Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development
Making the ask does not follow formulas or manuals. Every case and every situation is different, and as much as you want to have a guide with every step to give, you will not find it. There are no magic formulas.
However, this is the question that many fundraisers, sellers and freelancers ask me. What do I do if …? And the truth is that this is a question that I love. They tell me, and with good reason, that the answer does not please them so much. I always tell them it depends.
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Some time ago I was at an event in New York City where the speaker asked the audience whom they respected as modern-day heroes and heroines? Many fine names came forward including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela. Curiously, neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump was mentioned.
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It’s common at this time of year to take stock of where you are and set new challenges for ourselves, with the goal of leaving behind what we don’t want – or what hasn’t worked – and heading into the final months of the year with renewed vigor and strategies for achieving what we want.
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Earlier this week I was watching The Life Sized City, a documentary highlighting citizen-led urban renewal. My own city of Toronto was the featured location. I was inspired by the story of a group of people who decided the city needed more public seating. They created #sitTO and unfolded simple Ikea chairs and tables around Toronto.
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Not too long ago I was working with a client who was dealing with a “pesky” colleague. Pesky means “causing trouble” or “annoying.” And, from one perspective it appeared that the colleague was indeed being pesky.
However, there is always another way of looking at the difficult people and circumstances in our lives. More often than not, they are our best teachers. As I reflect back on my own experience, I know this. Hindsight is often like that, and not all that helpful when you are dealing with the pest (or troubling event) in the moment.
When I bring up the idea of conflict, what is your reaction? Do you feel confident facing conflict situations head on? Or would you prefer to avoid conflict because it makes you uncomfortable?
According to Relationship Awareness Theory, people react to the idea of conflict in three main ways – Assert, Accommodate, or Analyze.
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Growing up my father used the expression “twerp” to describe any leader not meeting his high standards for character. As a man with a strong moral compass and a rock-solid ethical foundation who is held in high regard by his family, friends, students, and colleagues, any leader decried as a twerp by my father earned the label.
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I am anticipating the latest book by Gretchen Rubin – The Four Tendencies – due out in September. Gretchen, an expert on happiness and good habits, created the Four Tendencies framework which categorizes the different ways that people respond to expectations.
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The economy is growing again and hiring in the private sector has spiked amid improved corporate profitability. Unemployment hasn’t been as low as it is right now (4.4 percent) in a decade according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is placing significant pressure on nonprofit organizations to recruit and retain the best employees, especially for Fundraising and Leadership roles.
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On teams, it’s not uncommon for individuals to overlook those with whom they work each and every day. As the saying goes: “familiarity breeds complacency!”
And now there is clear evidence that the expression of appreciation improves employee retention rates. According to employee retention expert Leigh Branham, author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late, one of the top reasons someone leaves an organization is because s/he feels unrecognized.
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