Time and timing considerations are central to most decisions we make as nonprofit leaders. Planning involves using past and present data to adopt targets for future work. It also involves scheduling tasks and activities, monitoring and reporting cycles, deadlines, and time-sequencing of processes (including coordination of serial and parallel processes e.g., using Gantt Charts). Time… Continue reading Fusing experience and expectation in decision-making
Tag: decision-making
‘Doughnut’ thinking for NFPs
This post looks beyond the ‘donut’ chart and geometric descriptions of toroidal shapes to reflect on three doughnut metaphors. These are drawn from philosophy, economics, and organisational design with a view to offering insights applicable to nonprofit governance. Doughnut topology A toroidal shape, also known as a torus (‘tori’ is the plural), is a three-dimensional… Continue reading ‘Doughnut’ thinking for NFPs
Magnetic and Attention Field Insights
Magnetic forces have long been referenced in figures of speech such as “I felt drawn to this cause”, “s/he has a magnetic personality”, and “design a magnetic website to grow your audience”. While this blog has touched on this magnetic theme before, it is revisited here to consider the metaphoric connection between ‘attention fields’ and… Continue reading Magnetic and Attention Field Insights
Questioning Frameworks and Options
My previous post highlighted the choices we make to pay attention to certain perspectives (and ignore others) when engaging in deliberations and decision-making. Earlier posts have also canvassed a wide range of models and frameworks that can be adapted for uses suitable to your nonprofit governance or management circumstances. De Bono’s six thinking hats, design… Continue reading Questioning Frameworks and Options
Attending to Attention and Intention
And so, we turn our attention to … attention itself – especially as we apply it in deliberative and decision-making processes. As with most reflective practice, this involves us being both participant and observer. While participating in the use of attention, we simultaneously (or intermittently) observe our engagement with attention methods, qualities, and levels. Such… Continue reading Attending to Attention and Intention
“The die is cast”: On Randomness, Intentionality and Certainty
Julius Ceasar was reported to have said “The die is cast‘ when he sent his troops across the Rubicon in 49 BC. This quote is generally thought to refer to his having made a decision from which there was no going back. While we can’t know what was in Ceasar’s mind, nor whether he actually… Continue reading “The die is cast”: On Randomness, Intentionality and Certainty
The curious director
Curious about Curiosity I have been wondering about curiosity lately. This strangely circular activity feels a little like the sensation you experience when you step between opposing mirrors and see an infinite array of reflections bouncing off each other. I have used the mirror metaphor when advocating reflective governance practices before, acknowledging that it has… Continue reading The curious director
Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 2
We encounter many kinds of conflicts in different settings throughout our lives. Some are personal, involving the inner critic. Others are interpersonal, where we disagree with one another for some reason. Conflicts may also involve groups or organisations we belong to, while others are commercial, legal, or political matters, some of which are played out… Continue reading Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 2
Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 1
‘Conflicts’ in the boardroom are normal. That doesn’t mean we intend to be disputatious or belligerent though. Diplomacy is not reserved for national governments. Conflicts of interest, conflicting opinions, and interpersonal conflicts are some of the more frequently discussed conflict issues that Boards need to manage. The partial typology illustrated below suggests a few others,… Continue reading Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 1
Strategic Capability, Flexibility, and Maturity
During a recent project focussed on evaluating board effectiveness, the client’s wish to enhance ‘strategic capability’ was highlighted. As this concept is one with many possible interpretations, it triggered this post, reflecting on: Strategic Capability Organisational capability includes numerous dimensions, one of which is called strategic capability. Strategic capability, in turn, is a collection of… Continue reading Strategic Capability, Flexibility, and Maturity