Welcome to the Wishnick & Associates blog! There is lots to read, based on experiences from my 20-plus years working with nonprofit, mission-driven organizations. I have written about strategic planning, capacity building, executive leadership transition, boards of directors, and more – lessons learned, effective principles, tips, and advice. My intended readers are nonprofit chief executives, board members, nonprofit staff (especially those aspiring to leadership roles), and anyone with an interest in myriad organizational issues. My hope is that through these blog articles, I can pass on a bit of the inspiration I get from my clients. Please let me know what you think, or if you have ideas for a future post … and do share these posts with others who may be interested. While I have moved to writing on a more occasional basis, there is a lot here to think about. Thank you for stopping by!
When It’s the Leader’s Turn to Be Reviewed
A nonprofit executive director’s performance review is about more than how well they do their job. For the chief executive, it is about leadership, professional development, sharing accomplishments (personal and organizational), receiving feedback, and goal setting. For the board, the chief executive’s performance evaluation is about leadership, fiduciary responsibility, being a responsible employer, goal setting and achievement, and success – success for the organization and the individual. (more…)
Old Year New Year: Permission to Dream
What is the best approach to the end of one year and the beginning of the next? Is it to continue carrying with us the weight of last year? Or is it to enter the new year unburdened and hopeful?
Sometimes when working on a strategic planning project with a client, they have difficulty focusing on the future. While all that has led to strategic planning is formative, depending on the situation, it can propel the organization forward or impede its movement. (more…)
Why It’s Important to Pause
Earlier this fall, an executive coaching client introduced me to the following quote by Existential psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl, which continues to resonate in my mind:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
HALT – So Your Board Members Can be Their Best Selves
During his first year of college orientation, my younger son was introduced to HALT – Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired – a stress management technique. For entering college students, it was supposed to help them increase self-awareness and understand what was going on with themselves and how this affected their interactions with roommates and others. It was geared to help them from becoming less pleasant versions of their usual selves.
HALT resonates with me. Especially regarding nonprofit boards and board meetings. After all, aren’t nonprofits better served by directors who function at their finest and highest levels? (more…)
Don’t Make it Sink or Swim: Orienting New Board Members
Does your nonprofit bring on new board members annually as a class rather than randomly throughout the year? If they start together, I commend you for choosing this wise approach. If not, I hope you will consider making a change after reading this.
When we think about it, nonprofit board members have a significant responsibility. Through their leadership, they hold the organization in trust for future generations. Exactly what this means for any organization depends on its life cycle stage and all the factors in play at any given time.
The Essence of Hiring Right: The Key Role of Values and Personal Qualities
Think about the most successful people in your nonprofit. What do they have in common? Now think about those who didn’t succeed and have left your organization. What caused the disconnect?
While it is natural to concentrate on experience and preparation when interviewing candidates, those hiring may overlook the importance of culture and values. I learned the fundamental significance these play in identifying the ideal candidate in my earlier life as an executive search consultant (before becoming an organizational development consultant with nonprofits). (more…)