Nonprofit chief executives and their board members do not simply wake up one morning with the following revelations:

• The demographics of the area they serve have changed;
• Funding for a signature program is at risk; or
• High staff turnover is a dangerous threat to service delivery.

Yet, nonprofit leaders confront these realities often. When I read a story or hear about a nonprofit in extremis, I wonder if the leadership has been asleep at the wheel. Did no one see the signs? Why did they not point these things out to each other? What were they (or were they not) talking about at board meetings? […]