Seems like we need more fighters and fewer haters these days. Here’s Reverend William Booth speaking when he first came to America. He founded The Salvation Army in 1865 in London.
Social media just wasn’t that good in the 1880’s – but the passion to fight for the common good was outstanding. Where are those thought leaders today?
Posted in common good, history, leadership | Tags: common good, fight, hate, leader, Salvation Army
How appropriate to begin a shift in this blog with anticipation of a new year. The current year has seen two infants added to the family, relocation of our family matriarch, and an answered call to a new job that is exciting, humbling, and daunting. Time is more precious; the future, precarious.
My dad left me his cherished copy of The Forbes Scrapbook of Thoughts on the Business of Life. In it, he marked his favorite quotes. Today, I opened it to one by E. H. Harriman:
It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear.
Anticipation of anything new is best served with confidence. That applies more than ever to the coming year.
What’s the toughest part about solving a problem? Usually it’s the first step: defining the problem. Here’s the infographic describing the problem of stability and counterinsurgency dynamics in Afghanistan.
My head hurts at the complexity – at the overwhelming number of choices. Very often, people give up before they start – before they understand the problem. It is just too daunting.
At a fundraising dinner last week for The College of Saint Thomas More, the speaker mentioned that the hardest part of his preparation was done for him when he was told what his subject would be. His problem was defined for him.
The week prior to that dinner I was in class to learn how to raise funds through planned giving. That’s the art and science of nonprofit development through wills and estate plans. Each day was spent in the world of taxes.
Talk about daunting. I’ve tried to avoid this world for decades. Now I’m knee deep in it. If you haven’t taken a deep dive into the pages of our tax code – even just a few of the 71,684 pages – you have no idea how numb your brain can become.
Most people don’t want to discuss estate plans. It forces them to deal with mortality. More significantly, it forces them to look at a daunting number of choices that keep changing – either proclaimed by law or driven by personal circumstance.
Problems can be solved. Afghanistan, domestic spending, estate planning, immigration, men and women agreeing on a movie.
Okay. Four out of five problems can be solved. But first, define the problem. Nothing can happen until that’s done.
Posted in change, development / fundraising, infographics | Tags: estate planning, fundraising, problem solving
Don’t you just love a good tag line? One that sticks in your head. One that means something.
MSNBC is now pushing “Lean Forward.” Love the concept. It sticks in my head. But seems like it is better suited to inspire change in people facing challenges than marketing for a sometimes news, sometimes infotainment television network.
In the 1950’s, the Magnolia Grocery Company in Carthage, Texas used the tag: “Ask Those We Serve.” Simple and effective for a wholesaler back in the day. Not bad for a nonprofit now.
Google, famous for its inaccurately quoted “Don’t be Evil,” actually has ten tag lines in their philosophy statement. Tenet #6 clarifies their ideas on evil.
Today my personal, slightly biased favorite is that of The Salvation Army. “Doing the Most Good” defines the mission of an Army of people helping those in need without discrimination.
Taken a step further, an anonymous author scribed verse to match that tag. Tags with substance have a way of sticking around.
I am hope.Posted in best practices, communication, marketing, mission | Tags: mission, quote, Salvation Army
When is change NOT hard???
What follows is not the definitive list on how to change things. It is merely my top 10 insights gained from Randy Mayeux’s review of the Heath brothers’ February 2010 book, Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard.
Why Change Is So Doggone Hard
If you’re missing Randy Mayeux’s book reviews in Dallas, you are missing something special. He reviews business books each Friday morning at the First Friday Book Synopsis and books on society, faith, and politics the first Thursday of every month at the Urban Engagement Book Club. Give your brain a treat – or simply impress your friends by “finishing” another new book in 30 minutes.
Change is coming. It’s constant and it’s fast. Some folks embrace change; most do not.
John Maxwell, leadership guru and author said that after a great achievement, often there is the celebration and sigh of relief followed closely by the question: now what? To not ask that question can be dangerous. The river keeps flowing. Rapid change continues. My old blog, “So What’s Next?” reflects on how some people prepare for the unknown.
In my ten years as a volunteer counselor at Camp John Marc, I watched a master change a good children’s camp into a great children’s camp. Camp Director Vance Gilmore wisely and patiently moved with “baby steps” to adapt and improve CJM every year. The change each year was barely noticeable. After a decade of steady, consistently good decisions, I witnessed a positive and remarkable evolution.
Earlier this month, I began working for an organization not known for rapid change. They almost pride themselves in a culture that expects you to ask for permission rather than beg for forgiveness.
That is counterintuitive to anyone who has worked in the high-tech world where change is measured by 18-month product cycles. Most of my “old” high-tech companies no longer exist. My new organization is over a century old. What makes something last so long?
Seth Godin wrote a recent blog on Resilience and the Incredible Power of Slow Change. His conclusion is astute:
“Don’t worry about what happened yesterday (or five minutes ago). Focus on what happened ten years ago and think about what you can do that will make a huge impact in six months. The breaking news mindset isn’t just annoying, it may be distracting you from what really matters. As the world gets faster, it turns out that the glacial changes of years and decades are becoming [sic] more important, not less.”
As my dad would have said, “strong trees grow slowly.” He was right.
Posted in leadership, management | Tags: Camp Esperanza, Camp John Marc, change, John Maxwell, leader, Seth Godin
How many of us really enjoy our jobs? After all, work is a four letter word. Is it really supposed to be fun? We have to bring the bacon home – or more accurately these days, the low-fat yogurt.
Jean Chatzky offered some great insight in a recent issue of the USAA Magazine. She distinguished three types of work:
If you’re raising a family, you may have to stay focused on a career and let your passion be vented as a volunteer. But if you have already paid – or saved – for most of your big-ticket items, you might need do something with that passion.
What is your work to you?
Posted in leadership, management | Tags: calling, career, volunteers
In the 2009 Annual Report, Commissioner Israel L. Gaither talks about The Salvation Army as an organization – and about himself as a servant. His well-done video is brief and to the point.
In barely a minute and a half, he talks about the progress of The Salvation Army and exudes the personal joy of serving. His closing remarks:
Every morning I get up.
Every single morning.
I thank God that I’m alive and I thank God for the privilege of putting on this uniform. The joy of serving others by serving God is my greatest joy.
His passion is quiet but apparent. Does yours come across when talking to others?
It is contagious. It can affect others.
May you catch it – and spread it.
Posted in leadership, mission | Tags: Salvation Army, service
I hate stretching. It’s boring. It hurts. I’m no good at it. It takes time. But after a long run or ride, I grudgingly admit that I need it. The older I get and the tighter my old muscles get, the more I need it.
Look around the next time you exercise. I’ll bet 80% of the people feel just like me. The 20% that do stretch have done it all their lives (good discipline) or are just naturally good at it (good genes).
A few weeks ago Seth Godin wrote a short blog about possibilities. Go read it. His words are much better than mine.
In a nutshell, he tells a story of a man doing something simple but remarkable – virtually unthought of before. When asked how he did it, the man responded: “all you need to know is that it’s possible.”
Too often, it seems that people really don’t try to solve the gnarliest problems. It’s boring (tedious). It hurts (costs too much). I’m no good at it (new learning may be required). All familiar refrains.
Add to those: It can’t be done. It’s been that way forever.
Though many nonprofits are solving problems, they are most comfortable doing what they’ve been doing forever. It often looks like they are just clearing brush at the edge of the wilderness.
Whether we talk about poverty, devastating environmental damage, peace in the Middle East, or any of dozens of other really tough issues – please don’t tell me we can’t make a difference because something is too big, too old, too emotional, or just too darn complicated. I’m tired of that argument.
Godin reminds us to look on the web and find out who is doing something to push the rock forward. When you do, you’ll find possibilities. When you know it’s possible, you’ll know what is possible for you and your organization – with some stretching.
Many nonprofits don’t have the genes to stretch. It really is not comfortable. But every nonprofit can develop the discipline to stretch. With that, you can not just push the rock forward; you can move mountains.
Posted in development / fundraising, leadership, management | Tags: Seth Godin
This is refreshing. A marketer who’s putting the common good ahead of making a buck. Seth Godin says in his blog, “Empty Your Library,” to give his books away if you can use them to spread good ideas.
This guy is NOT a nonprofit guy. He’s a marketer and a prolific author. A part of the “evil” forces of marketing – the guys who, along with Wall Street, helped us hone our greed.
Authors make money by selling books. Godin is encouraging us to give his away – and any others that can help spread good ideas.
Just wish more of the folks that send me tweets and emails everyday were like Godin. A little more interested in spreading good ideas than in spreading the word that they were available for a price to help the common good.
Posted in marketing, Uncategorized | Tags: idea, Seth Godin
The Paceline 