Category: Leadership
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Five ideas for staying focused as an executive
Quite a few times in my years as a consultant, I’ve encountered Executive Directors who accomplish tasks very effectively. Their writing is cogent. Documents they produce are always well-formatted. They…
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The bricklayer parable and nonprofits
An Executive Director working for a former client recently invited me out to have lunch at a park and then go kayak on the river with her. We spent most…
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Ticket to Ride and nonprofit leadership
One of my pandemic “weaknesses” has been the amount of time I’ve spent playing Ticket to Ride – the online version. For those not familiar with the game, you can…
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Naive optimism
I recently was speaking with Amanda Caffall, who helped start and currently leads the Commons Law Center, a relatively new nonprofit. The Center is clearly thriving, even with the challenges…
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Strategic Planning and the board-ED relationship
I recently wrote an article for Blue Avocado on the board-Executive Director relationship. When I talk to nonprofit leaders about strategic planning, they often voice some of the obvious benefits…
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Holding up the wall
As a nonprofit Executive Director, do you ever feel like if you walk away, things will crumble? I felt this occasionally as an Executive Director, particularly in my first few…
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Pick up the frickin’ phone
I was recently talking with a fellow consultant about disengaged boards and, in particular, Executive Directors complaining about disengaged boards. We quickly agreed on one point in particular: many Executive…
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Planning and Management Amidst a Pandemic
I’ve worked with quite a few clients over the last few years developing strategic plans. A few have called me and asked: what now in light of the pandemic? I…
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Does your nonprofit pass the marshmallow test?
One of the most famous social-science studies was the marshmallow test. Put a marshmallow in front of a preschool aged child and tell the child they can have a second…
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Relentlessly Focus on Relationships
This is a republication of Chapter 1 of Why Organizations Thrive. Organizations that thrive relentlessly focus on relationships. This must begin with the Executive Director and the Executive Director’s relationships.…