What is the path of your life, that has brought you to the work you do? And what are your dreams for the future of your community? Every time I begin a training or facilitation or even sometimes a keynote address, I ask people to turn to their neighbor and spend a few moments asking … Read more
A team of professionals has gathered to help Save the Dogs decide which payroll firm to hire. Maria has suggested Firm A – she has had great experience working with them. On the other hand, Suzanne speaks from her years of experience as an accountant who works with payroll firms, “Keep working with the firm … Read more
It’s been an intense and energizing few days, exploring with a pair of brilliant visionary strategists with whom every exploration seems to lead to even more exploration. The question that arose early in our time together was this: “How can we support each other’s work in as integrated a fashion as possible?” The wording of … Read more
I was thumbing through our Board Recruitment & Orientation workbook this weekend, looking for a particular form. (I shouldn’t confess how often I’ll be almost done creating a form, only to do a palm-smack to the head, remembering that the exact form I need is in a book I wrote. Not that that’s what happened … Read more
Yesterday I lamented that we all feel we don’t have time to think. And that the reason we don’t have time to think is that we don’t make time to think. Which is to say that we don’t value thinking near as much as we value doing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the … Read more
The conversation I shared yesterday, with a young social change agent trying to find his path, brought up for me an issue that is glaringly absent in almost all discussions of “best practice” in the social change arena. Put simply, we devalue thinking, exploring, experimenting. What we value is “doing.” When individuals take time for … Read more
I confess that sometimes even this Pollyanna gets fed up. I don’t get fed up with the same things as most people in this field, though. I get fed up with blame and intolerance. I get fed up with pointing fingers at symptoms, focusing and refocusing on addressing those symptoms, drilling deeper and deeper, unpacking … Read more
I love talking with boards. Board members are caring individuals who volunteer a ton of time because they want to make a difference. And I love encouraging their highest potential to make that difference! During my first meeting with a board, I ask them, “Do you have a code of values?” More often than not, … Read more
The term Best Practice has always made me nuts. In the past week, though, I am convinced the term is following me! First there was this week’s live Twitter Chat, where consultants from around the world grappled with the extent to which inspiring vs. prescribing to clients is most effective. In that context, the words … Read more
According to a recent study by the TCC Group, “leadership” is the most critical factor in determining the sustainability of an organization. So what will it take for your board to become the visionary leaders of your organization? Boards are taught how to handle their legal obligations, but that sure isn’t leadership. They are taught … Read more