Despite my marginally clever play-on-words, this isn’t a post about Pope Francis I. (A man whose qualifications for the job he has just been elected to I am woefully incapable of evaluating.) What it is a post about is a dangerous phenomenon: one that I have witnessed in nonprofit associations, in city governments, in businesses large & small, in families, in volunteer committees of all shapes and sizes. It’s a phenomenon that – given its pervasiveness in society - I could surmise might have plagued the Papal Conclave as well. It’s His Turn You’ve surely witnessed this plague in action: • Susan was the Vice Chair of the event last year, so she’ll become the event Chair this year. • Max has ‘paid his dues’ on the board for 5 years so he should ascend to the Vice Chairmanship. • Mary has been the Coordinator in that department for 3 years, so now that Bob has been promoted to Director,...
Read More Post a comment (0)
Today – right now — imagine your association in a fight for survival. It’s not far-fetched. Many associations already are seeing “the end of times,” whether they acknowledge it or not. It’s time to consider what you need to do in order to survive. For many groups, cooking sacred cows for nourishment will be one option. Be ready to build a sizeable bonfire and build a plan to carry on. 1. Understand what nourishment looks like. You first must commit to keeping the enterprise fed, even if that means eating bugs and chewing up the sacred cow. Create an environment whose mission is to provide sustenance to the organization at any cost. This includes not only allowing but cultivating the “crazy ideas” – the 10% of ideas that may, at first glance, seem bizarre and unpalatable. All edibles are on. 2. Identify your sacred cow(s). Every client I have worked with has...
Read More Post a comment (1)
I had a full blown case of red, itchy hives my first day of High School. Twenty-five (plus!) years later, the memory of that moment lingers long and sneaks up on me every now and again. It taught me a lot about how to suck it up and get through a tough situation, and that only rarely is anything as bad as we think it will be. We are often our own worst enemies when facing change or uncertainty. I watched pruriently as the parade of young neighbor families did the end-of-summer shuffle down the street to the bus stops this morning: proud parents with leashed dogs accompanied their little ones back into their school year routines, pausing to ply an iPhone-captured "SMILE!" out of a backpacked child in new shoes. Some kids surely were eager to return to learning and their friends, others were likely anxious about going off to new...
Read More Post a comment (4)
Do you have a cringeworthy teenage moment captured forever on film? I used mine as an inspiration last week when I was honored to guest post on the 5 by 5 Design "Inspirations" blog. Thanks to Wendy & Diana for the opportunity, and for the work you do every day to help your clients look "wow"! (Go ahead, click through to read the entire post!) Image credit to Clara Natoli (Images of my own angst-filled teenage years will remain unindexed by Google)
The best ideas, and the truest epiphanies, come to you in the shower (or so 'they' say.) This morning, I noticed that I held my breath for a moment as I washed my hair. A new client has given me the opportunity to join a team helping a small business launch a line of organic, toxin- and silicone-free beauty products. Our role is to help them craft a strategy to go from startup to success - to help get them from where they are to where they want to be. At the conclusion of the first meeting, the team was sent home with sample sized versions, to “see for ourselves.” I really like the business owner. She’s passionate and genuine, and her product seems to be compelling, legitimate, and fit a need in the marketplace. She’s got incredible energy, a great story, a vision, and is willing to do the work. She knows...
Read More Post a comment (3)
