by Tom Okarma | Oct 25, 2011 | Blog, Board Development, Governance, Leadership, Strategic Planning
With a tip of the hat to a certain late night TV talk-show host, I have been thinking about what makes a board “good” or “bad” and have come up with a top twenty list that covers a lot of ground. I originally titled this article “Top Five”…then Top Ten…but had to go...
by Tom Okarma | Oct 5, 2011 | Blog, Board Development, Leadership, Strategic Planning
When I led a for-profit company, we used to talk about “creative friction”- a condition whereby people with different opinions on a particular topic were encouraged to voice their opinions and provide evidence to substantiate their positions. It was very helpful in...
by Tom Okarma | Sep 27, 2011 | Blog, Leadership
One of the most powerful tools a leader can employ is consistent communication. Does everyone (staff and volunteers) know your top three priorities? If you randomly asked them what key priorities simply had to be accomplished over the next year, how many different...
by Tom Okarma | Aug 23, 2011 | Blog, Leadership, Strategic Planning
Most organizations have a plan for what they what to accomplish in a given year-maybe an elaborate one, maybe a simple one, but they have a plan. That’s good. And, most organizations measure results and various other data. That’s good, too. I’ve...
by Tom Okarma | Aug 9, 2011 | Blog, Leadership
Seth Godin is one smart guy. I like reading his “take” on things. Sometimes he makes my head hurt but he always makes me think. Not by using outrageous examples but by his thoughtful and common sense perspective. (He is speaking later this week at a...