Learning to Lead for Impact
leadership insight from Tom Okarma
the latest and greatest…
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
leadership
Celebrating Volunteers and Employees
These are tough times for a lot of people. Some are out of work; those with jobs fear for them; in business, clients are very demanding and have little tolerance for problems or excuses. In the nonprofit world, you probably are seeing record numbers of clients...
Generational Change and Your Organization
With October quickly slipping away many organizations are hard at work developing business plans for the coming year. Others may be engaged in creating new long-range (whatever that means) strategic plans. For nonprofits and churches, that means leaders, board...
Purpose, Meaning, Motivation
Sure employees work for a pay check. At some level, we all do. However, many people work for other reasons. And volunteers, well, they are totally mission-driven. Some employees actually love their jobs or how their jobs positively impact others. One person on my...
Leader vs Manager
I know, I know. You’ve heard this before. One of the oldest distinctions every aspiring leader has to understand. But, stay with me. I recently saw this distinction demonstrated in a new, very clear, very demonstrative way…not once, but twice. Leaders naturally...
Shaping the Organization’s Future
Have you ever had to rebuild a department, ministry, or an entire organization or church? Did you wrestle with how much to structure the process versus letting others handle it? We did. One of our departments had gone through a tough period. An ego-driven leader had...
Let’s Play Two Today!
Pastors, executive directors, and other leaders have a lot on their plates these days so whenever others can help share the load, that is a good thing. Especially in certain areas where the leader him/her-self isn't needed. One way to do this is through delegation,...
board development
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strategic planning
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