Tacos Can Cure Anything

Today did not start out well. As I left the house to head to my appointment in the city, I stepped in dog poop. When I got to the train station, I realized I had forgotten my cell phone. I put 4 out of 5 quarters in the parking meter before it jammed, causing me to have to get back in the car and move it to another spot with a working meter. And, walking to the train station from the car, a bird pooped on me. I kid you not!

The funny thing was, I didn't freak out about any of it. I actually said out loud (to myself, though perhaps some of the other people waiting on the platform heard me), "I am not going to let any of this ruin my day." And I didn't. Though I had some moments of anxiety, thinking of calls and texts I might be missing, I spent the ride into the city reading and looking out of the window, able to focus without the distraction of the small screen in my hand.

When I got to my destination- lunch with an old friend- I told her the story of my "challenges." She laughed and promptly said she was paying for lunch! The day got a lot better after that.

When I got home, I saw that there were indeed some calls and texts waiting for me, but on the whole, it was a quiet day and nobody missed me too much. I'm so happy I didn't let any of the morning's mishaps get the better of me. And I'm so happy I ordered the tacos. Tacos can cure anything!

 

Listen to This!

One of the nonprofit gurus I follow is Joan Garry, and she's just unveiled a new podcast series, Nonprofits Are Messy that is great. It's already the #1 nonprofit podcast on iTunes! After only a week! Joan has had a weekly blog covering everything under the nonprofit umbrella- how to be a great Executive Director, what the roles and responsibilities of board members are, the secret to effective fundraising, and many more juicy topics. The podcast goes even further, by bringing in other nonprofit experts (like another of my gurus, Vu Le) to give deeper insights into the crazy nonprofit world.

I encourage you to take a listen!

What Does Seth Godin Have to Say About Intuition?

Hey! Seth Godin is writing about intuition! That's what people call successful decision making that happens without a narrative. Intuition isn't guessing. It's sophisticated pattern matching, honed over time. Don't dismiss intuition merely because it's difficult to understand. You can get better at it by practicing.

When I named my company Intuition Consulting, I had in mind exactly what Seth is writing about. I think what he means by practicing is "learning to listen." As in: learning to listen to the little (or not so little) voice inside your head, or the feeling in the pit of your stomach that is guiding you toward a decision or helping you recognize what is happening right in front of you.

You can get better at it by practicing. To learn more, please be in touch with me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

 

Five Ways to Kill Your Dreams

I took a break last week to watch some TED talks (and hopefully find some new blog ideas!). I came across this one from Bel Pesce, a Brazilian entrepreneur, who talks about paths to success. Her clever title, Five Ways to Kill Your Dreams, has these takeaways:

  • Believe in overnight success: while some people's ideas may take off right away, for most it's a long journey to hitting the big time. Be patient!
  • Believe someone else has all the answers: they don't. Trust your intuition!
  • Believe that you should settle for "okay": it's YOUR dream- make it perfect!
  • Believe the fault is someone else's: when things go wrong, take responsibility!
  • Believe that all that matters is the goal: part of the experience- a big part of it- is the journey. Enjoy it!

 

Pesce says that we should use every step we take- even those that make us trip and sometimes fall- as a learning experience.

Here's to keeping your dreams alive!

 

 

Learn Something New

"I learn something new every day." How many times have you heard someone say that, or have you said it yourself? I heard it the other day, and it occured to me that it's not necessarily an over-statement. Most of us really do learn something new every day. But we probably don't even recognize it or acknowledge it when we do. We just add it to the existing mix of facts and information swirling through our heads.

So, the challenge is to try to identify one new thing you learn every day. Or, even better, intentionally go out there and learn something new every day. Keep track - write it down- and I'll bet you'll be amazed at the end of a month at all of the new things you've learned.

 

Here are a few ideas for stimulating the learning process:

 

Have fun, and learn alot!

Leading by Humility

Definition of humility: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance What is the role of humility in leadership?  Jim Collins has said that most of the leaders of the great companies he studied in "Good to Great"  and other works were very humble men.  If a leader is one who rules or inspires, how are humble (i.e., modest or meek) people successful?

I think the answer is that a truly great leader focuses on the success of the organization, not of the self. If the organization grows, realizes its goals and achieves its objectives, a humble leader is satisfied.

What are some of the characteristics of a humble leader?

~ Trusts others to do their best- delegates tasks and authority

~ Invests in others- nurtures talent and cultivates other leaders

~ Admits mistakes- accepts responsibility without casting blame or making excuses

~ Thanks others for their actions- expresses gratitude and gives recognition

~ Recognizes their own limitations- knows when to look for assistance from others

~ Invites feedback- wants to improve

~ Diverts attention- shares success with others who played a part

Being humble doesn't mean being wimpy or weak. Demonstrating humility shows that you have a high level of confidence in your abilities and that you value others and their contributions. It encourages team members to express their opinions and do their best work, with the knowledge that they will be valued.

Any questions? Please be in touch with me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com to learn more.

 

THINK Intentionally

It's February 1st, and time to reveal my 2016 intention: how I plan to approach my work and life this year. What came up for me is to be more thoughtful in my words and actions, whether it be in my interactions with clients, colleagues, family or friends.  I've put together a few questions that I'm going to be asking myself before I open my mouth to say anything, to encourage more thoughtfulness and insight:

T  is what I am going to say truthful?

H  how is it helpful?

I  is it important for me to weigh in on this?

N  is it necessary for me to say something here?

K  can I be kind?

Wish me luck! This may not be as easy as it looks.

 

My Top Ten Peter Drucker Quotes

Peter Drucker (1909-2005) has been described as the person who "invented management." His contributions to the field of organizational development are felt today in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.  Many of today's practitioners, including one of my favorites, Jim Collins, cite Drucker as an influence on their research and study. Drucker has been quoted thousands of times, and there are dozens of "Druckerisms" that are wonderful. Here are a few of my favorites:

  1. “Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right.”
  2. “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
  3. “There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.”
  4. “What gets measured gets improved.”
  5. “Results are gained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.”
  6. “So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.”
  7. “People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”
  8. “Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.”
  9. “Long-range planning does not deal with the future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.”
  10. "Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things"

 

I'm particularly fond of #3 and #7.  What are your favorites?  Please let me know!

I'm at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

 

What's Your Story?

"Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell."  ~Seth Godin My clients often ask me about how they can become more effective fundraisers. There's so much competition out there, they say. We aren't reaching enough people, they say.

Here's what I ask them: What's your story? What sets you and your organization apart from others?  What can you tell potential donors about your community or your cause that will enable them to care about it the way you do?

Telling your story changes how you present yourself to the public and your potential supporters. It's not about the number of people you serve; it's about how those people are impacted. It's not about the amount of money you need to raise; it's about how your donors can benefit by making an investment in your organization. This is philanthropy, not fundraising.

The stories you tell should be about real people, and they should be just long enough to create a feeling in the listener- a feeling that leads to their engagement and participation. We all have a story to tell- yours can be the one that inspires others to think, to speak, to act, or to give. Go out and tell your story!

I'd love to help you tell your story. Please reach me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

 

 

Thank You Very Much

In early December, I sent out a small gift to my current, past and (hopefully) future clients, along with a "Season's Greetings" card.  I was surprised as the weeks went by and I did not receive more than a couple of messages of thanks from the recipients.  Actually, I was shocked. But when I told some of my colleagues about my experience, they weren't surprised at all. It seems there is an epidemic of ingratitude going around. Over the holiday break, I reflected on this trend and its ramifications for organizations sending out their year-end appeals.  This has become an expected part of end-of-year activities for both donors and organizations. But I'm wondering what happens now- in January- when all the donations have been received and tallied. How many of these organizations are going to turn around and express their gratitude? How will they articulate their thanks? It should be the most important part of the fundraising strategy, but if this "culture of ingratitude" is as established as it appears, what does this mean for fundraising?

Let's change the culture. Let's begin the year with an "attitude of gratitude" and let's encourage this attitude to spread through our professional and personal lives. Let's not miss an opportunity to thank someone for a kindness, a gift, or an expression of support. Let's make sure that our family, friends, mentors, and especially donors feel appreciated.

Thank you very much!

Let's work together in 2016. Please be in touch at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com

 

Happy Boss, Happy Life

This post comes to you with thanks to Liz Kislik, organizational consultant extraordinaire (and my dear friend).  Liz writes about how a happy work environment can affect workers' level of engagement in their jobs. Good leadership starts with a smile! Read "Leading with Laughter" here. And pass it on!

 

Feed Yourself First

While flying home from a business trip last week, I heard the familiar line from the flight attendant, "If you are traveling with small children or someone who requires assistance, place the oxygen mask on yourself first, then on the other person." Since I was looking for an idea for a blog post, I mulled this over, considering how it could be a metaphor for leadership.  Here we go...

Before you can lead others, you have to learn to lead yourself.  You have to learn to feed yourself before you can nurture others.  You have to learn how to grow before you can help others grow.

You are sometimes your own worst enemy. You forget to take care of yourself-  physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually- and both you and those you are trying to lead suffer.  Feed yourself, then you'll be able to encourage others to become the best they can be.

I'd love to work with you on developing your leadership abilities. You can reach me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

Did You Have A Good Year?

It's December. It's almost the end of the year. Now is the time to look back at the year and evaluate where we are, how we got there, and to start thinking about what's coming up in the next year. However, some people get stuck in what didn't happen, how they didn't reach their goals, make enough money or make an impact. Shannon Kaiser wrote a great piece, "20 Signs You Had a Good Year (Even If It Doesn't Feel Like It)" for MindBodyGreen that can help shift the focus from what may not have happened to all of the great changes and progress you've made this year. Here are a couple of my favorites:

~ You're capable of celebrating how far you've come.  

~ You enjoy spending time with yourself. You're working on becoming your own best friend.

~ You can appreciate the moment. You're more patient than you used to be.

~ You believe in your future self and are proud of the direction you are heading in.

~ You know your dreams matter and the world needs what you have to offer.

I encourage you to read the entire post and make your own evaluation of 2015. There's a lot to look forward to in 2016, too!  I want to help you find the right path. Please be in touch with me for more insight into how we can work together, ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

Happy Holidays!

Listen to Me

I've been told that I have a tendency to interrupt, which has led me to try to improve my listening skills.  So I went looking for some guidance... Julian Treasure is a sound consultant.  He teaches companies how to best utilize, filter and channel sound to enhance customer experiences.  In his 2011 TED Talk, "Five Ways to Listen Better," he raises the red flag that we are losing our listening.  We generally only pay attention to about 60% of what we're listening to, and we retain far less- about 20%- of what we hear.  Conversation is being replaced with public broadcasting on social media, and too many people are insulating themselves from sound via headphones and other forms of isolation.  Treasure says we're missing the subtleties of life when we don't listen to what's going on around us.  This "conscious listening" is what helps us understand the world.

So how can we improve our conscious listening?  Here are some of Treasure's suggestions:

  • Observe silence: 3 minutes a day of silence can help you focus on sounds around you. If total silence is unachievable, try to find a quiet place to be for that time.
  • Unmix the sound: if you are in a noisy place, practice separating and identifying the many different sounds you're hearing. This increases the quality of your listening.
  • Savor everyday sounds: listen closely and appreciate even the mundane sounds around you- washing machine, water running, cars driving by- Treasure calls this "the hidden choir" of sound.
  • Change your listening position: move from passive to active (or the other direction), or from critical to empathetic in how you listen to another person. See how this changes your perspective.

 

Finally, Treasure suggests that you listen for the "rasa" (Hindu for "the agreeable part of something") by:

Receiving: take in the message and really hear it

Appreciating: nod, respond, or otherwise acknowledge that you are listening

Summarizing: repeat back the important parts of the message so others know you are listening

Asking: ask questions about what you've heard

 

LISTEN CONSCIOUSLY, LIVE FULLY! Wish me luck as I endeavor to master this skill.

When Autumn Darkness Falls

When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people.      ~Jens Stoltenberg

 

What Exactly Do You Do?

My mother used to tell people that I was a sociologist. I wasn't. I was a health educator. But I did have a degree in Sociology, so that's where she got the idea that I was a sociologist.  Oh well... As time went on, she told people I took care of breast cancer patients.  I didn't. I worked for a breast cancer organization that provided information to women with breast cancer. Which, I guess, means that I took care of breast cancer patients...

Now I'm a consultant, and I think it's easy for my mother to say, "She's a consultant" when asked.  But when they follow up with, "What kind of a consultant?" it probably gets interesting.  Because, sometimes, even I have a hard time answering that question.

Nonprofits, especially smaller organizations like the ones I have often worked with, have diverse needs in a variety of categories: capacity-building, leadership, governance, development, and many other areas of growth and change. There is no "one size fits all" approach to what I do, because the needs change from organization to organization, and even during engagements, things can change.  It's never boring!

So, Mom, please tell your friends that I'm a consultant who helps organizations reach their potential, by providing them with guidance and support as they grow. Because that's what I do best.

You can reach me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com. I'm looking forward to speaking with you!

 

 

The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit is Coming!

I attended the Alliance for Nonprofit Management conference in Portland, OR at the beginning of October.  It was my first exposure to the organization, and my intentions were to make some new friends and contacts, learn something, and see some of Portland.  I'm happy to report that I was able to attain all of my goals (special shout-out to the incredible food trucks of Portland!). The highlight of the conference for me was a keynote presentation by Beth Kanter, an amazing thought leader and author of the award-winning Networked Nonprofit books.  I have seen Beth speak several times, and she never disappoints. Her stated topic was, “The Nonprofit Work Ethic Reinvented in An Age of Hyper Connectivity: Strategies for Impact Without Burnout," which included a preview of her next book, The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit, which she is writing with social media guru Aliza Sherman.  This power duo is taking on the challenges that nonprofits and the people who love them face regarding organizational culture and personal habits for sustainable impact.

Many nonprofits operate with a "scarcity mindset": everyone feels compelled to work long hours with limited resources and without encouragement or investment in self-care (sound familiar?). This work ethic is not only outdated, it's not sustainable. It leads to burnout and dissatisfaction and turnover and so many other not-great things. But what if things were different? What if nonprofits took a more people-focused approach to how they do their work? What if there was a culture of replenishment and abundance?

As social media has taken hold in the nonprofit sector, the constant need to be "connected" is contributing to the feelings of being overworked and overwhelmed that are so common. While being connected can help nonprofits engage with practically anyone to achieve their goals, there are human limits and costs to connectivity. Beth and Aliza's book promises to address these challenges and set us on a course of renewal that can lead to even more productivity and impact for all.

I'm really looking forward to it! Check out Beth's blog where you can also see the beautiful graphic illustration that was  done at the Alliance conference during her presentation.

 

 

Talk Less, Smile More: A Lesson from "Hamilton"

In the first act of the hit Broadway musical, "Hamilton," Aaron Burr's advice to the young Alexander Hamilton on how to be more successful is: "Talk less. Smile more."  Upon reflection, I realized that I give the same advice to the CEOs I counsel on leadership. Being a good listener (talking less) is essential if you want your staff to feel comfortable with coming to you for feedback and guidance.  Being approachable (smiling more) is an asset in cultivating relationships with donors, board members and others important to the growth of your organization. Both work in tandem with other important qualities (integrity, humor, confidence and strategic thinking are just a few examples) to create a well-rounded leader who is capable of managing people, programs and growth.

If you would like to learn more about leadership, please be in touch with me at ewoolfe@intuitionconsult.com.

You can download the original Broadway soundtrack to Hamilton on iTunes.  It's wonderful!