Category Association Insights

Innovation, Can there be Trust without Transparency? December 15, 2021 Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence, Green Solutions, Peer Powered Performance No comments

Despite endless exhortation of organizational innovation only 9% of U.S. companies are considered innovative. The problem is not an absence of talent but an undermining of trust. Innovation requires risk, failure is a fact and fear keeps most close to the warm fires of familiarity. The initiative to improve is successfully smothered by systems steeped in secrecy, committed to control and failing fabulously to do anything even remotely revolutionary.

Most efforts for organizational improvem...

Hire the Fire December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence No comments

When I first began studying Vineet Nayar several years ago I was stunned by his hiring process. In most organizations “Meeting the CEO” was more of a “welcome to” instead of a real “inter-view”. In Vineet’s case not only were his interviews real but even after these perspective new employees had completed all the tests, survived multiple interrogations by peers, and supervisors many left Vineet’s office not only unemployed but grateful that together they had made the choice tha...

Top Down Tyranny Is The Mother Of Mutiny December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence, Peer Powered Performance, Positive Deviance No comments

This is part of a conversation from a LinkedIn group called Step into the Spotlight. I belong to many groups most of which are copious in their communication but devoid of discussion. This is the same challenge facing many nonprofits, governmental organizations and hierarchical entities of all kinds. It has been the common practice all over the world...

What is the difference between Change and Transformation? December 15, 2021 Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence

Change Begins when we see with a new Lens

I managed athletic clubs for many years in my twenties and thirties, and without exception those who were unsuccessful in accomplishing their goals tried to change what they did without first changing how they saw themselves. Changing what we do is only temporary unless we first manage to change what we see. Change happens from without, transformation happens from within. These are not “put on our happy face” platitudes, but the most important skills you will ever re-learn...

Recycling the Same Old Issues? December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence, Green Solutions, Peer Powered Performance No comments

I am a recycling Neanderthal; I get confused about what goes where, do tops stay on, what kind of plastic is or isn’t recyclable, especially if there are bins or labels I may be unfamiliar with. Truth be told if I am in a hurry and can’t quickly decide (or don’t have my reading glasses) I give it my best guess and in they go. Reflecting on my sorting conundrum I realized this is exactly like the process nonprofit boards and staff go though.

The distribution of board/staff responsibilities ...