You know about filling your nonprofit board with a matrix of key skills: a CPA, a lawyer, an HR specialist, subject matter experts, fundraisers, etc. You know about including stakeholder representatives: donors, churches, government, journalists, clients (yes clients), etc.
These are good places to start looking. But here are four nonnegotiables for the final selection. Continue reading Seeking a Board Member – 4 Things You Will Want
Perfectionism.
I have it. If you are in leadership, there is a high probability that you have it, too. It has three faces.
Perfectionists are always striving for flawless performance. That is good. We are taught about continuous improvement, kaizen, Zero Defects, Six Sigma, zero variation, the OODA loop. Nearly every management improvement program preaches working toward perfection.
The second face of perfectionism is impossibly high standards. Perfectionists have the end in view, but, often forget the process of getting there. They have no tolerance for others.
Quite often, being flawless costs twice the effort of 95% perfection, without the added value.
And striving for perfection in a task can mean it is never completed.
I have several project reports on my desk, waiting to be published. The projects are completed. The problems have been solved. The new processes have been implemented and are working. But, the report is not yet flawless. This is characteristic of Meyer-Briggs INTPs like me. The project never gets done.
The lack of tolerance means your subordinates and coworkers will become defensive. They will begin to work-to-rule. They will be constantly revising. Nothing will get done.
Yes, it can get even worse.
Perfectionism, with its impossibly high standards, and lack of tolerance, causes the growth of policies, procedures, and standards. “There will be no deviation from perfection and here is what I mean by perfection…”
Creativity dies a cruel death. Initiative is gone in before anyone notices. No one may question “the right way.” No deviations allowed. Costs climb. Schedules grow. Talented people leave.
A group of us were standing in the briefing room of a major corporation, waiting for the big guy to appear for the annual Strategic Plan Presentation.
We were just passing the time with small talk. I noticed that one of the vice presidents had left his note portfolio open on the table. Inside the front cover was a page entitled Twenty Questions That Will Stop Any Briefing. Continue reading How to Stop Any Briefing
Annual performance evaluations are one of the worst tools ever invented. They distract from real-time performance, they are often backward focused, and the objectives for next year are usually overtaken by events before the toner dries. Even worse, they can be completely demoralizing if they include surprise criticism. Continue reading Jobs I Hate: Evaluating the Executive Director
Many years ago I attended a precinct meeting in Texas for one of the political parties. The primary (pun?) purpose of the meeting was to elect delegates to the state convention. About 80% of the attendees were supporters of a certain favorite presidential candidate.
The precinct chairman, who looked to be just out of college, pulled out his list of delegates and said, “Let’s elect this list by acclamation.” Most seemed were in agreement.
Just then a grizzled old fart gentleman with overalls and a 5-day beard yelled from the back, “Let’s just do it right!” Continue reading It’s Easier to Do It the Right Way
Due Process is a phrase that arose from Chapter 39 of the Magna Carta in 1215. The exact phrase was first used in a restatement in 1354. It is fundamental to the purposes of that document and to the operation of a democracy. It limits the power of those in authority to operate in an arbitrary (read, tyrannical) manner and forces them to use the rule of law. Continue reading Due Process. What is It? and Why Do You Need It?
Do your people, staff and volunteers, feel they have permission to act when they see an issue?
I recently wrote two posts on delegation, Delegate or Die and How to Delegate, that laid out the reasons you must delegate and gave the steps to delegation.
I was once a young pilot in the Air Force. As the saying goes, “Flying is hours and hours of boredom with moments of sheer terror.”
But flying was also a school of management. I learned much of what I know from those early years. Here are some examples. Continue reading Management Lessons from Flying
Board meetings can be a real drag. We all know that.
But, they don’t have to a time-waster. It takes planning and preparation to conduct an effective meeting. Here are some tips: Continue reading Running a Tight Meeting
In fact, every donor, board member, and executive director should watch this. It will change your view of charities and how they are funded and operated. Continue reading Every Donor Should Watch This