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."
Rigidity usually happens slowly and without most people noticing.
If we do notice it, we usually only see it in other organizations and in other people. Most people do not even realize it is happening to them, many will deny it, but those who do are only fooling themselves.
The rigidity of thinking and action can stifle growth, success, and happiness, and even threaten survival.
August/September is a good time to look for a summer job. Any time is a good time to remember the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that make any job good for workers and employers. Hiring students is good for businesses and for charities and non-profit organizations.
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.
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.