by Tom Okarma | Apr 23, 2010 | Blog, Leadership
I learned a lot from the Chicago Cubs and Randy Hundley about employee and volunteer engagement and commitment. Do your employees/volunteers act like owners in your enterprise? Do they feel a sense of shared accountability and responsibility? I saw such engagement in...
by Tom Okarma | Apr 15, 2010 | Blog, Leadership
Is your organization dependent on certain specialist skills to succeed? Are you vulnerable if certain key performers left your organization? We were highly dependent on several pools of specialty skills and knowledge in our organization. Losing those key performers...
by Tom Okarma | Mar 15, 2010 | Blog, Board Development, Governance, Leadership, Strategic Planning
Having a clear mission, vision, and values (MVV) statement, one the entire leadership team helped create, fully understands, and commits to follow, is a terrific tool. It not only provides a motivational and rallying point for employees and volunteers, it also...
by Tom Okarma | Mar 1, 2010 | Blog, Board Development, Leadership, Strategic Planning
One thing about a nonprofit’s financials is that revenue projections can be a bit “iffy”, while projected expenses always seem to roll in just as planned. Aggressive revenue projections are not necessarily bad, but unless someone owns the fund raising function-and...
by Tom Okarma | Feb 15, 2010 | Blog, Leadership
They say leadership is a lonely position. It’s true, but that does not mean you are 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...
by Tom Okarma | Feb 1, 2010 | Blog, Leadership, Strategic Planning
They say if you want to improve something, start measuring it. School grades, weight, financial results; we measure a lot. But, do you measure what really counts-the activities that ultimately determine results? Do you know what key activities determine your...