“Courage is the first virtue because it makes all others possible.” Aristotle Fear infiltrates organizational cultures causing poor results, high anxiety and rampant stress. An oppressive atmosphere makes people shut down and shut up in order to survive. A toxic climate robs an organization of its best asset: the ideas of its people. To overcome…

A for-profit executive who thinks she/he can easily transition to become a non-profit executive usually does not appreciate the difference between these two worlds.  Two key differences are the difference in metrics and decision making styles. Financial bottom-line metrics are given less emphasis as performance metrics in a non-profit.  The financial regulations and various funder…

Leaders of organizations are responsible for creating an environment where people thrive.  Disagreements, turf wars and even differences of opinion can lead to work place stress and unproductive teams. However, conflict is not necessarily negative; healthy, managed conflict is important for team effectiveness, innovation and positive results. As a leader, you need to model the…

How do leaders inspire top performance in their employees? How do they generate enthusiasm, passion and true employee engagement in achieving and exceeding organizational goals? A starting point is for leaders to create clarity and alignment around organizational goals and objectives. This begins with each employee having a clear understanding of his/her job responsibilities. Research…

Bullying is not just for kids Their Boss yelled across the room to Sylvia, “Where is that report I need?” Sylvia responded, “Which report are you referring to?”  The Boss then said, “You are so stupid.” He turned, went into his office and slammed the door.  A week has gone by and the Boss has not…