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."
The culture of your company is perhaps your most important competitive advantage. For the most successful companies they build their culture as often as they breathe.
I notice skills, attitudes, and behavior. I help people find ways to help them achieve their goals. There are almost as many ways to accomplish this as there are people.
I have listened to, adapted, and distilled some of the very best ideas from people I have met from both the “for-profit” and the “not-for-profit” worlds. They can help make you better, more productive, and help you achieve your personal and work goals.
In my experience and observation the organization that causes the most stress and anxiety for its people and leaders … is usually their organization.
We have a responsibility to recognize, appreciate and acknowledge, and most importantly to help alleviate that stress for our people.
The closer people are to your “front-lines,” the more people “working in the weeds,” the more stress and anxiety they likely feel.
Is your daily focus simply on “surviving” each day? What follows are some simple ideas that can help you have your life again, achieve a better work/life balance, and “grow” your business or organization.
These are not my ideas, these are lessons learned from some of the best leaders and entrepreneurs I have met in more than thirty years in the “for-profit” and “charitable” sectors.
Becoming a good leader means embarking on a path that never ends. People, organizations, and the leader themselves will evolve, change, and adapt in response to their changing world.
I have learned while being mentored by some incredible people. Three of those lessons helped to shape my entire philosophy of leadership, “Humility, Consideration, and Determination.”
We had thought we were inclusive, but we realized we needed to do even more. We discovered the real driving force for our continued success was because we learned to appreciate, acknowledge, and respond to the blind spots that we didn’t even know were there.
Start small, but start now.
Loyalty, like respect, is earned; it is neither a right nor a given and it must be reciprocal. Loyalty and respect are fragile and can never be demanded; both must be built and nurtured through constant care and attention.
Learning “how” to fail might just be the most important skill that doesn’t get taught to students. As an instructor or leader, I always hoped that everyone would always succeed in everything they tried and never experience failure.
I knew and continue to learn that avoiding failure is unlikely and not always the best thing for people. Take a few moments and see what I mean.
Supporting charities and operating a profitable business are not mutually exclusive.
Businesses can help in so many ways, but like any collaboration, charities and service clubs can also help businesses.
Every organization has drama.
Drama is virtually impossible to avoid because organizations consist of people and when you have two or more people together, the potential for drama exists.
That’s not cynical, in my experience, that’s just how things work. Whether it’s good or bad depends on how the organization reacts to and anticipates drama.
Big and innovative ideas aren’t the issue, putting big and innovative ideas into reality is the issue. Many entrepreneurs, consultants, managers, executive directors, and the people working for them have shared these lessons will me.
They work. Use them, share them, and build your organization.