by Tom Okarma | Dec 10, 2012 | Blog, Leadership
When things are going well, people usually sing loudly and really belt it out. That’s when churches echo with perhaps off-pitch, shrill, and sometimes nasal but always high-spirited and heart-felt sounds of happy people singing their hearts out. All seems right with...
by Tom Okarma | Feb 9, 2012 | Blog, Board Development, Governance, Leadership
Leaders have very little time to set a new tone, to begin installing a new DNA into an organization. The popular take on this is 100 days…give or take. That’s why I really like the way Theo Epstein and his new crew of leaders have literally torn into the Cubs...
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...
by Tom Okarma | Jun 13, 2011 | Blog, Board Development, Governance, Leadership
It seems obvious to me that if you reward desirable behavior you will get more of it and if you don’t, performance will eventually level off and fewer people may go that proverbial “extra mile”. Complacency and an entitlement mentality can work its...
by Tom Okarma | Mar 1, 2011 | Blog, Board Development, Leadership
When nonprofit agencies think about risk management and protecting themselves, they usually think in terms of someone slipping and falling, auto accidents, insurance, etc. But they fail to address what may be their most critical off-balance sheet asset-their...