As opposed to offering opinions without having all of the background and knowledge, I thought it might be more helpful to start a discussion about the questions: Many people have written that Toyota’s problem was that it sacrificed a core value of safety for profit. To frame the issue this generally is to miss the …

If I think about “Leader” as a job description I get confused. How can anyone “Lead” all the time? How exhausting! A sure recipe for failure! An invitation to the dread-disease BURNOUT. Don’t you at least need to “manage” your own schedule? What about “Management” as the complete and total sum of what you do …

I initially wrote this piece with the idea in mind that many NPOs don’t need DODs, but my wife read it and said I was totally wrong. So, the following is sort of a collaboration … actually, I won’t publish anything she doesn’t approve !! Ideally, from day one, an organization should have someone who …

Research has shown that employers are unprepared strategically, unprotected legally, and underinsured with regard to tackling the growing phenomenon of stress in the workplace. Many simply do not understand its impact: they are either hoping it will just go away or paralysed with uncertainty as to how to handle it. One ill advised way of …

Too often, when Board members struggle with attendance, participation, or decision-making, they simplistically resort to a Board training session or undertake team building and training to address their problems. Those techniques seldom work to address those problems. Why Board Training Alone Seldom Restores Boards It is not uncommon that Board members want a “quick fix” to …

So many non-profit organizations are hiring Directors of Development without really knowing/understanding what “development” is supposed to be about and how the role of the Director of Development is supposed to function. For many organizations, the Director of Development is the person hired to write the grant proposals, create relationships with corporations, or create/run the …

I live in the Kansas Flint Hills. It’s ranch land, no more than 4 people per square mile. (No surprise, then, that I do most of my coaching by telephone.) But we are a community. And we have no shortage of issues requiring leadership. Leadership is not the same as Authority. As we blog about …

What’s the difference between a code of conduct and a rulebook? A rulebook certainly sets outer parameters as what is unacceptable behavior. However, since most behavior is within those legal parameters, does (and should) a code of conduct dictate how employees should in fact conduct themselves at work? Imagine if a supervisor asks an employee …

In Part 1, we reviewed myths 1-5. In this Part 2, we review myths 6-10 Management Consulting Myths. 6. Myth That All Consultants See the Same Problem the Same Way Each consultant brings his or her own particular view, or “lens,” through which they view organizations. Also, each has his or her particular biases and …

“The Hokey-Pokey of Fundraising” Whether it’s a Corporation, a Foundation, a prospective Major Donor or the recipient of a mass solicitation, they’re not going to write you a check if the process doesn’t satisfy their needs. Getting a Corporation to want to give to a non-profit organization (NPO) is a simple matter of learning, understanding …