Designing a better board meeting

Designing a better board meeting

4 steps to make better use of the board’s time and effort  I’ve worked with countless nonprofit leaders—board and staff—over the past decade, and I’ve found that people generally have pretty strong feelings about nonprofit board meetings. On one end of the spectrum, I often hear comments like this:   “Sometimes I’m sitting there on a Tuesday night, away from my family and my dinner and even my TV… And I imagine sending a houseplant in my place. I’m not […]

A Cascade of Goodwill

A Cascade of Goodwill

The Origins of My First-Occasional, Not-Scientific-but-Definitely-True List of Inspiring, Courageous and/or Thought-Provoking Awesomeness.  I love collective nouns. A flock of geese. A quarrel of sparrows. A charm of finches. A parliament of owls. One morning a couple weeks back, I experienced a series of events that needs a collective noun. A [     ] of [            ]. A magnificence of inspiration. A serendipity of kindness. A cascade of goodwill. I can’t remember exactly what was […]

Working with a Bad Listener

Working with a Bad Listener

Before you give up on the bad listener on your team (which, of course, might be your boss… or, um… you?!), have you considered what you could do to improve communications? This article by Rebecca Knight offers some great tips and reminders, along with two brief case studies that illustrate some practical strategies. Like so many things, we don’t get to control the outcome of a conversation. But we do […]

I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool: Part 2

I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool: Part 2

Practices to strengthen your capacity to navigate conflict In my last post, I wrote about the challenges of navigating conflict, especially where people have long-standing reasons for distrust and disagreement. I outlined three ideas for strengthening your capacity to navigate complex challenges by: (1) reframing collaboration, (2) deepening your self-awareness, and (3) refining how you listen and communicate [ii]. Continuing the conversation, this is focused on practices that can help […]

I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool [i]

I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool [i]

Thoughts on strengthening your capacity to navigate conflict (while also seeing each other as human) In Collaborating with the Enemy, author and facilitator Adam Kahane shares a meaningful anecdote about the challenges of navigating conflict, especially where people have long-standing reasons for distrust and disagreement. In the early 1990’s, as South Africa started negotiating a transition from apartheid toward democracy, one of Kahane’s South African colleagues shared an idea that […]

Questioning and defining leadership

Questioning and defining leadership

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what leadership means, and why it matters. In the context of current events, an idea that I picked up from the Jesuits strikes a chord: loosely, ‘we are all leaders, leading all the time, either poorly or well’. If that’s true, what does that mean for how we show up: in the public sphere and in our private lives? What’s the impact we’re having within […]

Leadership and lust (for books)

Leadership and lust (for books)

One of my favorite winter traditions involves two or three days in a hotel room on the blustery Washington coast. Off-season rates, a fireplace. A stack of books along with a well-stocked e-reader. A slow-paced rhythm: Read. Nap. Ponder. Snack. Read. Take notes. Nap. Rinse and repeat. As an avid reader and a voracious skimmer, I’m always sharing book recommendations, and there are a handful that I pass out like […]

Common patterns of bad decision-making

Interesting stuff about common patterns of bad decision-making. 20 Common Ways We Make Bad Decisions

A three-part tool for dealing with conflict on your team

A three-part tool for dealing with conflict on your team

Last week I told a story about the power of embracing criticism. Building on that idea, let’s explore how to embrace different kinds of criticism and conflict on your team. You know the scenario: You’re having a team meeting, and someone is proposing a new idea. Before they get three sentences in, somebody else attacks or dismisses the idea. Suddenly, people are more focused on staking positions and forming allegiances, […]

Conflict in action: A story about embracing criticism

Conflict in action: A story about embracing criticism

We’ve been thinking about courageous ways to deal with conflict. What does this look like in practice? What can you do when you’re confronted with someone who opposes your vision, your ideas, or your plan? Let’s take a look at the pretty common scenario of facing opposition in a group setting. Karen Kimsey-House is one of my great teachers and co-founder of the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Karen tells the […]