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."
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.
Working effectively with people is fundamental to any success you will achieve. You are learning to recognize and give people around you permission to reign in your ego. Be constantly vigilant to prevent walls and silos from being built around you. Finally, appreciate that you will succeed faster and longer by realizing that you make mistakes.
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.
One of the most influential mentors I ever had once told me that when faced with a problem, situation, or frustration with other people, I should consider that the problem might not be the other person. Maybe it was me and/or my attitude.
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.
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.
Many small and medium-sized organizations struggle to find the right people in a competitive job environment. A step in the right direction is to stand apart from everyone else.
Give me five minutes of your time and you will not regret it.