Distinguishing Management from Leadership
While I have taught classes on leadership, I don’t present myself as an expert on leadership. That said, and with apologies to all those who have spent their careers studying and pontificating on leadership, I will borrow from the wonderful Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: I know good leadership when I see it.
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In my conceptualization of the world, the positions of leader and manager are two different positions, which is not to say that that a leader cannot also be an excellent Read more
Check Your Moral Compass
So, what are the challenges of being a leader in the first part of this century? I am sure that every article, presentation, talk, etc. written/presented in the first quarter of a new century that addresses “what it takes to be a leader” (and, no, I did not do a search) at some point says “these times are different: we have a different environment, different values, different needs, etc.” And I am saying the same thing: these are not your grandmothers’ times anymore—or for most Read more
Leadership: Do You Have What it Takes?, Part I
Recently, I gave a talk entitled, “Leading in the 21st Century: Do You Have What it Takes?” As I started to write it, I thought, what a misleading title! It should have been, “Leading in the 21st Century: Do You Really Want To? (Otherwise said as: Are you crazy?)”
All kidding aside, the challenges of leading any organization in the 21st century are huge. To be successful, it isn’t just a question of do you have the skills, talents, personality, etc., to be a leader—a very Read more
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Now that summer vacation is over, the peer-to-peer learning circle that I facilitate is back in action. September was catch-up time on what has happened since we last met. With the exception of one person, my first group started with everyone admitting that s/he was exhausted and overwhelmed. Nothing I haven’t heard before, but not generally right after the summer break.
Granted, summer is not what it used to be—everyone seems to be in agreement on that: it flies by, the pace no longer slows, the Read more
Might as well face it…you’re addicted
Several years back, a funder introduced me to a group of her grantees as the “bad cop” in the tag team which was about to do a presentation, a persona that continues today.
Call me what you will, but I am on a crusade to help you help yourself, your organization, your group move forward so that you can maximize the delivery of your mission.
Earlier this week, I had a 45 minute, heartbreaking conversation. And despite that, I played the bad cop throughout. Telling the truth, Read more
January 20th, 2012 0 Comment Sometimes mother does know best
When it comes to political and nonprofit leaders coming up with interesting ideas, the United Kingdom is outshining its American child. First, this past summer, Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intention to create a Big Society Bank. (Just the name sends shivers up and down my spine!) Initial funding for this bank – to the tune of £350m to £400m (the equivalent of $544,519,104 to $622,307,547 in US dollars) – will come from bank accounts that have been dormant for at least 15 years.
But Read more
What’s a Yeppie?
As summer begins to wind down, students and parents everywhere begin to face the reality of the return to school. There is, however, a group of folks for whom returning to school is not on their minds – 2010 college graduates. Their sights, naturally, are set on finding jobs. In this simple statement there is an enormous opportunity for nonprofits everywhere; I only hope we are all smart enough to grab this brass ring.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs both AmeriCorps and Read more
