Do you want to use your time in ways that are more relevant – relevant to what you care about most in your life? Of course you do! The best way to do this is to fully harness the power of goal setting. It will make your life more fulfilling, more successful, and – for your organization – more effective. This seems obvious. And yet, when given the freedom to choose, most … [Read more...] about The Importance of Goals
“Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch”
One of the guest speakers we had in for the Nonprofit Strategy graduate course I taught this past fall at the University of Maryland shared this quote with the class, and it was one of the students’ favorites of the term. I’m not sure who originated the quote, but there are lots of articles with this title and even a new book about to come out by that name. (I have not … [Read more...] about “Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch”
Panic Sooner!
It is an easy trap to fall into. We are all very busy and tend to focus on the issues that seem to require the most immediate attention today. And sometimes we don’t look out far enough – even six, nine, twelve months – to notice trends of importance. And then all of a sudden – panic strikes!!! And last minute panic is usually not very effective. One of the great tips … [Read more...] about Panic Sooner!
Inspiring a Sense of Urgency
I was inspired to write this prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers football game last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. I was worried. The Steelers had shown no “sense of urgency” during the prior week against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs and almost lost. “They cannot afford to do that with Cincinnati, ” I worried, “Coach Tomlin better find a way to inspire a sense of … [Read more...] about Inspiring a Sense of Urgency
Great Tools for Setting Outcomes
I have been giving the same speech for about fifteen years on the importance of nonprofits setting outcome measures – both for programs and at the organizational level. When a Board asks itself “How do we know we are making a difference?” there needs to be some kind of reliable measure that provides the answer. Inevitably, though, when I give this “speech” someone says “But … [Read more...] about Great Tools for Setting Outcomes