Learning to Lead for Impact
leadership insight from Tom Okarma
the latest and greatest…
Who Owns Your Nonprofit Agency?
Who owns your nonprofit? Do you really have as much operational latitude as you think you do? Have you or your board ever stopped to ask yourself these questions? In business, a board of directors...
Bully Boards-Here’s One Way To Avoid Them
Every so often, I hear about tough, demanding boards but nothing like a board I recently “met” through a friend who also serves as the CEO of a separate, very successful, well-mannered nonprofit...
25 Ways Your Board May be Failing
Do many of these sound familiar? If so, it’s time to do something. Let me know what else you might add to this list. No strategic plan in place Poor alignment between goals and:resources, staffing,...
“Tom-isms”, or What I learned the Hard Way…
...but you don't have to. We all learn a lot of lessons along the way. I seem to learn best by doing rather than taking someone's advice. The result is I learn by getting my nose bloodied from time...
Yes, Your Nonprofit does Need a Board of Directors!
Absolutely, a board of directors is necessary. But, it shouldn't just be comprised of a collection of well-intended directors. Legally, you're probably required to have one anyway, but in addition,...
Do We Really Need a Board of Directors?
I suspect many executive directors have asked themselves this question at one time or another, and probably with good reason. Unless you have a well-thought out New Director Orientation Program you...
leadership
The Unavoidable(?) Leadership Silo
Most nonprofit leaders share many traits: passion for the mission, effective communication skills to "tell the story", a cadre of devoted volunteers and leadership team, and an awareness of the need to always be looking for new ways to raise revenue. Well, there is...
“Upping” Your Nonprofit Board’s Game
The respected ECFA, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, recently released its Governance survey, taken by 1,600 CEO'S, Board Chairs and directors from its member agencies. One of the more interesting learnings coming out of the survey was an agreement...
When a Board Falls Short of Expectations
There must be something in the water around here. I've had coffee with four separate nonprofit executive directors over the last 45 days, each one with the same problem--actually two problems. Their first problem is each ED believes their board is not providing the...
Who’s Your Thomas?
Leader: Who's you Thomas? You know...the "Doubtful Thomas"...on your board? The one who is not afraid to question your nonprofit's plans, general assumptions, habits, and conventional wisdom. The one who isn't afraid to challenge the powers that be (you and the board...
Build that Authentic Team Now
How to develop the next generation of leaders, how to build leadership bench-strength, leadership development in complex organizations
Got Alignment?
If you stop to think about it, leaders can significantly increase the impact of their nonprofit agencies without spending an extra dime. Say what? Let's say your agency has: Experienced leadership-CHECK! A clear and compelling strategic plan-CHECK! The respect and...
board development
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strategic planning
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everything…
Go For It!
I’ve got to hand it to Chicago Cubs owner Tom Rickets. He is about to land one of the biggest fish in the professional baseball world talent pool. I’m talking about Theo Epstein, the current and about to be former, general manager of the Boston Red Sox. There is a...
Creative Friction-A Good Thing
When I led a for-profit company, we used to talk about “creative friction”- a condition whereby people with different opinions on a particular topic were encouraged to voice their opinions and provide evidence to substantiate their positions. It was very helpful in...
What’cha Doin’?
One of the most powerful tools a leader can employ is consistent communication. Does everyone (staff and volunteers) know your top three priorities? If you randomly asked them what key priorities simply had to be accomplished over the next year, how many different...
Giving Dupage
Successful executive directors and board members of nonprofit agencies know they must excel in certain key areas to carry out their mission and to make maximum impact in the community. Falter in these key areas and their agency’s span of reach and impact is...
All Together Now…
They say leadership is a lonely position. It’s true, but that doesn't mean you’re all alone. Often, it is better to open the door and let others have a chance to solve the big problems leaders face. I once led an organization that sold services through a terrific, and...
What’s the Score?
Most organizations have a plan for what they what to accomplish in a given year-maybe an elaborate one, maybe a simple one, but they have a plan. That's good. And, most organizations measure results and various other data. That's good, too. I've found, though, that...
Why People Give
Seth Godin is one smart guy. I like reading his "take" on things. Sometimes he makes my head hurt but he always makes me think. Not by using outrageous examples but by his thoughtful and common sense perspective. (He is speaking later this week at a leadership...
When The Leader Retires
I recently agreed to serve as co-chair of our nonprofit's search committee to replace the current president and founder. He will be retiring with the next year or so. He has a wealth of information, wisdom, relationships, and passion. Needless to say, replacing him is...
Six-Month Check Up
Now that we are past June 30, it’s a good time to take a look under the hood. How are things going in your organization so far? It’s not too late to make critical adjustments to get back on track if results and performance are falling short of expectations. Revenue...