“Leadership” – Articles
The Best of Times…The Worst of Times
The Worst of Times… Leading a nonprofit organization, especially a social service organization, is an honor and singular opportunity to positively impact the lives of those going through tough times in your community. We all should be so fortunate to have the chance...
Effective Board Meetings
How are those board meetings and board committee meetings going? Do they drag on endlessly? Are they accomplishing anything? Does everyone look forward to them? Do they give you energy or drain it from you and others? We had a problem with board and some committee...
Metrics
They say if you want to improve something, start measuring it. School grades, weight, financial results; we measure a lot. But, do you measure what really counts-the activities that ultimately determine results? Do you know what key activities determine your...
Customer Intimacy
Strong customer relationships may be the best way to serve your clients and retain their business over the long haul. Another word for that is “intimacy”. While pricing and other terms are important, and must be “in the ballpark”, strong client relations, or intimacy,...
Excellence in Execution
Have you ever felt your organization was not humming along as well as it could? Have you ever wondered if the organization was operating at peak efficiency? Do you suspect your departments are individual silos, resulting in missed opportunities to collaborate and add...
Is your organization ready for the future or living in the past
Is your business model or organizational structure ready for tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges, or does it still reflect your “hey days” of the past? If your firm did not exist and you were to create it new today, what would it look like? It’s true, many...
360* Reviews: They can be your friend.
Have you ever considered conducting a 360* review on yourself? Do you know what they are? I was somewhat reluctant to go through one, but wow, what a useful experience! Wish I had done it earlier in my leadership career. A 360* review provides you (and you alone) with...
What Baseball Fantasy Camp Taught Me About Employee Engagement and Commitment
I learned a lot from the Chicago Cubs and Randy Hundley about employee and volunteer engagement and commitment. Do your employees/volunteers act like owners in your enterprise? Do they feel a sense of shared accountability and responsibility? I saw such engagement in...
Employee Development, Retention, and Performance Management
Is your organization dependent on certain specialist skills to succeed? Are you vulnerable if certain key performers left your organization? We were highly dependent on several pools of specialty skills and knowledge in our organization. Losing those key performers...
Mission, Vision, Values
Having a clear mission, vision, and values (MVV) statement, one the entire leadership team helped create, fully understands, and commits to follow, is a terrific tool. It not only provides a motivational and rallying point for employees and volunteers, it also...
Financial Management
One thing about a nonprofit’s financials is that revenue projections can be a bit “iffy”, while projected expenses always seem to roll in just as planned. Aggressive revenue projections are not necessarily bad, but unless someone owns the fund raising function-and...
Collaboration / Teamwork
They say leadership is a lonely position. It’s true, but that does not mean you are alone. Often, it is better to open the door and let others have a chance to solve the big problems leaders face. I once led an organization that sold services through a terrific, and...
Metrics
They say if you want to improve something, start measuring it. School grades, weight, financial results; we measure a lot. But, do you measure what really counts-the activities that ultimately determine results? Do you know what key activities determine your...
360° Reviews
Have you ever considered conducting a 360° review on yourself? Do you know what they are? I was somewhat reluctant to go through one, but wow, what a useful experience! I wish I had done it earlier in my leadership career. A 360° review provides you (and you alone)...
Excellence in Execution
Have you ever felt your organization was not humming along as well as it could? Have you ever wondered if the organization was operating at peak efficiency? Do you suspect your departments are individual silos, resulting in missed opportunities to collaborate and add...
Serving the Client: Evaluation
Every company and leader says they are client-centered and are there to provide services that help them. And, most of the time, the services do. But, have you taken a close look at your clients lately? When was the last time you evaluated your current service...
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