In the mission-driven world of non-profits, our decisions are infused with purpose, values, and an abiding desire to make a difference. Yet, despite noble intentions, our actions can yield surprising — and sometimes counterproductive — outcomes. Collateral damage, side-effects, and ripple effects are just some of the names we give to unintended consequences. We all… Continue reading The Consequentiality of Unintended Consequences – Part 1
Tag: not-for-profit
Governance ‘Freedoms’ and their constraints
“Art lives on constraint and dies of freedom”[Michelangelo] Paraphrasing Michelangelo, we might also say that the art of governance is catalysed by constraints and lacks focus or coherence when directors are free to do what they want. For those of us who think of governance as a system of controls, it may seem that the… Continue reading Governance ‘Freedoms’ and their constraints
Ethical Communications
Nonprofit organisations generally have communication and social media policies to guide their spokespeople and staff on acceptable practices. Despite this, mis-communications and other communication problems occur, especially where social media is involved. Most of the tensions within our communities are fuelled by words. Words used to label, blame, shame, or cancel people. Legitimate protests can… Continue reading Ethical Communications
Balancing ‘long’ and ‘short’ strategic perspectives
The ‘strategic horizon‘ most nonprofits use is between 3-5 years. That seems to be about as far into the future as we feel able to project – either in terms of what we might confidently predict about our operating environment, or the timespan over which we are willing to commit to achieving our goals. Such… Continue reading Balancing ‘long’ and ‘short’ strategic perspectives
Juggling Cats, Chainsaws, & Bowling Balls
Leadership roles often requires a capacity to deal with multiple challenges. Consequently, we need to be able to share our ‘attention budget’ between various roles, functions, priorities, and tasks. Leaders as Jugglers The juggling metaphor is sometimes used to suggest the dexterous handling of these multiple demands. Each metaphoric ‘ball’ is given its due, and… Continue reading Juggling Cats, Chainsaws, & Bowling Balls
The Skilful Uses of Silence
Much of our thinking and advice about advocacy and communication focuses on speaking up. Most associations and charities think of themselves as being ‘the voice’ of their cause or group. Rhetorical skills and wordsmithing are highlighted as we consider how messages are framed and delivered to various key audiences. “Silence” carries a long history, with… Continue reading The Skilful Uses of Silence
Prosocial Parallels – Cooperation and Kindness
Nonprofit organisations are in the cooperation business. Nothing we achieve is accomplished without cooperation in one form or another. From cooperation amongst members and stakeholders to form associations and charities, to cooperation in the selection of directors, to decision-making by those directors, and alignment of staff and volunteers with the vision and mission – all… Continue reading Prosocial Parallels – Cooperation and Kindness
Rhetorical repetition, reiteration, and redundancy
“At the risk of repeating myself, …” How many of us have irritated an audience with ill-judged or unthinking repetition? For myself, I plead guilty as charged. By way of penance then (not pedantry of course), this post explores some of the ways repetition can either enhance or undermine communication. Repetition as a rhetorical tool… Continue reading Rhetorical repetition, reiteration, and redundancy
Reactive, Responsive, & Proactive Leadership
A recent exploration of thinking styles (see The [mind] map is not the territory) included a reference to automatic thinking. It suggested that unconscious (usually emotional) reactions to triggering events or circumstances can benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. But that was only a small part of the automatic thinking story. Reactiveness, Responsiveness, or Proactiveness Part… Continue reading Reactive, Responsive, & Proactive Leadership
Cultivating cultural competence & social cohesion
Divisive contributions to public discourse about overseas conflicts and immigration can cause our social fabric to fray at the edges. When we think about the tone of such discourse, it encourages us to consider whether our own contributions will foster social cohesion or promote further conflict. Social identity, cultural competence, and social cohesion are related… Continue reading Cultivating cultural competence & social cohesion