The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations [pdf]

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Established in 1997 with a grant from Rita and Gus Hauser, The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organization "pursues dispassionate research and education, promoting critical thinking about the importance, roles and performance of civic organizations." This website complements their contextual work by offering information about their staff, publications, research programs, and educational programs. The "Publications" area is one that will be of most interest to visitors, as they can peruse their working paper series, look over their newsletters, and also learn about recent books written by Hauser Center authors. The working paper series contains over 40 titles, including "Comparative Advantage in Disaster Response" and "What Matters to Whom? Managing Trust Across Multiple Stakeholder Groups". In the "Programs" area, visitors will find resources for public sector and religious leaders via the Program on Religion and Public Life and materials on the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. Finally, visitors can also sign up to receive the Center's e-newsletter.

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/hauser/

The Future of Work

The Future of Work: How the New Order of Business Will Shape Your Organization, Your Management Style and Your Life (Hardcover)
by Thomas W. Malone

From the Reviews

A more apt title would have been: The Future of Organizational Structure.

As an expert on communications costs and benefits, Professor Malone explores how the pros and cons of centralized hierarchies, loose hierarchies, democracies and free markets compare in producing better organizational results. The book abounds with examples.

The book's overall theme is that with the costs of communications plummeting and the value of the information communication increasing it is inevitable that organizations will decentralize more than ever . . . by employing hybrid forms of loose hierarchies, democracies and free markets for the same organization.

The book ends up with a call to live your dreams that draws on decidedly nonmanagement sources of inspiration. The key idea is that organizations can live values that uplift everyone in them.

If you would like a solid introduction into the forces that are influencing shifts towards decentralization, The Future of Work is a good theoretical overview. Professor Malone also points you to online resources for finding out about best practices in some of these areas.

The book would have been vastly more valuable if it had focused on a few key areas of management performance (such as developing new business models, creating breakthrough new products, or bypassing competitor's established cost advantages) and described how best to apply the concepts in those contexts. I hope that Professor Malone will choose to do this in future books and articles.

Webinar — The Outlook for Foundation Giving in 2008

Join us from the comfort of your own office to hear the latest perspective on how grantmaking foundations are being affected by current trends in the U.S. economy and how foundation giving might fare. Steven Lawrence, senior director of research at the Foundation Center, will present findings from the Foundation Center’s new report, Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook, and address the following topics:
Did foundation giving falter as the economy began to slow in 2007?
Given a weak economic climate, what is the outlook for foundation giving in 2008?
What do prior downturns suggest about the current funding environment?
The webinar will conclude with a question-and-answer segment.
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 2:00-3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
more information ...

Your own Super Niche

To Find a Niche: Focus!

Many entrepreneurs think that selling to the widest possible market is thelikeliest path to success. The problem is that the "take all comers" approach isnot very effective as an overall marketing strategy; marketing becomes expensivewhen everyone is a potential prospect.

Today's small businesses share a fiercely competitive playing field. Combined with information overload, this means that it's harder to stand out when you havea generic message. If you are merely a "management consultant," a humble"business coach," or a nondescript "financial advisor," you risk fighting it outover price with competitors who offer identical services to yours.

To rise above the fray, you need a compelling business message aimed at the rightpeople. You need to cultivate your own Super Niche.

Read the whole article

A New Tool for Resurrecting an Old Theory of the Firm

It's one of the oldest, most fundamental ideas in management theory: that executives should understand how the many distinct functional components of a firm -- production, distribution, product mix, human resources -- interrelate to achieve the proper fit.

For a firm to establish an effective, overarching strategic position relative to its competitors -- what management theorists call "firm positioning" -- the varied functional elements should, ideally, be complementary and reinforcing.

In recent years, however, this notion of comprehending the "part-whole" relationship of the firm fell out of favor as thinkers turned to other concepts to analyze and explain why organizations are effective. One well-known concept that emerged was the idea that companies could turn to core competencies to attain competitive advantage.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1480

leadership - from IQ to HQI

The Facebook Philanthropos

How much giving do online contests and networks really generate?

Can social networks and virtual communities revolutionize charitable giving?

Many nonprofit organizations are counting on these online forces to expand their universe of donors. And a number of foundations are testing the potential by underwriting the launch of "social networking for social good" Web sites, and sponsoring online contests to encourage donations.

Read on ...

In Today's world, everything rises and falls on leadership

Your ability to lead will determine who you influence and what you are able to accomplish. If you want to be a great influencer, you can’t afford to be an average leader.

Learn the principles that will make you stand out as a leader!

LESSONS ON LEADERSHIP

Get 24 of the very best audio teachings on LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, SUCCESS
and TEAMWORK in one incredible package at 25% off suggested retail!

Sales motivation

If you’re in sales, I know you’ll use this often for that “shot of inspiration” to maintain a positive attitude. But, you don’t have to be in sales to love this book. If you like quotes and you like beautiful photos, well...this little book will “knock your socks off!”

Click here to turn the pages of this beautiful little book

How Sustainable Is Sustainability in a For-Profit Organization?

What Do You Think?

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5834.html

Online forum OPEN until February 27. For managers, sustainability can mean the integration and intersection of social, environmental, and economic responsibilities. The concept is admirable, says Jim Heskett, but does it also confuse managers entrusted with the bottom line? How should they make trade-offs? What do you think?

How Canon Got Its Flash Back

- The Innovative Turnaround Tactics of Fujio Mitarai'
Author: Nikkei, translated by Mark Schreiber and Aaron Martin Cohen
ISBN: 0-470-82123-X

If there were prizes for clever book titles, How Canon Got Its Flash Back would certainly be short-listed for a Best Book Title Award. But behind the amusingly apt title there is the serious story of Canons recent roller coaster ride. The company was one of Japans great success stories in the 1980s, approached the brink of financial disaster in the 1990s, and then turned the business around to re-achieve global supremacy in the past few years. The key to this recent success has been the strong personal leadership of Canons President and CEO, Fujio Mitarai. - Keith Hall

This book discusses the East-West style management strategies of its current president Fujio Mitarai (nephew of the founder, Takeshi Mitarai) that have turned Canon into a winner despite an increasingly dreary global economy. Mitarai was chosen as one of the world's top 25 managers in 2001 by leading US magazine BusinessWeek. Since taking office in 1995, Mitarai was viewed as a model for executives of large corporation throughout the world.
More information

Pick the Right Box to Think In

Dan and Chip Heath make a point on the value of boundaries: "We're always told to think outside the box. But it's about time someone spoke up for the box. Because, paradoxically, thinking inside the box can spark creativity, not squelch it. It takes options off the table, but it also dramatically improves the chances that your team will hit the target. So maybe you don't need to think out of the box. Maybe you just need a new one to think in."

Like lines on the field, boxes can be constraints that focus and liberate our constructive choices in playing the great game of business. True empowerment remains freedom within limits, not total freedom. Not even CEOs are totally free to act--they have stakeholders and legal constraints that create the sandbox they play in. Help define the limits and focus of your people and then let them soar.

Read on ...

Write a Creative Marketing Plan in 7 Sentences

Our Guerrilla Marketing coach explains the quickest way to create an effective marketing plan, plus 7 ways to ensure its success.

Read on ...

Fundraising ideas

Looking for fundraising ideas? Here is something a little different ...

Using images in fundraising

Under What Influence?

What do executives consider when making a decision? What motivates an executive to get involved in one activity or initiative at the expense of another? Who does the executive look to for advice -- and who does he or she ignore? CCL's Pete Hammett reveals seven myths and paradoxes that influence today's senior leaders. (more...)

The Secrets of great groups

Personal leadership is one of the most studied topics in American life. Indeed, I have devoted a big chunk of my professional life to better understanding its workings. Far less studied -- and perhaps more important -- is group leadership. The disparity of interest in those two realms of leadership is logical, given the strong individualist bent of American culture. But the more I look at the history of business, government, the arts, and the sciences, the clearer it is that few great accomplishments are ever the work of a single individual.

Article continues

leadership quote

"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

More quotations

The Myth of "Elegant Reasoning"

Great leaders create great strategies, right?

Not so.

The reality is that compelling strategies are seldom created but rather discovered and enhanced by drawing on the shared experiences of many.

(more...)

Leadership Success Tip

Leadership is a social function. It is the ability to make people listen to you, follow you, and respect you in the process. Respect cannot be demanded – it must be earned. Therefore, the more wisely and effectively you practise interpersonal skills, the more respect you will win.

Analyticals don't rule

(But They Do Ask Questions)

ANALYTICALS: GOOD TO THE LAST OBJECTION

Two questions.

Question #1: When was the last time you sat down and listed all the things that people suspect or misunderstand about your organization?

Question #2: Do you depend on statistics to make your case? Maybe you're keen to send out an annual appeal letter lavishly buttered with service stats? "Our dedicated staff of eight plus our 27 volunteers delivered 1,892 evening meals to 1,230 addresses in six counties, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year." The McDonald's approach: 22 trillion served.

Read the whole article

Wikipedia in Pinstripes

Companies interested in tapping into the shared expertise of their workers—the wisdom of crowds writ for business—are looking towards models such as Wikipedia that encourage collaboration.

Can Wikipedia work in pinstripes?

Harvard Business School professor Andy McAfee has his doubts that a corporate encyclopedia would have much value. But the underlying wiki technology—basically an electronic document and repository where participants can throw out ideas, comment on the work of others, and share documents—has more promise.

McAfee and collaborator professor Karim R. Lakhani discuss their research into wikis and other collaboration tools for the enterprise.

Read the whole article: How wikipedia works

Quote for the week

"An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success."

--Stephen R. Covey

More quotations at the Pivotal quotations pages

Leading in Times of Transition

12 Leader Competencies: What It Takes In Times of Transition

For many leaders, managing the business and addressing the needs of workers are at odds. They ask, "How can I make the tough decisions if I have to focus on the emotions and concerns of my employees?" The answer isn't about choosing either the people or the business, according to CCL's Kerry Bunker. Instead, the answer lies in being authentic and building trust.

Article continues

Ego in leaderhip

Are You an Egomaniac? Guy Kawasaki's Ten Questions with Steven Smith

Steven Smith has spent the past ten years exploring how great leaders use ego differently than everyone else—how they work, think, collaborate, and who they are.

Read on ...

Just for fun - Dilbert's words of Wisdom n the corporate world

Dilbert's Words of Wisdom

Poor Dilbert (the cartoon character, for any who aren't familiar with him) has a cynical attitude, but often knows exactly what's going on and where the truth is buried.

Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from the Corporate World. Enjoy!

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.

I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.

Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue.

Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If he isn't there the first time, chances are you won't be needing him again.

On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.

Don't be irreplaceable -- if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before.

When bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit, and remove all evidence that you tried. No use being a damn fool about it.

You are always doing something marginal when the boss drops by your desk.

If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.

When you don't know what to do, walk fast, carry a clipboard, and look worried.

You can find this item and lots more at the Pivotal Fun pages

Six Sanity-Saving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough

There I was. Depressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Despite my best efforts to have a smooth running ship and organize my event, I realized I had a significant breakdown in my process. I admit, it wasn’t the end of the world, but come on, I teach this stuff!

It was one week before we went live on our new program, we were preparing the workbooks for production, and I realized, no one ordered the right tabs! Yikes!

It got me thinking how a client of mine had shared a great story about their direct mail marketing campaign. A lot of money had been invested in buying a list of qualified candidates. But every step of the way there was breakdown in the process – the guy who formatted the list didn’t set it up right, the assistant didn’t have the proper envelopes, and they had no postage when they needed it. My client laughed as he told me this, but I knew he was frustrated!

Well, I’ve learned over the years that a breakdown means that something very valuable is happening – I have new insight into how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that problem never happens again.

Let’s look at a few examples of how breakdowns can occur in our business or life.

Read the whole article

Overcoming shyness to become an excellent leader

"Don't let timidity stop you from being an excellent leader. Get over your shyness and get your company on the path to success."

People skills are so important in management, whether you are managing a business or a community organisation. As usual Stever Robbins has the problem and its solution in a nutshell ...

"Q: I am very shy, but very ambitious. I started a company and am up to four employees. I spend much of my time in my office because it makes me uncomfortable to spend too much time being social and having meaningless conversations. I don't think this is a good character trait. How can I become more comfortable around people?

A: Bravo for addressing this now! As your company grows, people will look to you for leadership. Literally. They'll watch how you act on a day-to-day basis and will adjust their tone accordingly. Conversation from the boss, even if it's idle chit-chat, isn't meaningless. It creates culture and lets people know how to respond.

Here's one thing I can guarantee: If you stay in your office, they won't think you're shy."

Read the whole article

Hot Auction Prizes or Only In America!

Our friends from the US group Auctionpay (who kindly brought us the charity auction kit!) are reporting on the very latest hot auction items that are bringing in the big bucks at charity functions around the States.

And well the new 'trends' are eye openers!

According to the Auctionpay clients it seems the hottest items this year were medical services.

Raising the Bar: The Role of 'Social Information' in Charitable Giving

Suppose you work at an organization -- like a public radio station or public library -- that is about to launch a fund-raising drive to help cover operating expenses. How would you structure that drive? Are there ways to increase the amount of money that individual donors commit?

Wharton operations and information management professor Rachel Croson and a co-author set out to answer this question by examining the influence of social information on contribution behavior.

Their goal was to find out whether donors to a public radio station will give more money if they are told the amount of another donor's contribution.

The researchers present their findings in a paper entitled, "Field Experiments in Charitable Contributions: The Impact of Social Influence on the Voluntary Provision of Public Goods."

Read the whole article

More on fundraising

When leadership becomes a quest

[From the ezine of Leadership Wired]

The head of one of the nation's largest credit card issuers learned many lessons in a previous career as a management consultant that he now has the opportunity to apply in his own company.

Richard Fairbank, the chairman, president and CEO of Capital One Financial, shared some of these principles at a recent talk at the Wharton School (of the University of Pennsylvania). Knowledge@Wharton, the b-school's bi-weekly online resource, provided the following highlights in an article titled When Leadership Becomes a Quest.

People are your business's most important asset. "You can't find anybody in corporate America who doesn't agree with this, but their actions are inconsistent with that statement," Fairbank told his audience. An important part of a CEO's job—as well as that of any other leader—is recruiting and motivating employees.

Cast a compelling vision, but don't allow your desire to overshadow your humanity. People are more likely to work hard for and cooperate with leaders who are authentic. Fairbank says this involves "being vulnerable, being honest and showing your weaknesses as well as your bold dream."

Success isn't about an impressive title or large paycheck. Rather, "It's about having a dream, a quest," Fairbank said. "[My father] used to say that, 'It doesn't matter how big the quest is. What matters is how pure the quest is. You can own your own success by virtue of defining it as a quest.'"

People who work in a specific industry often don't see, or respond to, the changes taking place around them, according to Richard Fairbank, chairman, president and CEO of Capital One Financial. That's because the industry's conventional wisdom is so embedded in their brains that they don't notice how stale it has become. "There's an old Will Rogers saying that sums it up," said Fairbank, who gave a talk on leadership this fall at Wharton. "It ain't what he don't know that scares me. It's what he knows that just ain't so."

Read more of the article Registration is free.

The role of the newsletter in your fundraising

Steve Hitchcock discusses the role of the newsletter in your organization's fundraising:
"Publishing a newsletter at least four times a year is essential if your organization is serious about raising money through the mail. Even with web pages and on-line newsletters, almost all of those who send contributions to nonprofit groups prefer -- desire -- to receive a paper newsletter in the mail.

Your newsletter doesn't have to be fancy. In fact, your donors will appreciate a simple, easy-to-read publication. The advantage of a four-page newsletter (or eight-pages with lots of photos) is that your donors will read it right away. Anything more substantial and they'll set it aside to read later. And you know what happens then."
Read the whole article

Selecting the Best Manager

When filling a management position, should you promote from within or hire an outsider?

Our expert weighs the pros and cons.

Hiring management-level employees can often be a daunting task. Of course, the major challenge is to select the individual who'll best fit into both the position and your business's culture. Before considering any candidates, however, your first decision is to determine whether you should promote internally or hire externally.

This article presents the pros and cons of each choice.

There are five good reasons why you might want to consider hiring an internal candidate.

First, it sets a precedent and second, it's good for morale. Employees are often very pleased when they see that "one of their own" has been promoted to a management-level position. And when morale goes up, productivity most often follows, especially when the employees like or respect the newly promoted individual.
Article continues

Meeting Success Tip

You can make use of confrontation. Turn it around. Approach it without apologies, avoid emotional involvement and use facts. Then turn it into a joint problem solving exercise.

More on meeting success.

Don't allow phones in a meeting room

[From Robyn Pearce]

A very large international IT company asked for a course on 'How to run effective meetings'. It was the weirdest session I've ever run; a brilliant example of how not to run meetings. The trouble was, the CEO had a different work ethic to the rest of the company.

She'd been sent to Australia from the States to do the job, and had no family in the country. Her work was her life and she expected her managers to behave in the same way.

The session was a bun fight! People came and went like yoyos, phones rang constantly, and although everyone had chosen to come, the activities of a number of the group were so (unintentionally) disruptive that it minimised the learning
of the rest.

Article continues

Look out Below

On April 14, 1912, a luxury ocean liner on its maiden voyage struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank within hours, sending some 1,500 people to cold, watery graves.

The Titanic tragedy has been memorialised and analysed in movies, books and historical exhibits.

As anyone who saw James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster movie about this event can attest, the story is full of great human drama. From a leadership perspective, however, what really interests me is the iceberg.

Article continues

Leadership success tip

We must always be alert to the problems team members may cause, and their weaknesses. But the strength of the team and its leader will be based on the ability to also see the best value in each other. We must not waste that value. And as individuals, we will always rise to the best value people see in us.

For free articles on Leadership, visit the Pivotal Leadership pages

Pivotal Leadership Point

On the eve of his first inauguration, George Washington is reported to have said "Integrity and firmness are all I can promise."

Before you can have integrity, you must have firm values. It is important that you establish a basis of conduct from which to operate. Without a firm knowledge of what to you is right, and what to you is wrong, you will be indecisive in leadership situations. You must have a clear-cut standard of behaviour to guide your thought and actions in order to hold firmly to your integrity.

Marketing - Do People Really Care How Long You've Been in Business?

Some marketing consultants talk about how you should always stress benefits, and never talk about features … and how you should always focus on the customer, and never on the company.
But is that always true? Of course not. For instance, the number of years you’ve been in business is a feature – a fact about the company. Yet prospects care how long you’ve been in business -- and your longevity can help close the sale.
Why?
Read on ...

Meeting Success Tip

If you want everyone's opinion, take note of those who have said nothing. When everyone is quiet, ask those people for their ideas.

Learn from our free set of tips on Using an agenda for meeting success. Ask for them now.

Blake Mouton Managerial GridBalancing Task - and People-Oriented Leadership

When your boss puts you in charge of organizing the company Christmas party, what do you do first? Do you develop a time line and start assigning tasks or do you think about who would prefer to do what and try to schedule around their needs?

When the planning starts to fall behind schedule, what is your first reaction? Do you chase everyone to get back on track, or do you ease off a bit recognizing that everyone is busy just doing his/her job, let alone the extra tasks you’ve assigned?

Your answers to these types of questions can reveal a great deal about your personal leadership style. Some leaders are very task-oriented; they simply want to get things done. Others are very people-oriented; they want people to be happy. And others are a combination of the two.

If you prefer to lead by setting and enforcing tight schedules, you tend to be more production-oriented (or task-oriented). If you make people your priority and try to accommodate employee needs, then you’re more people-oriented ...

Read on ...

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t

by Jim Collins
Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time.

They finally settled on 11–including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo–and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success.

Making the transition from good to great doesn’t require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner.

Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider.

Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. –Harry C. Edwards

From Publishers Weekly

After establishing a definition of a good-to-great transition that involves a 10-year fallow period followed by 15 years of increased profits, Collins’s crew combed through every company that has made the Fortune 500 (approximately 1,400) and found 11 that met their criteria, including Walgreens, Kimberly Clark and Circuit City.

At the heart of the findings about these companies’ stellar successes is what Collins calls the Hedgehog Concept, a product or service that leads a company to outshine all worldwide competitors, that drives a company’s economic engine and that a company is passionate about.

While the companies that achieved greatness were all in different industries, each engaged in versions of Collins’s strategies. While some of the overall findings are counterintuitive (e.g., the most effective leaders are humble and strong-willed rather than outgoing), many of Collins’s perspectives on running a business are amazingly simple and commonsense.

This is not to suggest, however, that executives at all levels wouldn’t benefit from reading this book; after all, only 11 companies managed to figure out how to change their B grade to an A on their own.

Find in a library
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GOOD THINKING

If you watched the swimming events at the ... Olympics last summer, you probably observed the incredible focus the medalists demonstrated.

Sure, they're strong and fast. But when hundredths - maybe even thousandths - of a second are all that separate the winners from the losers, it's obvious that something besides strength and speed is at work.

A comment by Flip Darr, a former collegiate swimming coach who played a part in training eight Olympic medallists, sheds some light on what that critical ingredient might be.

"I felt in my coaching career that if I would work on [the swimmers'] head[s], their bodies would come along," he said. "A lot of coaches work on their bodies and then at the last moment try to do their heads. The thing is, if they are working with their heads all the time, and working with their head over the body, mind over matter, they will have more confidence when they walk up to the block."

What a great illustration of the value of good thinking.

Athletic ability is important, but preparing for the biggest race of one's life is as much mental as it is physical - if not more so.

As Bill MacCartney, the former head football coach at the University of Colorado, once told me, "Mental is to physical what four is to one."

That's a powerful argument in the case for good thinking - on the football field, as well as in your office at work. The specific thoughts that increase your effectiveness as a leader might not be the same as those required for an Olympic medal, but the overall commitment to thinking is identical.

Click here to read the complete article

The blog has moved

I have moved this blog over to wordpress. Please come over and visit it there.

Non profit communication

Put blogs to work as part of your communications strategy. A blog can help nonprofits communicate information to members in real time through frequent, brief entries on your organization's Web site.

Nancy E. Schwartz, Editor and Publisher, Getting Attention

From the Nonprofit Good Practice Guide

Tag: Non-profit

Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow

Author: Martha Lagace
Executive Summary:
How can a nonprofit increase its social impact? Many would say it needs to grow big to be strong. Instead, says HBS professor Jane Wei-Skillern, the answer could be in the power of strategic networks.

...................


Whether their mission is to protect wildlife, help disabled people, or offer financial services in developing countries, nonprofit organizations often believe they need to grow big before they can achieve significant social impact.

HBS professor Jane Wei-Skillern has been exploring something different: Her research suggests that a more powerful lever to increase a nonprofit's social impact might be to focus on building network relationships like-minded groups—even competitors. Read on ...

Quote

"No matter how much work a man can do, no matter how engaging his personality may be, he will not advance far in business if he cannot work through others."-- John Craig

Tag: Leadership

Executive Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have

(Hardcover) by Justin Menkes

The final word on what traits make for highly successful managers - and a detailed explanation of how to identify potential standout performers. Executive Intelligence is about the substance behind great leadership.

Inspired by the work of Peter Drucker and Jim Collins, Justin Menkes set out to isolate the qualities that make for the 'right' people. Drawing on his background in psychology and bolstered by interviews with accomplished CEOs, Menkes paints the portrait of the ideal executive.

In a sense, Menkes's work reveals an executive IQ - the cognitive skills necessary in order to excel in senior management positions. Star leaders readily differentiate primary priorities from secondary concerns; they identify flawed assumptions; they anticipate the different needs of various stakeholders and how they might conflict with one another; and they recognise the underlying agendas of individuals in complex exchanges.

Weaving together research, interviews and the results of his own proprietary testing, Menkes exposes one of the great fallacies of corporate life, that hiring and promotion are conducted on a systematic or scientific basis that allows the most accomplished to rise to their levels of optimal responsibility. Finally, Menkes is a passionate advocate for finding and employing the most talented people, especially those who may have been held back by external assumptions.

"Executive Intelligence offers real insights into what differentiates the great leaders from the pack."

Kevin Sharer: Chairman, President & CEO of Amgen, Inc

"Executive Intelligence" is a breakthrough."

Noel M. Tichy, Professor, The Ross School, University of Michigan and author of Cycle of Leadership

"This will transform the way companies hire, promote and evaluate senior-level employees. It is nothing less than a revolution."

James M. Citrin, board director and practice leader, Spencer Stuart, and coauthor of the national bestsellers The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers and You’re in Charge, Now What

"Justin Menkes has provided a useful guide for helping to identify the people you want to bet your company on."

Ed Breen, Chairman & CEO, Tyco International Ltd.

"Menkes offers a stimulating analysis of an important topic."

BusinessWeek

Amazon from $13.94

Find in a library

Find in an Australian library

executive intelligence, leadership

Meeting Success Tip for the Week

The mover of a motion does not have to vote for it. Putting a motion on the floor is a techniqe to facilitate control of discussion and to focus the meeting on making that discussion productive.

Tag: meetings

Fundraising idea - button making machines

Button Making Machines - Make Buttons for Cash
Back when I was in junior high I was in a computer club and as part of that club we used this button machine to make money. While we weren’t very creative at the time in what we put on buttons, the idea is a good one. People like to wear around buttons that say funny things.

fundraising

Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management

Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management (Hardcover) by John P. Kotter

Leadership, Kotter clearly demonstrates, is for the most part not a god-like figure transforming subordinates into superhumans, but is in fact a process that creates change -- a process which often involves hundreds or even thousands of "little acts of leadership" orchestrated by people who have the profound insight to realize this. Building on his landmark study of 15 successful general managers, Kotter presents detailed accounts of how senior and middle managers in major corporations, in close concert with colleagues and subordinates, were able to create a leadership process that put into action hundreds of commonsense ideas and procedures that, in combination with competent management, produced extraordinary results.

John Kotter demythologizes the concept of leadership and clearly distinguishes it from management. In the process, he provides new guidelines for leaders and managers trying to optimize their relationships and effectiveness.

William H. Genge
Chairman, Ketchum Communications, Inc.

Full of powerful, useful ideas that will be of great service to those who have been struggling to define and assess leadership.

Thomas J. Mithen
General Electric

One not only learns from his book, but is excited by it. The weaving of research results and case examples is extremely effective.

Warren R. Wilhelm
AMOCO Corporation

More reviews at Aamzon where the book is selling for $21.95 new.

How Important Is "Executive Intelligence" for Leaders?

In response to the ninety-seven online comments to this month's question, it appears that Justin Menkes, author of the book Executive Intelligence, has tapped into a hot issue with his concern that the concept is underrated, under-measured, and under-experienced in the selection and development of leaders.

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5449.html#forum-summary

leadership

DO YOU HAVE THE QUALITIES TO BE A GREAT LEADER?

Do you have the personal qualities to be a great leader?

Leaders have

1. Flexibility. Leaders must be able to adapt to change, and have their organisation able to do so too.

2. Judgement. To be able to make the right choice at the right time

3. Courage. Courage is based on belief in one’s decisions, the courage to make a choice and stand by it, or to adapt to changing situations, and new information

4. Knowledge. A leader needs to have the knowledge necessary to do the job – knowledge of the technical side of the organisation and of the people. That knowledge must be kept constantly up to date.

5. Will power. To stick with choices and decisions and to see them implemented. And to be able to stay flexible and responsive to all inputs.

6. Integrity. The foundation stone for all of these is integrity. We all respond to integrity


leadership

Auction Tips - 5 Steps to Auction Success

There is no doubt about it; an auction takes a lot of work and commitment on many levels. Soliciting items for both the live and silent portion of the auction, also called procurement, is key to a profitable event. Putting together a powerful procurement team can help ensure success in securing donations and meeting event revenue goals. Whether this team is professional staff or a volunteer committee the same ideas apply.
The procurement team is a group of individuals who will be tasked with soliciting contributions for the auction. Ideally, the team will consist of people who have both the time and perseverance to contact potential vendors both by phone and in person for donations. Individuals who are both friendly and persuasive, and above all committed to your cause are most effective. It is also very helpful to engage members on your procurement team who are well connected in the community and have access to people with influence. Read on ...

Meeting Success Tip for the Week:

Sit where you can be seen. Place yourself with the most powerful people, so you get the halo effect. If you are presenting, face them. Sit in the middle of the row, not the end, to maximise your contact with the other people at the meeting. At a table, sit the head of the table. These are external symbols of validation.

MEETINGS

Third Annual Nonprofit Forum: Strategies for Sustainability

8 September - 9 September

Transforming the nonprofit sector in the 21st century through adopting innovation

Aimed at the senior managers of nonprofit organisations, marcus evans third annual Nonprofit Forum looks beyond the traditional view of nonprofit as just 'fundraising organisations' and considers the strategic and operational leadership aspects that drive the performance of professional and responsible nonprofit companies.

This year, our leadership forum showcases a range of management issues with a focus on creating new efficiencies and accessing new markets and strategic business partnerships for successful sustainability.

Third Annual Nonprofit Forum (8th & 9th August, Sydney) offers an opportunity to hear best practice presentations and case studies, and participate in expert discussions addressing strategies for sustainability relevant only to the Third Sector.

You will benefit from an independent platform where you will learn by sharing with your peers and with key stakeholders within the Third Sector.

contact Chris Lowat marcus evans on 61(2) 9223 2137 or email:marketing@marcusevansau.com

For full programme, see:www.marcusevans.com.au/pdf/459.pdf

not for profit

Cooperation

"Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds. I may be given credit for having blazed the trail but when I look at the subsequent developments I feel the credit is due to others rather than to myself."-- Alexander Graham Bell

More inspiring quotes

quotations

Leadership Success Tip

Do what needs to be done to ensure that the goals for your area of responsibility are clearly defined. Write them down, commit to them in a report, or use them to chart a course of ation. If they are flexible then the parameters and degree of flexibility also need to be clearly defined.

leadership

Team Builder Tip: Results and Relationships

"Separate the People From the Problem" is the title of the second chapter of one of the best books ever written on conflict resolution, Getting to Yes

I use the concepts for team-building workshops because the best tactic ever for addressing conflict is to build solid relationships within the partnership, team, group, or organization. Proactivity pays off here. Read on ...

team building, leadership

Killing me softly - the conflict resolution conference

Preventing, negotiating and resolving conflict in your community organisation.

Friday 8th September 2006 ... 9-4.15
More information


conflict resolution

Volunteer Management Training

Where: Sydney, Bathurst

When: 14 August 2006 - 16 August 2006

Start time: 9.00 amF

inish time: 4.00 pm

Effective Volunteer Management : Mobilising Your Resources

Join Rick Lynch, leading US Based volunteerism trainer and author for this challenging, stimulating and useful one day workshop.

Rick is a US based volunteer management expert, trainer and author. He has written numerous books on leadership, volunteer management and excellence in non-profit organisations, including co-authoring 'Volunteer Management : Mobilising All the resources of the Community'

The day will cover :

the four elements of jobs that are intrinsically motivating

how to really measure the impact of volunteer activity

how to stop micromanaging your volunteers

how to talk to volunteers who fail to meet your standard

More details ...

volunteers

Motivate each person according to values!

From Stever Robbins

A friend just sent me this link about how to be a Technical Lead. It is written for technical people by a technical person, but it really applies to anyone running a company that depends on technologists.Especially note “Mistake #2,” which discusses motivation.

One of the most common things I’ve found is managers who don’t take the time to find out what is motivating to their particular people. They assume that everyone wants the same recognition they do. Or they assume everyone thinks a football outing is the be-all-and-end-all of bonding. Read on ...

leadership

Nonprofit organizations are concerned

The cause (the people, places, things, or issues the organization wants to help or change)

Donors (the people and companies that contribute resources to help the cause)

Volunteers and helpers

The media

Each of these groups interacts with the nonprofit organization in its own unique way.

Subsequently, nonprofits need to develop their organizational personality in ways that they can develop meaningful relationships with these audiences.

One of the first tenets of Robin Hood Marketing is to not preach and evangelize about the cause or the organizational mission. Instead, take a page from the Nike marketing book and ask each group for a specific action. Read on ...

not for profits

Know thyself . . . and thy donor

WITH THE proliferation of conferences on direct response fundraising, new techniques are being shared far and wide. But to Diane Bernardini, Direct Mail Manager for Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (Maryknoll NY), there’s an important caveat:

“Sometimes you go to seminars and somebody will find something. And it’s almost like it’s too gimmicky. You have to be careful with those gimmicks. Because what works for somebody else may not work for you. And I think it’s important to know what your organization is, what kind of donors you’re looking for, and stay right on target.” Because, she adds, “with some gimmicks, you can end up getting donors, but they just won’t respond again.” Read on ...


fundraising

Narcissism and Leadership: A Review and Research Agenda

By Seth A. Rosenthal

This article appeared in the 2006 issue of Working Papers

It is clear that a significant number of world leaders have rigidly grandiose belief systems and leadership styles. Often, the authors who recount the “psychohistories” of these leaders connect both the leaders’ assent to power, and their ultimate (and seemingly inevitable) downfall, to their narcissistic grandiosity.

While not every author employs the term “narcissism” to describe the leader in question, across the board they reliably depict individuals whose aspirations, judgments, and decisions, both good and bad, are driven by unyielding arrogance and self-absorption.

The pantheon of purportedly narcissistic leaders ranges from the great tyrants of recent history including Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein (Glad, 2002), to lesser-known malevolent leaders like the founder of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell (Miliora, 1995) and cult leader Jim Jones (Zee, 1980), great historical figures such as Alexander Hamilton (Chernow, 2004), business leaders of all stripes including Steve Jobs (Robins & Paulhus, 2001), Michael Eisner (Sankowsky, 1995), David Geffen (Kramer, 2003), and Kenneth Lay (Kramer, 2003), and an eclecticand sometimes surprising list of current political leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu (Kimhi, 2001), John McCain (Renshon, 2001), George W. Bush (Krugman, 2005; Suskind, 2004), and both Jimmy Carter and his mother, Lillian (Glad & Whitmore, 1991).

Read the remainer of this article in PDF format »
leadership

Executives ‘On-Loan’ to Charities

For many Not for Profits, living from grant to grant and having no time for long term planning can lead to corporate envy – wondering how top company managers re-invigorate their operations.

So what about having an ‘executive-on-loan’?

That’s an idea that Melbourne Cares hopes to address in the future – where companies lend their executives to Not for Profit organisations for a year or longer and often at no charge to offer much-needed business experience. Read on ...

executives, not for profits

Church Resources’ Specials for NFP’s

Need the buying power of a large organisation to reduce your costs?

Since 1997 Church Resources has been providing the strength of a large national buying group to help all Not for Profits save time and money.

Membership is free and all church and NFP groups are eligible to register and can benefit from savings and improved levels of service on a range of products from telecommunications and office equipment through to advertising, cars, travel and many more!

To take advantage of the specials below you must be a Church Resources member. To register visit www.churchresources.com.au/register.php

For more information on Church Resources and for a copy of our latest Savings Guide call 1300 CHURCH (1300 248 724) or visit www.churchresources.com.au

not for profit

How Individual Power Use Affects Team Process and Performance: Implications for the Powerholder

By Ruth Wageman, Elizabeth Mannix

This article appeared in the 2006 issue of Working Papers

Even within teams of peers, certain individuals have more power than others. Individual members may have essential skills and experience, networks outside the team, or status within the organization that give them more power than the average team member (French & Raven, 1959; Hollander, 1958).

How these powerholders use their power may vary from team to team. For example, consider a task force whose purpose is to solve a problem in the organization’s ability to attract new members. One member of the team is especially expert in member-engagement practices and root cause analysis, upon which the team is dependent to complete its task well. This dependency gives her power (Emerson, 1964).

She might use her power solely to influence the team’s task approach in the areas most relevant to her particular skill. Or she may use her special influence to dominate a range of team functions, from managing relations with senior leaders, to controlling the conflict-management processes within the group. Or she might exert no special influence at all, acting as an average team member in all domains. What consequences might her choices have for the effectiveness of this team?
Read the remainer of this article in PDF format »

leadership, teams,

Premium treatment

By Mal Warwick

PREMIUMS are one of the most hotly debated topics in direct mail fundraising. Their advocates — and they’re many — insist that premiums routinely boost response rates by generous margins. The most enthusiastic of these folks assert that donors acquired through the use of premiums have long-term value no less than that of donors acquired without them. Read on ...

fundraising

Knowledge Nomads: Understanding an Overlooked Segment of the Workforce Helps Managers Lead

By Todd L. Pittinsky, Magaret J. Shih

This article appeared in the 2006 issue of Working PapersManagers have formal and official supervisory authority within an organizational hierarchy. As a result, a perennial concern of managers is employee mobility, i.e., the turnover of workers, and the implication of worker mobility for the staffing of critical functions in the organization.
Read the remainer of this article in PDF format »


managers, employment

Rational sharing and its limits

People differ in their willingness to share, as well as their reasons to do so. An open collaboration community of willing sharing members thrives on a virtuous cycle: increased sharing often offers stronger reasons for more people to share. However, it may also decline when the cycle goes the opposite direction and turns vicious. What determines the dividing line?

We offer insights into this important question based on an analytic understanding of the concept of rational sharing, which is sharing for net gain in personal utility. In a nutshell, a community thriving on rational sharing is essentially an economic system, a platform for creating mutual benefit through exchanges.

This analysis is based on our prior work in statistical modelling of peer–to–peer systems. There are two salient features. First, the shared content is modelled as a mixture of different types of goods. Members’ sharing is pooled and organized into supply, which in turn is brought to match with demand from the members themselves, and a wider community also in the case of open access. The importance of the goodness of match between supply and demand is therefore apparent. Second, incentive schemes are modelled simply as dependence between the quality of service a member sees and the level of sharing. Being simplistic, it points to an interesting generic observation: no incentive is strong enough to break the catch–22 situation during startup unless some seed content is present.

We are not suggesting rationality as the only conscious basis of sharing for individuals. Quite the contrary, we gauge the limits of rational sharing thereby, and identify when and how non–rational bases of sharing is needed. For instance, high quality open access Wikis we witness today would not have been sustainable if sharing had been purely rational, as meaningful reward in quality gain has to be reserved for enticing rational members. Read on ...

community, sharing

Not So Lonely at the Top? An Exploratory Study of the Multiple Commitments of Aspiring Leaders

By Brian Welle, Todd Pittinsky

This article appeared in the 2006 issue of Working Papers

Leadership is often viewed as a lonely endeavor, as this quote exemplifies. Leaders are frequently perceived as standing “alone” at the top of the hierarchy. Drive and sustained commitment have been linked to the attainment of leadership positions (McClelland & Boyatzis, 1982), findings that are corroborated by the many public and private sector leaders who have described the years of intense work, perseverance, and sacrifice that led to their success. Traveling the path to career success and leadership positions can come at the expense of developing rewarding relationships with friends and family (e.g., Hewlett, 2002).

Read the remainer of this article in PDF format

leadership

Self-improvement

For information about leadership, management, nutrition, being organised, time management and much more visit the Pivotal Personal Best blog.

self improvement

An Examination of Trust in Contemporary American Society

By Howard Gardner, Jessica Sara Benjamin, Lindsay Pettingill

This article appeared in the 2006 issue of Working Papers

It is hard to imagine a society functioning in the absence of trust. From the smallest incident—crossing the street when the light is green—to the most consequential events—a government fulfilling its pledge to pay Social Security—individuals must be able to rely on individuals and institutions to behave in a reliable and trustworthy manner.

When trust is absent, chaos ensues. Of course, trust should not be given blindly; authentic trust needs to be earned and renewed.

Read the remainer of this article in PDF format »

leadership, trust

Informal Learning - the Untapped resource of Enterprise Training Departments

If you look around yourself, it seems that informal learning is completely ignored in most organizations and that no tools, facilities or appropriate working environments are made available to further support and facilitate independent and self-driven informal learning activities by high performers inside the organization.

This is why the best cure in this direction is to to encourage your organization to start questioning more the validity of providing learning opportunities and facilities that satisfy only a very small percentage of its workforce while greatly handicapping the high performance workers and self-directed learners within it.

Read the whole post

training

Strengthening Business Processes through Rapid User Adoption andWorkflow Learning

Workflow learning describes the process through which individual users of enterprise software learn how their roles, functions and use of enterprise technology contribute to the execution of larger business processes.

This white paper examines the importance of workflow learning and identifies the components of an effective enterprise software training platform to strengthen business processes and enable organizations to keep their competitive edge.

Traditional enterprise software training routinely fails to teach people how their individual activities – and their use ofthe new technology – support larger business processes and strategic corporate objectives.

Employees who fail to make that connection are less likely to understand the larger,more costly ramifications of mistakes and delays that occur in their area.For example,many accounts receivable (A/R) managers may not understand how an A/R entry error can cause a spike in day’s sales outstanding, which marks a crucial financial performance metric for most companies.

Workflow learning shows A/R managers and other users of enterprise software systems how their activities affect organizational performance.

Workflow learning also expedites software implementations by delivering more effective training to end users earlier in the process – and sustains that training and application support well after the go-live date has passed.

Knowledgeable users of enterprise software systems can leverage technology to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of an entire business process,not just of their individual contribution.

A process-savvy A/R manager,for example,is more likely to recognize and point out efficiency improvements that can improve the entire order-to-cash cycle.

For those types of improvements to occur, however,individual employees must know how their activities support larger business processes.

They must also know how to use their enterprise software systems.An effective workflow learning platform addresses both needs and ultimately enables an organization’s people to leverage large technology investments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes that propel companies past theircompetitors.

Read the whole white paper

workflow,

Connecting the Corporate Dots: Social Networks Reveal How Employees and Companies Operate

What do Wharton faculty members and the workers who spy for the National Security Agency have in common? More than you might think. The Wharton scholars aren't analyzing links among billions of telephone calls to identify terrorists, a controversial NSA activity that caused a stir after it was disclosed recently in news reports. But they, too, are interested in mapping social networks.

Social networking is a hot topic. Ordinary Internet users take advantage of networks when they turn to well-known websites like MySpace and Friendster to link up with other people. But more serious interest in social networks can be found among academics, consultants and corporations seeking to deepen their knowledge of how companies operate; how employees and board members interact; how key employees can be identified; and how relationships can be better understood to improve productivity and the dissemination of ideas.

>> more

social networking, corporate networking

Easy Fundraisers

Everybody wants easy fundraisers. The problem is that you also want good results. So, how do you get the best resultsfrom an easy fundraiser?

Three things to consider in evaluating easy fundraisers:

Read on ...


fundraising

Mission Impossible - a report and reference collection of charity mission and visions

Remember doing exams at school where you just wanted to look other people's answers without the hard work of revising?

Well "Mission Impossible" lets you do just that - for other charities' vision statements.

It takes away all the hard work of trawling through their organisations' websites. Or as they say in the ads - we've done the hard work so you don't have to. "Mission Impossible" brings together over 80 vision statements from a range of organisations in the charity and not for profit sector. We don't claim it's exhaustive or representative, just useful.

Even so the full version is over 100 pages long. We added analysis to the beginning of the collection to give you our thoughts on examples of good practice.

(full report and reference)

mission statements, vision statements, charities

How to get the best out of your next meeting or event.

This industry guide for the professional management of conferences, meetings and events is a useful tool in bid documents for MEA members either via this downloadable version or via the glossy, colour printed hard copy version available from MEA.

The guide outlines the role of a meetings manager in the wider industry mix; lists the range of areas a Meetings Manager may cover; how to choose and brief a meetings manager; contract and commission information; benefits of using accredited meetings managers and associate-fellows; the MEA code of ethics; and more.

A pdf, downloadable version of this brochure is available (right click on the link then "save target as")

events, meetings

Cause for Complaint?How charities manage complaints about their services

The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity. This is one of a series of reports that present our case-working experience, supplemented by additional research. Their purpose is to help increase understanding of an issue. They are part of our mission to help charities maximise their impact, comply with their legal obligations, encourage innovation and enhance effectiveness.

This report presents the findings of our research into charities’ working practices and contains ideas you may wish to consider adopting, taking into account your charity’s own unique situation.

Read the report

charity, charitable organisations, complaints,

Resources for Families

This blog is devoted to helping you manage your organisation.

But are you also managing a family?

Then you may be interested in my Resources for Families blog.

Posts cover news and trends in families, tips and information about parenting, family nutrition, homework help, marriage and much more.

Bronwyn's Resources for Families

families

e-fundraising

From a blog called "fundraising - interesting but essential ...

'This will be the future of fundraising. Email is free to use as a means of marketing your fundraiser and has the ability to stay in touch with people interested in supporting your organization no matter where they are. Thankfully an email account usually follows your fundraising friends around. '

Read the whole post

fundraising

Social bookmarking on a corporate intranet

"We describe a technology exploration of social bookmarking within a closed, corporate environment. We hypothesize that such a tool would be valuable for information sharing, information management, and social networking in our organization."

Laurie Damianos, John Griffith, Donna Cuomo, The MITRE Corporation

Read the whole report

social bookmarking, intranet

Free downloads for non-profit organisations

If you're like most busy nonprofit professionals, the last thing you want to do with your time is spend it searching for free software.

While free software abounds on the Internet, actually identifying programs that will meet your needs is a difficult process. That’s where TechSoup’s new Free Downloads section can help. In this section you won’t find a comprehensive list of every free program in existence. What you will find is a short list of excellent applications (for both newbies and geeks) that will meet most nonprofits’ needs for software -- no 30-day downloads, no guilt-trip messages, no crippled features.

The downlaods can be found at Tech soup

non profits

Web Update

I have just updated the Organisation Management web pages - added the folowing articles:

Hiring for Executive Intelligence

Leadership:Leadership: Leading Your Business

Fundraising:Foundations Funding – If The Slipper Fits

leadership, management, fundraising

Learning Styles

The Learning Styles Profiler Software (LSP) is the computerised version of the well known Learning Styles Profiler designed by a leading internationally renowned expert in learning and personality development, Assoc Prof. Chris Jackson.

Twelve years of academic and applied organizational research have gone into the development of this instrument. See definitions of scales and understand item scoring here.

Key Features

Based on a well-developed theoretical model of the neuropsychology of learning

Diagnoses functional learners, dysfunctional learners as well as various other types of learning

Goes beyond the weaknesses of the learning cycle.

The model of learning measures real psychological processes.

Sophisticated questionnaire design

Produces a tailored, useful and well-constructed self-development report

Designed for use within organizations, education, training, community and clinical use

Known reliability and validity: All the stats are clearly reported in the free manual!

360 degree appraisals of learning available to account holders

Management options provide full flexibility of delivery

You can try before you buy!

The LSP is designed to measure how people learn and provides a written report on their learning style and how it can be developed. The LSP is used in business across the world to promote learning and a learning environment.

See the LSP Manual for full information (email us for your free copy) and try a free demonstration report today.The most important thing about the LSP is that it is based on the most up to date and validated biological theory of learning. There is simply no other learning styles questionnaire for business and education with such a good theoretical and design pedigree. Read the detailed and fully referenced section on the development of the LSP based on the neuropsychology of the brain and be reasssured by the sophisticated psychometric properties of the LSP which are also fully reported..Visit the LSP website

learning styles, Organisation management

Getting Your Message Across - an online guide

by Russ Grayson

Guide to producing and publishing information for community, small business and non-government organisations.

A useful online guide for small organisations wanting to get information before the public.

Getting Your Message Across includes:
The Big Picture
Reporting
Online media
News gathering
Strategy

For more information

organisation Management, non profits, NFP,

Voluntary Treasurers' Handbook

A resource from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia to help small organisations who rely largely on volunteers.

This publication is intended to help small non-profit organisations.

While the financial resources and skills of personnel will vary enormously, some principles are fundamental to all. Many small organisations have few, if any, paid staff and rely on the work of volunteers.

This handbook has been written to help small organisations and particularly the person carrying the financial responsibility. It attempts to cover, in broad terms, matters that honorary treasurers need to know about in order to keep their organisations on an even financial keel and out of trouble.

Topics covered in Voluntary Treasurer's Handbook:
Finance – A team effort
Legal responsibilities
Record keeping
Classifying Information
Reporting Management
Planning
Cash Management
Shoe-box Accounting
Taxation Issues
The Australian Business Number
Goods & Services Tax
Fringe Benefits Tax
Pay as You Go System
Deductible Gift Recipients
Superannuation Guarantee
Other Taxes
Checklists for Treasurers
Shoe-box Accounting
Find the link here

non-profits, treasurers

Windmill News - The Development of a Community Magazine with A Difference

The development of a community magazine - an exercise in community building focussing on community based assets, social entrepreneurship , developing social connectedness and maintaining a vibrant community.

Windmill News - a Vision of Connections or a Connection of visions?

In September of 2004, a seed of an idea was finally watered with a number of volunteers coming together to start what was to become known as “The Windmill News”- a community magazine with a difference. Read on ...

organisation

community

non profit

Innovation Strategies Summit: Know your brain

"Gerald Haman from SolutionPeople gave a presentation entitled “Know Your Brain” at last week’s Innovation Strategies Summit.

Gerald believes most people do not spend as much time as they should thinking about how they think. So he walked us through an exercise designed to help us to better understand our individual thinking style, and to recognize and honor thinking styles that our different than our own.

Here are some selected thoughts from his presentation that resonated with me: ..."

Read on ...

thinking, innovation

Give your community organisation a home on the web

Community Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs) provide the world's first intuitive, standardised naming system to enable better access to local community, tourism and business information to help facilitate social, cultural, economic and sustainable benefits.

The names reflect the geographical address of a locality and provide one website address for that community: placename.state.au. The use of the CGDNs will be restricted to community website portals.

Read more ...

community organisations

domain names

Blogs for idea mining

From Dorai's Learnlog
Blogs are a great source of ideas.

Some of the bloggers are the smartest people I know. They comment about products. They track trends. They predict future products. They compare and categorize. And they share it all free.

So how about mining ideas from blogs? And using them to improve your products, projects.

For example if you look at a list of mashups, you will certainly get ideas for other mashups. If you enjoy using Web 2.0 products, you already know a specific user interface you like. By tracking the most popular Web 2.0 products, you are getting some free market research.

All these are talked about in the blogosphere.

creativity, innovation, blogging, organisations

Public Speaking support for you

Overcome your fear of public speaking, Polish your presentations. For tips, quotes, articles and links to much more, visit Pivotal Public Speaking

Tags:public speaking, organisation

The 6 Cs of leadership

From Oren Harari’s Blog

I just came back from Mike Milken’s Global Conference in Los Angeles, where I participated in a panel discussion of how small to medium sized businesses can capitalize on the opportunities of globalization. Great conference, though I confess it’s daunting to be in a hotel surrounded by Nobel laureates.

But I digress. No matter what subject was discussed during the three days—national security, global warming, health care, corporate competitive advantage, etc.—the subject of leadership was never far behind.

Unsurprisingly, the need for leadership today is more important than ever before. Rafael Pastor, the ex-President of USA Networks and current CEO of Vistage International, and Barry Sternlicht, the ex-CEO of Starwood Hotels and current head of Starwood Capital Group, both had some astute comments on the subject.

Coincidentally, and surprisingly, both of them summarized their perspectives with concepts beginning with a “C”, so it’s really easy to combine their viewpoints and come up with a "C" list of leadership attributes necessary for success in the 21st century.

I wish I had enough poetry to come up with this list, but at least I can use my own words in describing the six elements:

1. Courage: Great leaders take risks. They are willing, even excited, about entering unchartered waters. They face their own fears, their own demons, the doubts of naysayers around them, the very real structural and financial hurdles before them—and they go forth anyway. That takes planning and discipline, to be sure, but most of all it takes courage.

2. Creativity: Great leaders embrace imagination. They foster innovation. If they themselves don’t possess those attributes, they surround themselves with people who do. They exude impatient with the status quo. They understand that doing the same-old, same-old is a recipe for decline. Their message to the troops is-- challenge conventional wisdom and break new ground. Do it with economic logic and operational discipline, yes, but do it with creativity.

3 and 4. Compassion and Caring. Sternlicht used these words in one phrase. For great leadership, he emphasized the importance of caring deeply about what you’re doing, about the welfare of your people and customers, and about doing things with a strong moral fiber. What that tells me is that analytically detached, amoral executives need not apply. Great leaders have emotional and ethical as well as intellectual integrity. They love, and they love ethically.

5. Curiosity: Great leaders come to the party with a sense of wonder and awe. They restlessly and repeatedly ask questions like-- What’s out there? (let's check it out!) What’s behind there? What’s underneath there? What if? Why not? When can we try it? What will happen? What did happen? What did we learn? What’s our next step?

6. Consistency. Sternlicht noted that great companies “consistently surprise customers.” I believe the issue of consistency is essential for effective branding and sustained competitive success. Great leaders create an environment where C’s #1-5 aren’t a one-shot flash-in-the-pan deal, but so steady and ingrained that people inside and outside the organization can count on them. They can count on the leader, and the organization manifesting traits like courage, creativity, compassion, caring, and curiosity.

Six C’s. Easy to remember. Do you have the conviction and commitment (two more C’s?) to carry (sorry, I couldn’t resist) them out?

tags: leadership, organisation,

Conflict: Constructive or Destructive?

What creates conflict in your organization?

Different views on business decisions and strategy?
Disagreement about tactics?

Poor relationships and personality clashes?

Conflict occurs for many reasons. But, by changing how you respond to conflict, you can reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones.

"If it is well managed, conflict can have positive outcomes," says CCL's Brenda McManigle. "Conflict can lead to better decision making, expose key issues, stimulate critical thinking and fuel creativity and innovation."

Read on ...

tags:
conflict, management

Leaders are those who recognise it

"Are leaders born, or can you make the decision to become one? Whether your view is from the bottom up, the middle or the top – It's clear that your decisions make the difference."

Read on ...

Tag: leadership

Top Management Lies

From the Creating Passionate Users Blog

Nobody says they want to hire "yes men". They say they want employees who are bold, creative, self-directed, take initiative, and aren't afraid to speak up. But what managers say they want and what they actually want (and reward) can be very different...

Read on ...

Tag:management

Leadership - a job to be done alone or as part of a team?

Bruce Hoppe writes:

Structural Holes: The Source of Good Ideas

What does it take to lead a successful company?

Corporate executives today face a growing array of challenges fed by revolutions in technology and globalization. It’s enough to make an executive wonder if leading a successful company is more than a one person job.

Actually, in most cases it is.

As Tom Malone recently put it in The Future of Work, “As managers, we need to shift our thinking from command and control to coordinate and cultivate -- the best way to gain power is sometimes to give it away.”

Coordination, cultivation, and collaboration are increasingly the mode of work at every level.

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leadership

Communication Success Tip

How will you gain the attention of the person with whom
you wish to communicate?

Whatever the method you use, it will set the tone for the communication, whether it be, for example, formal, friendly, relaxed, assertive or aggressive.

It will also have a major effect on whether your message is received favourably or not, and even on whether the person gives you their attention of not.

So whatever your form of communication - writing a letter, sending an email, beginning a telephone conversation or making a speech, be aware that the way you attempt to gain that person's attention is vitally important.

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communication

Ethics & Leadership

From CCL:

Shoddy ethics. No integrity. Poor character. Untrustworthy.

In this age of high-profile corporate scandals and growing government scrutiny of business, these phrases are all too often associated with leaders and leadership. The gap is widening between many organizations and the faith the public has in them. In this issue of Leading Effectively, we explore ways in which that gap might be narrowed by paying closer attention to ethics, character and integrity and their connection to leadership and leader development.

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leadership