Nonprofit chief executives and board chairs share the desire for their organizations to thrive. Developing a strong working relationship is essential to making this happen. Leading by example – as a cohesive team – you set a tone that can resonate organization-wide. […]
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “infrastructure” as: “The underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization).”
Not particularly alluring.
Programs and services. Working with clients. Effecting change. Now we’re talking. Yet, without adequate infrastructure, these are not achievable.
Leading a nonprofit is hard work. Internal and external issues arise that demand attention, and the solutions may not be easy. When issues go unattended, they may become so significant that they potentially endanger the organization somehow. But this doesn’t need to be the case. With strong leadership and skillful use of board meeting agendas, nonprofit executives and their boards can have important conversations so they may be proactive and responsive and not caught off guard. […]
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. […]
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.”
You have just hired a new senior executive. Congratulations! Now what?
When the search activities conclude, the transition continues, and a well-planned onboarding process is critical. In the best scenario, a transition task force (which might be the search committee) will have contact with the new executive in the period from offer acceptance to the first day on the job. Having a plan for this “in-between” time will make onboarding go more smoothly. It will also permit the transition task force to discuss onboarding with the new executive to learn what they would like included.
Onboarding a new nonprofit executive may seem daunting. Depending on […]
Welcome to Your (New) World!
It’s 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. The doorbell rings. You open the door and greet your dinner guests. You say, “So glad to see you! The coat closet is over there (pointing). Make yourselves at home. Just go in the kitchen, I think there’s some wine and some food. You’re smart, I know you’ll figure it out and cook up something. I’m going to run upstairs and take a shower. Back soon.” […]
It was not necessarily my intention to mine any further the situation put forth in my blog post, Executive Transition: Cautionary Tale #1 – Settling for Less. I had a completely different topic in mind for this post. However, it turns out that the last lines of the Cautionary Tale #1 are haunting me now. […]
I love Thanksgiving. It is a joy to be together with family, to enjoy longtime traditions and to create new ones as the family grows. It is also a time when I reflect on the year about to end and that for which I am grateful. Although this year is notable for celebrating 15 years of Wishnick & Associates, it is the work that makes every day special. Each engagement has offered the opportunity to renew client relationships or develop new ones and always to be part of an organization’s efforts to be more effective. Thank you to everyone I worked with this year and to those […]
Last month, I shared a cautionary tale about what can go wrong when an organization compromises in its choice of a new executive director due to search fatigue or poor preparation.
This month, I present a tale about what can happen in an executive transition when there is a lack of goodwill among the board of directors and a lapse in honoring one’s role as a trustee of an organization. […]