Newsletters
Resilience Amidst Change: Surviving Budget Cuts and Other Crises
Change is the new ‘normal’ Within the past two weeks, I had separate conversations with four leaders in different sectors who face significant budget cutbacks with painful choices to make. No organization (private, nonprofit, or government) is immune. All face changing realities in the operating environment shaped by forces beyond their control. And every organization goes […]
Leaders Transform Plans into WISE Planning
How should leaders view planning? Leaders are the stewards of organizational health. An organization that knows why it exists, why it cares about its mission, where it is going, and how it will get there is a healthy organization. It is not possible for an organization to align and move forward in a dynamic, effective […]
Google Discovers the ‘Secret to the Perfect Team’
Google is one of the most sought after jobs in the world in an organization obsessed with the use of data and analytics to achieve excellence. Starting in 2012, they spent millions of dollars, examined the latest neuroscience, studied best practices from other organizations, and tested every variable they could analyze about their highest performing […]
An Organizational New Year’s Resolution for Leaders (and Those Who Lead)
What are the indicators of a healthy organization? In all sectors (private-for profit, nonprofit, and government), healthy organizations consistently ‘perform’ at a high level. It is important to consider the three critical dimensions of organization performance that indicate health. Results – The organization fully delivers on its mission. For a nonprofit it is social impact, […]
Mark was on Let’s Talk Business New Mexico again!
Collaboration is one of the three necessary conditions for a healthy (successful) organization. Mark appeared on Let’s Talk Business New Mexico to share his approach to Creative Collaboration: the Art of Working Together. Go here to get ideas for your organization
Nelson Mandela’s ‘Magic’ Lessons for Collaboration – Part 2
In Part 1, I described some of the qualities that Nelson Mandela used to build bridges and develop working relationships. His capacity was sometimes called ‘magic’ because of the difficult circumstances that he navigated with dignity and transformed with forgiveness. Mandela’s power to influence and guide had two other sources to consider: Perspective and Vision. […]
Mark appeared on Let’s Talk Business New Mexico
Decision making capacity is the critical variable that distinguishes high-performing organizations from the rest. This is true in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. On Let’s Talk Business, New Mexico, I was interviewed about my work to help leaders and organizations improve their decision making. Please take a listen: Implementing Better Decision Making
Nelson Mandela’s ‘Magic’ Lessons for Collaboration – Part 1
He is one of most famous leaders on this planet, a man who overcame great odds to lead a nation from tyranny through a volatile, dangerous, time to democracy. Much has been written that describes Mandela’s greatness as a leader. Often, this analysis refers to some rare and mysterious combination of charisma, character, and strategy […]
Trust is a ‘verb’
Important missions and difficult challenges require people to come together, address their differences, and contribute time, effort, and resources to reach a goal. Trust is essential for individuals and groups to work together and achieve shared goals. When I can rely upon you and be confident that you will keep your promises and commitments, we […]
Four cornerstone practices are the foundation of every successful collaboration
Constructive, predictable behavior is necessary to strengthen the core characteristics of successful collaboration: sense of interdependence respect for differences shared responsibility consensus support for key decisions These practices provide the base that will support what you want to build together. 1. LEARN TOGETHER THROUGH DIALOGUE. It is the gold standard for learning conversations and the […]