They didn’t tell me that the organization is about to go bankrupt. They didn’t tell me we didn’t have a pool of individual donors to support the organization’s fundraising efforts. They didn’t tell me the organization’s largest funder decided to end funding after the current grant cycle. They didn’t tell me the credit line […]
They tell me it’s wedding season – spring is transitioning into summer and engagement parties and weddings are common for this time of year. Congratulations are surely in order. Now imagine being engaged to a person that’s not engaged to you. You’re committed, involved and attentive; but they seem distant, distracted and pre-occupied. You attempt […]
Marsha loves her job and the clients she supports and helps through the difficult times in their lives. She gets along with her coworkers, has a healthy relationship with other managers, and is the ultimate team player. Everything is perfect – or is it? There’s one concern that’s been irritating Marsha, to the point that […]
Once again, Steve is dismayed by the feedback from his staff. They get a competitive salary, paid vacations, and sick leave. All of this, yet they are still dissatisfied with Steve’s management style and the overall atmosphere in the office. In the words of one team member, “It feels like there’s always a dark cloud […]
In the past week I’ve spoken with 2 leaders (one in the private sector and one in the nonprofit sector) who don’t care about titles. They just want the work done, they couldn’t care less about titles. The problem is their team members care about titles. Witnessing the exchange between the leaders and team members […]
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions – we all make decisions. How important are decisions? Vitally important. I believe our lives are the sum total of all the decisions that we make. The power of decision-making is enormous, unfortunately; it’s a power that few have harnessed and intentionally used to chart their personal or professional path. Here are […]
Why are you here? I recently asked a group of community volunteers this question. They served on a coalition that was attempting to reduce substance abuse and increase educational opportunities for youth in their community. I wanted to know why this project was worth the time, attention, and resources they dedicated. Here’s how they responded: […]
“We need to reframe the work of the board.” “Let’s reframe how we’re thinking about this problem.” “Maybe if I reframe what I’m saying it’ll make more sense.” Heard any of these or similar statements lately? Reframing is trending, just in case you hadn’t noticed. In our attempts to better convey a message, establish expectations, […]
In my last post I shared a few things that commonly happen to presenters and facilitators that I believe are worthy of fitting under the category of Murphy’s Law. You know Murphy’s Law: anything that CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong. Well, since I titled that post Part I, I felt compelled to produce Part […]
I think at some point everyone becomes aware of what is known as Murphy’s Law. But just in case you’ve spent your whole life living under a rock, here is the gist of Murphy’s Law: anything that CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong. Now whoever this Murphy guy was, I’m fairly certain he didn’t craft […]
