We know that improved collaboration among people in an organization can increase innovation and productivity. But making that happen has proved challenging for most. But there is hope: “Being receptive to the views of someone we disagree with is no easy task, but when we approach the situation with a desire to understand our differences, we get a better outcome.”* (p. … [Read more...] about Six Collaboration Tools
leadership
A New Strategy Approach
Last week I gave the students in my graduate Nonprofit Strategy course their midterm in which I asked them to invent their own strategic planning process. After studying various approaches all semester, I thought it would be interesting to see what they would come up with. With that in mind, I thought I would create something a bit different than my Mission Impact approach – … [Read more...] about A New Strategy Approach
Confronting Unethical Behavior
What do you do when you encounter unethical behavior in your workplace? Ethics expert and Giving Voice to Values author, Mary Gentile, offers these suggestions in a Harvard Business Review* article: *Treat the Conflict as a Business Matter. Craft a carefully prepared, persuasive business argument – supported by facts. This is much better than giving a little … [Read more...] about Confronting Unethical Behavior
Have a Mindful Day
Would you like to make better decisions? Have healthier relationships with co-workers, family, and friends? Lower your stress and blood pressure? Remain more focused in this very distracting world we navigate each day? If you answered “yes” to any of these, then I encourage you to check out Laurie Cameron’s book, The Mindful Day. Laurie is a former consultant … [Read more...] about Have a Mindful Day
Leading Change Pitfalls
Leading Change is one of the most challenging tasks of top leaders. You may have memorized Kotter’s eight steps and have a big guiding coalition ready to help you out, but there are still plenty of pitfalls out there. Here are six of them to watch out for as you Lead Change:* 1. Cautious Management Culture. Peter Drucker is attributed with the quote “Culture eats … [Read more...] about Leading Change Pitfalls