“What would we do with a $500, 000 windfall in revenue?” This was a question that a fellow Board member asked the rest of us at a recent meeting. “What a great question,” I thought. “I am so glad we have Puja on this Board.” But, our inability to answer her question with ideas that were well thought out makes me think we should revisit this question at a future … [Read more...] about The $500,000 Windfall
Your “Stop Doing” List
While many individuals and organizations are great at creating “To Do” lists – and continually adding to them – most of us are not very good at taking things off the list. It makes no sense when you think about it for even a moment. Management guru Peter Drucker once said “If you want to start something new, you have to stop activities not worth the time and effort.” A … [Read more...] about Your “Stop Doing” List
Don’t Compromise on Strategy
Sometimes compromise is necessary. If a group can’t reach collaborative consensus then you have to move to voting, where different factions give up something they want in order to make the result the least distasteful option available – that will get the required votes. The results are quite sub-optimal and, by the way, this describes our current situation (for years) in … [Read more...] about Don’t Compromise on Strategy
The Balanced Life Myth?
The cover story of the March issue of Harvard Business Review* is focused on Work-Life Balance, which – the executives surveyed by the authors – consider either a myth or elusive ideal. However, through the research these authors conducted of senior executives, some helpful ideas emerge. The overall theme of the research is that we each need to own making choices around our … [Read more...] about The Balanced Life Myth?
If Not-For-Profit, Then For What?
We can’t figure out what to call ourselves. I most often hear “non-profit” or “not-for-profit, ” but both describe what we are NOT – not what we are FOR. We certainly aren’t for loss – though some organizations are mistakenly managed this way! We have tried so many alternative labels: philanthropic, independent sector, social sector, non-governmental, mission-based, … [Read more...] about If Not-For-Profit, Then For What?