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Weekly inspiration for building your nonprofit leadership skills.

The Plate Spinner

When I was at Applied Materials we adopted an analogy for the tough job of being a manager. We called them “plate-spinners.” A plate-spinner is an old county fair act where the entertainer starts plat

Managers Must Address Their Shortcomings

It is human nature to emphasize what we do well and ignore or put off working on what does not come as naturally. A good manager must fight that instinct, understand what key leadership or management

Developing Managers

As your nonprofit grows, the demands within your sector and the dynamics of the larger world change and you have to stay on top of that. You’re never “done” putting organizational processes in place,

Excellent Managers are not Born

Some people think that nonprofit leaders are anomalies, special people born with the skills and talents that evade the grasp of the rest of us. But excellent managers are not born. They develop by lea

Work For the Best Managers You Can

Throughout my career I was fortunate to be guided by strong leaders and managers, when I worked on the family farm and in the cannery, while in the army, and throughout my business career. I’ve also w

All Worthwhile Enterprises are Human Systems

At the end of the day no matter how impressive and far-reaching certain systems become, all worthwhile enterprises seeking success are human systems that require leadership and management. The basic n

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