Did you miss an issue? You can catch up with all the past ggm Monthly Roundups right here.
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Tired of hearing how the for-profit sector has all the answers? Me too.
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Thinking about how best to step up your game in 2022? Look no further! Below are five resolutions for your consideration; none of them easy, but each guaranteed to make you be a more effective leader. Well, not exactly guaranteed. . .
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Why question sustainability, accountability and best practices? Because they each embody specific value choices and requires trade-offs that you may not even be aware of. Let’s take a harder look at each of these nonprofit icons.
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Worried about staff turnover? You probably should be. The Great Resignation may be hitting the for-profit labor market hardest but many nonprofits are feeling it too. Here are six steps to minimize turnover and reduce its impact on your nonprofit.
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Amidst the crises of last fall, many nonprofits took a break both from performance reviews and from thinking much about salary increases. But there's no putting these off this year. Nonprofit leaders are realizing that how they approach reviews and raises can either strengthen organizational culture and retention—or exacerbate staff turnover.
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Good managers are skilled at removing obstacles so that their team members can work efficiently. Great managers see these obstacles as really tools to guide change and to develop extraordinary teams. Here’s how they do it …
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Our sense of what it means to be a high performing nonprofit Board focus on how well the Board performs—not what it provides. But active and engaged do not always equate to being useful.
Is your Board providing as much value as it can to your organization? Let’s find out. . .
We expect nonprofit Boards to render wise decisions, guide strategy and raise money. When they fail to so so, we assume the problem is that they need more—Members, training, engagement. The real problem is unrealistic expectations—myths—about what Boards should be doing. What are these myths and why are so destructive?
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Terminating a team member may be necessary for future organizational success or to resolve an ongoing problem—but that’s not likely to be the initial perspective of the remaining team members. But your options for guiding them through this moment are very limited. Here’s some ways to make the best of a bad situation.
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The worst thing about being a manager is firing someone. But if you handle the situation well, you can minimize the pain to all concerned and construct a healthy path forward. In this first of a series on terminations, I talk about how and why to use a Severance Agreement to help make the best of a bad situation.
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Bad judgment puts managers in a tough position. If you don't have confidence in the decisions of a team member, you can’t delegate. Which means the team member is unable to perform their job. Do they have to go or is there something you can do. . .
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Is getting a handle on your nonprofit's financial circumstances causing you too much aggravation? Part of the problem may be that you’re using the wrong tool.
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Need a break from the holiday movies and jigsaw puzzles? Wondering what to do with that Amazon gift card? Ready to get a jump on your New Year’s resolutions? Here’s three excellent books that will help you to be a better leader and manager in 2021:
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The SMART rubric is well tailored for goals that are intended to be accomplished. But it doesn't fit so well with other essential types of goals. Here's how to know if SMART is the best way to think about your goals.
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“Resolve problems” is the indispensable job responsibility of every manager. But for some problems, the effort to find a permanent resolution is likely to cause more harm than good. These are Mowing the Lawn problems and learning how to address these, can spare everyone—especially you—a lot of unnecessary suffering.
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Dissent is more than disagreement; it opposes power. Dissenters must confront fears about speaking up and accept the risks that those fears may well be realized. Managers have their own fears about dissent—having to justify themselves, feeling that their authority is being challenged. Nothing about dissent is easy. And yet dissent is an enormously powerful tool for good. Here’s how you can do more to encourage it—
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For nonprofit managers, performance reviews present a paradox. They primarily focus on the past, tallying accomplishments and disappointments, goals met and goals deferred. But isn’t the whole point of management is to successfully influence the future? Here’s how to resolve the paradox.
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Looking ahead at 2021, income uncertainty is off the charts. The pandemic, recession, stock market volatility, government shortfalls, election and evolving foundation and donor priorities are combining to create as unpredictable a funding environment as we’ve ever seen. With budget planning season fast approaching, many nonprofits have an extraordinary challenge on their hands. Here's what you can do:
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You’ve issued a statement affirming that Black lives matter, acknowledged that racism permeates all aspects of American society and recognized that your nonprofit is not immune. Now it’s time to walk your talk—what do you do?
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