Tony
a leadership lesson you learned from him
an idea or phrase of his that still guides you
a reflection on what “windows, not mirrors” means in your leadership today
These contributions will be collated into a collective set of leadership lessons — as a living resource - shaped by many perspectives, many challenges and many leadership journeys.
Ten years on, Tony’s challenge he gave as we stepped into 2016 remains just as vital: to look outward, to stay curious, and to lead with responsibility.
That feels like a legacy worth continuing.
Will you leap into the next chapter with us? If you'd like to chat about what we're doing at The Elischer Foundation and ways you can support our work to nurture future leaders in the fundraising sector, please reach out to Laura at laura@elischerfoundation.org
If you'd like to be part of sending the elevator down for hundreds more emerging leaders to drive real change at the top of the profession you can support our work here: https://www.elischerfoundation.org/donate
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