In 1500 words or less, each post will give you something you can use TODAY to build yourself, your people and your organization whether your organization is a "for-profit" or a "not-for-profit."
Many owners and managers underestimate the importance of this activity, they do so at their peril. Community involvement is a fundamental key to success.
Good organizations want to find good people and good people are seeking jobs with good organizations. In today’s “Tools Everyone Can Use,” there are tips for both sides to use that work that you can start using right now that will make a difference.
Sometimes it is too easy to blame the victims rather than to work on solutions to the cause. Not a week goes by where a municipality is not trying to dismantle an encampment of people experiencing homelessness. Our media is full of outraged politicians and community members demanding action be taken, often punitive action.
One of the missing elements in these diatribes is “How” people come to experience homelessness. Few of those demanding punitive action realize just how precarious they and we are.
Could it happen to you, to me, to your friends, and even your grandparents, it could and it could happen faster than you can think.
oining a new organization can be both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. Everyone wants to adjust, fit in, and begin making a contribution as soon as possible. Many people, myself included, can struggle with finding that sense of belonging. Everyone knows what they want to do, just finding the “how” to make that happen is what is difficult.
I am writing this a few days before Christmas, my family is gathering, gifts and food have been bought, and we are not alone in these preparations. Like many Canadians, although I may appreciate and have awareness of what is happening to other people, they are an abstraction, in my reality I literally have blinders on, and we are blind to the reality our lives are not representative of the majority of people on our planet.
Yet, as I write this and as you read my words, life is happening for other people; and it is not the life we have. I hope you read this, and help to begin to make more of a difference for people who do not share in our prosperity.
We may live in the most competitive environment for small and medium-sized organizations ever. Competition for limited resources for charitable organization and for “for-profit’s” is literally a fight for survival. “Prospecting” for new clients and customers is some many smaller organizations should be examining. Today’s “Tools Everyone Can Use,” includes elements of the ongoing processes that can help you today.
People are the “everything” for any organization. What if I told you, your organization could be much more successful without seeing any more clients or customers than you are right now? Every organization has “spillage,” clients or customers who leave your organization unsatisfied.
Starting today, especially after reading this short introduction, you and your people, regardless of your place in our communities, can do better. Providing an “Exceptional Customer Service Experience” is the starting point. This is true whether your organization is dedicated to sales or an established charitable organization. Take 5 minutes and see what you think.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I left a job I had spent forever doing and volunteered to work at a local charity. My volunteer work lead to a job working with food banks, meal programs, and community gardens to help alleviate local food insecurity. It began a process that opened my eyes to an entire world that had been mostly invisible to me.
The journey was filled with surprises, lessons, and revelations; please take a few minutes so I can share them with you.
Tomorrow I am speaking to a high school careers class about “How to find a job,” and it is a topic I am quite passionate about. During my preparation I was reminded about helping a friend understand their employment agreement. This “Tool Everyone Can Use,” is a very brief guide to learning more about your rights when it comes to employment agreements whether you are new to the workforce or just have questions about your work agreements, particularly for small and medium-sized organizations.
I have worked in the “for-profit” sector most of my life. I do not believe, however, that operating a business and being socially responsible are mutually exclusive. By training I am an economist by practice I am a merchant and a project manager; regardless of our trade, we can make a difference together.
I believe “for-profit” and “not-for-profit” organizations both can and must make a difference in our communities. Since my return to the “for-profit” sector my posts have refocused on issues and concerns shared by many small and medium-sized organizations; however, the perspectives and lessons learned while working for the United Way and Canadian Mental Health Association are just as important as marketing, sales, and logistics.
Please take five minutes and see if there are any tools in this post you can use. Change starts with one person and we need your help.