Are you tired of being asked, “Why can’t you run your not for profit like a business?” I’ve written about how not for profits can use advice written for businesses (with just a little translation). When it comes to not for profit finance, however, some business wisdom is just wrong. Clara Miller, the former director […]
But I Only Want One
By Joe Moore It was a unique demonstration of the art of making a set of matryoshka dolls from the one block of wood. You may be familiar with this Russian nesting doll or babushka. A set of, typically five, wooden dolls. Each doll may be taken apart to reveal another one – except […]
There Is Nothing New Under The Leadership Sun
By Chris Gandy My sheep farming friend Alf has many favourite sayings and one he repeats continually is: “Farming is a lifelong learning experience and the core subject is you” My frequent conversations with Alf sprang to mind recently when I read The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership by Michael Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas (M&P). They have reviewed the […]
Dealing With Seemingly Intractable Situations.
By Ian Sampson Loneliness in decision making at the top is generally recognised as a phenomenon of modern business life. But support is rarely accessed when those at the top of an organisation feel they have to deal with complex matters, just relying on their own resources. While CEO’s, Chairs, and senior executives spend their days […]
No Need to Hit The Panic Button When a CEO Decides to Leave
By Chris Gandy If you have been a Director of a not for profit, I am sure you can relate to this. I received a call recently from a Board Member of a mid-sized cause-based organisation and the conversation went roughly like this: “Heard you are back in Executive Recruitment” she said “Well yes, kind […]
Making Exceptional Chairs Common
By Chris Gandy Most of us will have stories to tell about how people find themselves being appointed Chairs of not for profit organisations: “Guess what happened, I couldn’t make the AGM and ended up getting elected as the Chair” or “When they called for nominations everyone took a step back and I was too slow”. Amusing stuff, if only […]
Can Your Organisation Tell a Story to Save Itself?
By Dennis Fischman Have you heard the tale of Scheherazade? She was a noble lady who married the king of Arabia. Her new husband had a grim habit: marrying and killing off a wife every night. Scheherazade’s beauty couldn’t save her, but her stories did. Night after night, she told him one fascinating story after […]
Listening Beneath the Surface
By Dennis Fischman So many readers enjoyed my post “Are You Listening, Nonprofits?“, I thought you might like a little more advice about social listening. Craig Jamieson is a submarine fan, and he tells us that social listening is like sonar. Use it to find: Conversations that show something about the people who support you […]
How Many Baskets Do You Have Your Eggs In?
By Chris Gandy Ran into local sage Alf again yesterday and he started lamenting: “There just aren’t any serious farmers around anymore” “Hey, what do you mean” I said feeling a bit affronted. “I might be small time but I take this farming thing pretty seriously as does everyone I know around here” “Yeah […]
Distraction, The Biggest Of All Mission Killers
By Chris Gandy All of us involved in any sport that had a ball in it can remember being told from day dot by a parent or a patient coach – “keep your eye on the ball”. Pretty sound advice which is highly useful in a whole range of life endeavors – but oh so […]
B-Cause 