Executive Coaching, Professional Development, Training, and Career Advancement for Nonprofit Leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
In the 1967 Film, Cool Hand Luke, Luke (played by Paul Newman), is a prisoner on a southern chain gang. Upon his second failed escape attempt (and receiving his second set of leg irons), Luke is told by the Captain (memorably played by Strother Martin) that he is not going to need a third set of chains because he’s: “gonna get his mind right!”
As we say, “art imitates life.” [Read more…]
Right about now, you might be very angry about all that’s going on with the Coronavirus situation. Especially if you watch any of the cable news reporting.
I confess. I can be an angry elf! Like the one in the film Elf. More on that later.
In the book, the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leaders, Commitment #3 (summarized) is: “I commit to feeling my feelings through to completion. They come, and I locate them in my body, then move, breathe, and vocalize them, so they release all the way.” It’s a topic that Conscious Leaders come back to time and time again because they practice emotional intelligence.
In the marketplace for fundraiser talent, demand currently outstrips supply. There are currently thousands of job postings for fundraisers listed at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and LinkedIn.
In the face of this demand, advancement and development leaders often say that one of the most significant challenges they face is retaining fundraising talent. While the economic forces of supply and demand are putting upward pressure on salaries, a common misconception about fundraiser retention is that it’s “all about the money.” That’s a management and leadership cop-out, and the situation is dire. According to a recent Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) report, half (50%) of fundraisers surveyed reported that they intend to leave their jobs in the next 2 years. [Read more…]
The world has gone mad. Or, so it seems.
Volatility. The world is constantly changing, and becoming more unstable each day.
Uncertainty. It’s becoming more difficult to anticipate events or predict how they’ll unfold.
Complexity. Problems and their repercussions are more multi-layered, harder to understand.
Ambiguity. Not everything is black and white.
Gossip–The practice of sharing information about people who are not present in a “casual or unconstrained conversation [that] typically involves details not confirmed as being true.”
We are all familiar with it. Every organization seems to be infused with it, and many leaders in the nonprofit world with whom I work believe it’s a good thing. They mistakenly believe that it helps grease the wheels of communication and that it will somehow serve as a source of valuable information that enables the organization to function smoothly.
This scenario plays out frequently at many nonprofit organizations: top-performing professionals gets promoted to lead a team but has never been trained to lead or manage. This is often a disaster—results suffer, people head for the door, and the new manager flames out (and may even get fired).
There are a few key reasons why some frontline professionals struggle as leaders and others do not.
Listening at the speed of sound;
More curious than an inquisitive cat;
Able to access and express intuition in a single blurt.
It’s Superleader. Disguised as a mild-mannered nonprofit professional, Superleader is endowed with extraordinary qualities and fights a never-ending battle for mission, impact, and results.
Sidney Mathias Baxter Coulling III, the retired S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of English at Washington and Lee University died in February of 2016 at the age of 92. I had the distinct privilege of being taught Old English Literature and Poetry by Professor Coulling in 1981 as a freshman at W&L. It was the toughest “C” I ever earned (one of only two as an undergraduate). How I made my way into a sophomore level course (also taken by many juniors) is a testament to my naiveté–an error that only a greenhorn first-year student can make. [Read more…]
Running a nonprofit organization is a tall task. Many small to medium size nonprofits struggle with insufficient resources (human and capital) to fully execute their missions. Nonprofit leaders frequently have something on their plate, juggling multiple priorities and stakeholders. It doesn’t matter if you’re the sole employee of the organization, or if you have a large team around you; there’s one thing you can’t compromise on: “donor service.”
For example, how do you or other staff members respond when donors reach out with questions? What do you say when a donor sends you a complaint, expresses a concern, or makes a suggestion? [Read more…]
This week I celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary.
My wife and I have a wonderful relationship, and we live full lives as partners, parents, and professionals. We align on most things and rarely disagree.
There is, however, one realm where we do not align, and it’s been a source of friction for us over the years. It has to do with how we keep track of everything in our busy lives so that we honor our promises and commitments (a.k.a., keeping your word) to each other, as well as to our family, friends, and colleagues.