You know you have a brilliant strategy – but it is not working. What’s up? There are a myriad of reasons why excellent strategies are not implemented effectively. Here are two basic pitfalls that you can avoid. #1. Undercommunicating the Strategy. John Kotter, in his classic book, Leading Change, says that leaders very often do not communicate their vision and … [Read more...] about Integrating Staff & Strategy
Fun Improves Persistence
Recent research* suggests that when working on long term goals, it is helpful to find enjoyment in the pursuit of those goals in the short run. For example when people find the process of working out enjoyable, they tend to persist longer. They found the same thing for those who experienced enjoyment with studying. We really don’t need a research study to tell us that we … [Read more...] about Fun Improves Persistence
Invest More in Fundraising!
The end of the semester is upon us at the University of Maryland, where I am co-teaching a graduate course on Nonprofit Fundraising with my colleague, Dr. Bob Grimm. Part of the course involves student teams going out into the community to visit with nonprofit organizations and do a full evaluation of their fundraising program. I have been reading the final reports and … [Read more...] about Invest More in Fundraising!
If You Really Had $100 Billion
When I encourage people to create an aspirational vision of what they would want their organization to look like if they could have it any way they wanted it – it is often hard to get them to “think big” or “think outside of the box.” To help people think big, I sometimes say “Imagine you just received an unrestricted gift of $100 billion. The donor said to do anything with … [Read more...] about If You Really Had $100 Billion
Big Happy Audacious Goals
When I talk with people about setting BIG Almost Impossible Goals, I will sometimes hear “Oh yeah, just like ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goals’ in that book (Built to Last) by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras! BHAGs!” To which I say “Sort of.” The “Hairy” in BHAGs is “scary” – like taking a big risk. Hairy, scary goals might be appropriate sometimes – but research shows that they … [Read more...] about Big Happy Audacious Goals