One of my great joys right now is coaching my eight-year-old daughter's soccer team. It is also my greatest trial, and, surprisingly, the struggle is not teaching them how to play soccer. Rather, the challenge is helping them move through conflict when they have difficulties in working together.
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June 14, 2014
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May 27, 2014
In this blog, CompassPoint governance consultant Marla Cornelius emphasizes that the board chair’s most important role is not just knowing what to “do” to manage the organization’s board, but more importantly how to “be” a facilitator and lever of organizational change.
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May 21, 2014
In the winter of 2011, I was a woman on a mission. It started with a personal realization that I’m a bit of an avoider when it comes to uncomfortable conversations. According to the communication books and classes I was taking, I could learn skills to help me share my perspective, even when I was worried about the consequences. Speaking up sounded much more empowering than staying quiet, and I wanted to live a totally new authentic life starting immediately.
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April 15, 2014
Last September, I wrote a blog about the connection between self-care, sustainability, and impact. Among other things, I discussed how unconscious habits could hinder our self-care and offered some ideas and thoughts on creating an individual practice of self-care. In this post, I want to reflect on what collective self-care practices need to be put into place within our own organizations to support sustainability and deepen impact.
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April 10, 2014
Aimee Inglis is the Member Services & Volunteer Coordinator at Tenants Together, a California statewide organization for renters' rights. She trains volunteer counselors and manages the Tenant Rights Hotline, coordinates social media and online organizing efforts, and recruits new volunteers. Aimee was formally trained as a community organizer through the Midwest Academy's Organizing Intern program.
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March 31, 2014
JR Yeager specializes in executive transition management, succession planning, and executive search. This blog addresses what anyone considering becoming an interim executive director (ED) should know about this fast-growing profession. It is the third in a series of blogs about the role and advantages of interim leadership. Read JR’s previous blogs in the series: "Interim EDs: Making a Good Thing Work for You” and “Top 9 Tips for Working with an Interim ED."
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March 12, 2014
In this second of two blog posts on individual and organizational strategy, Shannon Ellis and Marissa Tirona share their thinking about the intersection between organizational strategy and power. In Part 1, “On Purpose: Aligning Individual Purpose and Organizational Direction,” CompassPoint Senior Project Director Michelle Gislason discussed the connections between personal purpose and organizational direction.
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March 6, 2014
In this first of two blog posts on individual and organizational strategy, CompassPoint Senior Project Director Michelle Gislason connects the dots between how determining your personal purpose can contribute to your organizational direction. In Part 2, Shannon Ellis and Marissa Tirona will explore the intersection between organizational strategy and power and privilege.
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February 24, 2014
In the blog “Interim EDs: Making a Good Thing Work for You,” I wrote about the purpose and value added by engaging an interim executive director (ED) while you and other members of the Board of Directors step back and take some time to assess your organization’s current needs and prepare yourselves and the staff for working with a new permanent ED. In this post, I share my best advice on the Board’s role in this temporary relationship, focusing on how to partner with your interim ED and what to expect.
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February 19, 2014
I recently attended a talk on compassionate management with LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner and Wisdom 2.0 founder Seth Gordhamer. In the course of their conversation, Weiner made the case for compassionate management that focuses on the whole person, is grounded in empathic listening, and allows an employee to bring their “whole self” to their work. He also reminded us that it takes energy to work with people in a compassionate way. As a result, compassionate management has to be embraced by an entire company in order for it to succeed. He believes that compassionate companies are better positioned to thrive and so it is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do.
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