Tag Archives: leadership

Launching Basics

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Getting ready to launch your own non-profit?

Have a unique focus or problem to tackle - If you aren’t going to be original or if you aren’t going to strive to be the best in your area of focus then go work with the ones who are. There is a TON of redundancy in the non-profit, social good space already. Yes, I am speaking to the ministries too.

Demonstrate & prove your concept - Seek early wins, even if they are small ones. start with your free time. Jump in with your money and energies first. Know what you are talking about from an experiential perspective. Draw from your in the trenches experience to cast a grander vision.

Develop a thorough but basic plan – You don’t need 10 pages to make your point, but you do need a few. Websites are nice, but be sure that you can easily share your plan & strategy with others. Avoid writing a novel but be sure to outline the “who, what, where, why, how, when, and how much” for all who are interested. Be specific and brief.

Recruit leaders - Every non-profit seeks volunteers, but what you really need early on is leaders. Leverage your personal relationships, contacts and networks. Seek leaders by having leadership opportunities for them to tackle with you. Don’t ask leaders for basic things… they want to jump in on real issues you with you.

Communicate a crystal clear mission – Don’t give vague concepts and flowery anecdotes; tell us what is going to change because you are in existence. Be bold. Be brave. Be simple if necessary. Help all of us to “get it”. And it quickly. Without flinch

Pricing the Pickle

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Before we began, $60 per month seemed a little steep for a 6 year old’s karate lessons. My wife took our son to the first few sessions and came back with such glowing reports about the instructor that I had to go check it out for myself. Turns out the dude is very good… and not just at the butt kicking part. He smiles with the kids, learns people’s real names, places jokes in the middle of sessions for the parents, stays firm but friendly and gently employs an “evil pickle’” (a padded green baton) to test the children on their acquired techniques. It isn’t easy to maintain the attention, interest and respect of both 6yr. olds and also adults all while delivering REALLY good karate instruction.

There are defects in his business model to be sure but, I was reminded how personal, high quality and friendly leadership goes a really long way when setting value. Once I experienced the karate lessons I was happy to only be paying $60/mo.

*** Oh, and just so you don’t write this guy off as a fun, groovy kid teacher, I want to mention that his dojo wall is line with his world class accomplishments and articles from every major media source highlighting his personal accomplishments.

3 Month Pathfinder

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Don’t let your big dreams or your ambitious project overwhelm you. Try some of these tricks to keep yourself moving toward your big goals.

Pick a milestone. Set your sights fully on a major accomplishment that you REALLY want to have come to fruition 3 months from now. Look at it as biting of a slice of the larger whole. Try to  put the more daunting mountain of a dream within your grasp by focusing on this piece.

Dump your brain. Get out everything that you can think that has to get done or that you want to get done on your project over the next 3 months. If you don’t like computers that much, get a pile of sticky notes and a fresh wall…. every time you think of an item or a to-do put it up there.

Walk backwards from your goal. What will have had to have happened in order for you to end up where you want to be? Do you have to raise money? Create a budget? Recruit a team? Find a needed resource?

Think in containers. Try to find 4-8 master categories. Ask yourself what some things have in common with each other. A few usual suspects  are: money, people, needs

Create stages. “Month 1, 2, 3″ — “Prep, Action, Wrap up” — “Beginning, Middle, End”. Use something that inspires, seems creatives, or helps you visualize the process. Take the to-dos and give them a stage so you know ‘when’ to get to each item in the proper order.

Start fast and easy! Everyone likes easy stuff. So, if it helps you get excited and see progress, ignore every other things I have said and start with those things. Another trick I like to do is outsourcing items that I hate doing or that slow me down… making reservations in among these things.

Take the necessary time. Most big plans fail for lack of time and planning. Make your goals reasonable. Block out a portion every work day to do the project of your dreams and desires. FOCUS!

History of Sale

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“Salesman” has somehow gotten a bad reputation. Perhaps it was converted into a disparaging term by men who pawn worthless used autos with cheap new paint jobs. My own made up history of the word envisions a young leader and entrepreneur alive with excitement about a new revolutionary product that has radically transformed his life. He so appreciates what difference that this new discovery has made for himself that he now can’t possibly contain his enthusiasm. He must tell others. It’s natural. It really is a part of who he is.

Being great at sales takes nothing more than confidence in your product and pride in your delivery and service. If you have personal ownership and belief in what you have to offer, then every conversation ought to be natural, easy and fun. I have a good friend who can’t but help talk about what he does for a living. Not because he needs your money, but because he really believes in what he does. In turn, he is one of the most profitable and successful ‘salesmen’ in know.

So, if you aren’t leading at bringing others along on your journey and in your business… You aren’t proud of what you do OR you need to make your product better. The leadership choices seem rather simple.

White Paper War

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“We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper.” -David Ben-Gurion, Head of the Jewish Agency for Palestine in September 1939 (he later became Israel’s 1st Prime Minister)

1939 was not a good year to be a Jew.  In Continental Europe, Nazi Germany was embarking on systematic genocide of Jews and in Great Britain, a combination of Anti-Semitism and a desire for Arab support in the war effort against Germany created the famous “White Papers”.  The White Papers were laws passed in Britain that limited Jewish immigration to Palestine and gave local Arabs the right to control land, travel, and transport for Jewish refugees from Europe.  The British Government was desperate to appease and have the support of the Arab population in the Middle East during the war and so it enacted the White Papers to the frustration of Jews in the British Empire and beyond.

So if you’re a Jewish leader in 1939 what do you do?  You do something unique.  Why?  Because you have to.  Ben-Gurion decided to launch a 2 front movement with the Zionist movement.  It would strongly support the British/Allied cause in World War 2 and simultaneously disregard and circumvent British Authority when it came to the White Papers.  Jews were smuggled into Palestine every way possible and at the same time Jews served in the British Army fighting Germany all the way to 1945.  Finally, in 1948 Israel became a sovereign nation led by Ben-Gurion.

In leadership, you may find yourself in situations where people need clarity, even when it’s not easy to provide.  Ben-Gurion set out to define for Jews a reality, fuzzy, but HONEST.  For 7 years they worked at 2 seemingly opposing strategies but ultimately leading to one goal.  Sometimes people just need honesty, even when it’s confusing.

Wrestle with It

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“If your organization wanted to replace you with someone far better at your job than you, what would they look for?” -Seth Godin, Linchpin

This quote has been pinging around in my head for the better part of a month. Seth’s book is great… this concept is at it’s core.

If you are worried about being replaced is it already too late?

Are you indispensable?

Am I?

Taking Responsibility

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Having grown up with three brothers, it’s painfully obvious to me that guys are just as emotional, irrational…you name it as girls, they just might express it differently.  As women, double duty is required of us especially in the workplace when overcoming stereotypes.  We have to know who we are, who we work with well and how to respond appropriately as needed to each individual we come into conflict with.

Ways to Deal with Stereotypes and the Conflicts that Occurs from Them:

Roll with the Punches: Know your environment and be aware and well studied in co-workers characteristic.  Don’t find yourself shocked or caught off guard by people and presumptions.

Pick Your Battles: In the vain of rolling with the punches, knowing when to punch back if needed is key.  Have a mental inventory on less to greatest importance.  If you push back on all things, you will loose power and influence and become an annoyance.  Choose wisely and make it count.

Self Edit: Think through each situation thoroughly and take emotion completely out of the picture before you send that email or make that call.  Have a clear agenda focused on task completion rather than an agenda focused on airing frustrations.

Consider the Source: When in conflict, consider the person you are in conflict with and ask these questions: Do I care what they think?  Are they worth my time and energy?

Big Picture Reminders: You are in the workplace to excel and be promoted.  All energy should go towards this.  Stay away from the drama.

Know when t0 Quit: If you find that you are not being treated right and your particular workplace or boss is causing personal turmoil, know when to walk away.  There is a better workplace for you.


Mayor at 19

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Romaine Quin – File the name because he is now a mayor at 19 years old!
(Rice Lake, Wisconsin – est. Pop. 8,000 – map)
Something tells me this guy is not reached his leadership peak yet. While I can’t imagine we are going to get a lot of news out of this small town’s new agencies about his leadership, I hope people around him pay close attention, give him some good coaching and also give him some latitude to take the city in new directions.

Glamour Boss

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Young leaders can be guilty of spending more than a fair amount of time critiquing the boss. In the process, each of us have taken the things we like least about our current or past employers and created a fictional ‘glamour boss’ in our minds. This new boss, who now qualifies to grace the the covers of GQ, Fast Company, Psychology Today and Philanthropy.com all in the same month, is not human. She is made of the stuff that can only be concocted by drinking from the wrong workplace water cooler. Reset your expectations for this world.

Research Character – Before you work for or under anyone, take the time to ascertain fundamental nature and character of your new guide. Know which are the essential qualities of a leader that matter most to you. A job interview is a two-way street so do your own reference checking. Have confidence in the character of the individual that you are going to allow to lead you.

Concentrate on Core - Every leader has their core strengths. When you focus on their gifts, you have the opportunity to see their best and most remarkable qualities and contributions. Seek to learn from a leader’s area of expertise. Fault finding is a pastime that too many have become experts at.

Expect Less – Sounds weird I know. Do a personal inventory. In your frustration, write down every single thing that you expect from your boss. I mean it… write it all down. Now, if your list of reasonable expectations for your leader has grown beyond 2-3 major items (example = clearly defined path of what success looks like in your environment) I want to let you know that you are needy and your expectations are probably unreasonable.

5 New-World Tools

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Here are some very basic thoughts on for working, networking, living and leading in the world today. These are not comprehensive and they may not even be the top 5 so add some ideas of your own to the comments section. I feel silly even writing about these things but every week I run into leaders who are violating at least 2 of these 5 items.

Cell # – Keep the one you have. Don’t use the one your company gives you (unless you have to). DON’T ever change your number (unless your area code is North Dakota, then travel some place cool and get set-up there). Invariably you will change jobs, locations, etc… most people hate trying to track you down. Worst yet, they won’t.

Personalized Email – Similar to your cell, don’t make changes that keep the right and important people from finding you. Unless your employer requires you to use their email address, create your own. Get one at Gmail or .ME or get your own domain. I use 2. I for people and a different one for filling out forms and other crap on & off-line.

Google Docs – This is my preferred collaboration tool, others like Basecamp. The principle here is simple. Learn how to effectively collaborate and use current tools that allow you to do this effectively with others. If you haven’t spent time doing anything other than goofing off on the internet, start learning NOW how to use the amazing free work tools found online.

Network Tools – Sure, Facebook is good, but be sure to constantly be developing your own network of indispensable relationships, contacts, phone numbers and emails. This truth is as old as society.

Work from Anywhere – Train yourself to effectively be able to work from anywhere. Create your own personal spaces & virtual offices. IF you have to be ‘at your office’ to get your job done you won’t last long in the new world of work. By your own laptop. Keep your own files. Create your own securities and back-up systems. Make sure that everything essential to high performance is available to you online. Take reimbursements if they are available from your company for things like your cell or computer or licenses, but don’t let anyone else own your new office.