Within the past couple of weeks, I helped my parents clean out and sell their condo in Southwest Florida. Mom and Pop are now in their 80’s and have chosen to move to an excellent assisted living facility nearby.
[Read more…]
The Integrated Leader, Manager, and Coach Model
Many professionals with whom I work lead teams in the nonprofit world. They are attracted to the nonprofit sector because of the opportunity to have an impact beyond financial return for themselves and shareholders.
[Read more…]
Board Games (No, Not That Kind)
I currently serve on the Board of Directors for a small, early-state nonprofit called Volare Youth Leadership. My term of service is expiring in June and the Executive Director asked me to consider extending for another year. I’m in the midst of that inquiry and will have an answer by our June meeting. It’s a responsibility that I do not take lightly.
[Read more…]
Leaders Set Intentions. How About You?
Right now I am exploring what Carl Jung called “synchronicity,” or the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.
You know the sensation. One moment you are thinking of a friend, and then all of a sudden your cell phone rings and there she is. According to Jung (and many who followed him) synchronous circumstances while not related through casualty, are connected by intuition, meaning, or purpose.
[Read more…]
Staff Failure–Allowing it, Embracing it, Encouraging it.
A few years back, our family was vacationing in Florida (before we permanently relocated). One morning, our two daughters were swimming in the pool, while we visited with my wife’s sister seated in chairs poolside. At some point, our younger daughter (who was just learning to swim) decided to jettison her life jacket and play on the steps in the shallow end near us. All well and good. Even though she was just learning to swim, Claudia was still under our watchful eye. As parents, Lillian and I are inclined to give our children some leeway.
[Read more…]
Time and Money–The Vicious Circle
When I have more time, I’ll make more money. When I make more money, I’ll have more time.
Do you see the madness?
Time and money scarcity are among the most pernicious beliefs that afflict leaders today. We tend to get caught up in the limiting belief that there is not enough time and money for everything in life.
[Read more…]
The Top 10 Reasons You’ll Fail as a Leader in 2017
10-You don’t ask for help when you need it.
9-You have an inward (rather and an outward) mindset.
8-You do not touch, move and inspire anyone.
7-You allow your fears and saboteurs get the best of you.
6-You do not honor your word to yourself or others.
5-You continue to make yourself right and others wrong.
4-You avoid crucial and difficult conversations.
3-You run ineffective and inefficient meetings.
2-You succumb the myth of time scarcity.
And the #1 reason you’ll fail as a leader in 2017 is that you choose not to invest in your own learning and growth.
David Langiulli is a certified professional coach who helps nonprofit leaders flourish and thrive. He is also the author of The Essential Leadership Guide for Fundraising Professionals. Grab your FREE copy now by becoming a member at www.FundraisingLeadership.org.
No Dice! Dealing with Rejection.
I have been dealing with a generous dose of rejection lately. It’s as a result of an intention to explore how I might be helpful to nonprofit leaders. This past fall I started reaching out to some folks directly through LinkedIn. While these overtures are harmless, it appears that the “stranger-danger” ethos is alive and well in America. I find this fascinating, and it reminded me of a humorous scene from the 1982 teen cult comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where the boys are refused service at the local fast food establishment. [Read more…]
Causing Mischief: How Leaders Purposely Disrupt The Status Quo
I am currently reading the autobiography of Richard Feynman entitled: Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman. It is a collection of vignettes from the life of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Feynman was a consummate prankster. He eschewed conventional norms in science and society and left an indelible mark on both.
While I recommend Feynman’s story (a New York Times bestseller at the time of its publication), I caution that it is not a politically correct book, nor was he a politically correct man. So it is with those truly unique individuals who cause mischief and disrupt the status quo. They are often referred to as “leaders.”
[Read more…]
The Five Leadership Lessons of FDR (and my Father)
This week I’m dealing with my father transitioning to an assisted living facility after 10+ years of enduring the aftermath of lymphoma, heart disease, and stroke. We humorously refer to him as the “triple threat.”
Like Frankin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), my father is now mostly confined to a wheelchair. His metaphorical physical wings got clipped some time ago. But not his spiritual wings. Those continue to help him soar.
[Read more…]