March 14, 2012 | Tom Suddes
A lot of amazing stuff has happened with our friends at Invisible Children. The Kony 2012 video has reached over 76 million views… and also created some ‘controversy’.
One of the best things I’ve read on this is from Dan Pallotta, author of UNCHARITABLE: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential.
I really like Pallota’s thoughts in the book and his response to this supposed ‘controversy’. Read it here.
Dan makes some really compelling points about “paying lip service to the need to raise a new generation of socially conscious young people”. He offers four really compelling reasons to LOVE what Invisible Children is doing.
Note: For all the For Impact Organizations (aka Not-For-Profits who actually have a strong Mission, Message and Impact), note the comments regarding the criticism on how the money is being spent!
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March 14, 2012 | Tom Suddes
March 20, 2012 (next Tuesday) is the ‘spring equinox‘… one of two days in the year when day and night are in PERFECT BALANCE.
Here are some thoughts from the ‘Old Guy’ on BALANCE.
SEEK BALANCE. The idea that you can’t have reasonable ‘BALANCE’ seems absurd to me.
It’s your life. If given the choice of balancing your work, business, career with your LIFE, why wouldn’t we always choose LIFE?
When somebody says, “Get a life“, that’s what they mean. Make a life… not a living.
We’re all terminally ill. I’ve been around a lot of workaholics and ‘busy’, ‘busy’ people. They’re all going to die. When you talk to old people like me, they will remind you that your children will never be this age again. Your parents will eventually be gone. Your brothers and sisters will be spread around the country. (And, if they’re really honest, they”ll tell you that the whole ‘quality time’ vs. ‘actual time’ is just a cop out.)
Master motivator Zig Ziglar says,
He goes on to say that
My own version of BALANCE is around six LIFE ROCKS: FAMILY, CALLING, HEALTH, WEALTH, SPIRIT and PERSONAL GROWTH.
Don’t listen to all the people who tell you that BALANCE is impossible. If something has to give… then CHOOSE LIFE.
Read more
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March 7, 2012 | Tom Suddes
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Master Checklist
One of our most conceptually ‘re-tweeted’/'liked’ nuggets is the ENTREPRENEUR’S MANTRA:
Here is the MASTER CHECKLIST we use when coaching ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT.
- 1. Answer Entrepreneur’s 3 BIG QUESTIONS.
- (‘WHY‘ are you in Business? ‘WHAT‘ Business are you in? ‘HOW‘ do you make money?)
- 2. Embrace the ENTREPRENEUR’S MANTRA.
- (Think BIG. Build SIMPLE. Act NOW.)
- 3. Embrace the ENTREPRENEUR’S MODEL.
- (M.I.T. / P.S.E)
- 4. Simplify your MESSAGE.
- (Your VISION. Your PURPOSE. On a NAPKIN.)
- 5. Create POWERFUL STORIES.
- (YOUR story. The MARKET story. The SOLUTION story.)
- 6. Develop your BUSINESS MODEL.
- (NOT a ‘Business Plan’. Visual & Visceral.)
- 7. Do the MATH.
- (Revenue/Expenses. Use of Funds. Scale & Grow Numbers.)
- 8. Create an ENGAGEMENT TOOL.
- (NOT a PowerPoint presentation.)
- 9. Define the IDEAL (INVESTOR) PROFILE.
- (Angels. Champions. Partners.)
- 10. JUST ASK!!!
- (Just Ask. Just Ask. Just Ask.)
*Print PDF Version of Master Checklist for ‘Hard Copy’/'Post on Wall’.
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March 7, 2012 | Tom Suddes
If… you want to get from ‘POINT A’ (today)… you better understand:
- WHERE (exactly) IS ‘POINT A’.
- WHAT it means to get there.
- HOW you are going to get there.
*Also assumes you truly understand WHY you want to get there.
In our world, for example, ‘POINT B’ is NOT:
- “We’d like to have $100M in our Endowment.”
- “We want to be 100% sustainable (via fundraising).”
- “Our Board is responsible for our fundraising. It’s up to them.”
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March 6, 2012 | Tom Suddes
Using Great Storytelling to Grow Your Business (Organization)
If you follow For Impact at all, you know I LOVE FAST COMPANY.
Here’s another terrific thought around our ongoing ‘story’ about TELLING YOUR STORY.
Read it here.
If you want the shorthand:
- 1. Use lots of LOTS… Language Of The Senses. When you tell a story, share the see, smell, feel, taste and hear.
- 2. Build on your Story Spine. This comes from the Actors Institute, which suggests using a five-step structure called the Story Spine: Reality is introduced, conflict arrives, there’s a struggle, the conflict is resolved, new reality exists.
Go for it.
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March 5, 2012 | Tom Suddes
Made a commitment to myself 20 years ago never to attend another Special Event (cause they’re not ‘special’ nor are they ‘events’).
I did attend Craig Hospital’s SIGNATURE EVENT/MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE last Friday evening in Denver. It was a WOW. The first-class nature of the experience, the quality of the video productions, the powerful remarks by the co-chairs, and a ‘live’ appearance by a patient (a cowboy from Wyoming who was paralyzed in a truck accident) who walked out onto the stage (with his beautiful family) just made the whole night truly memorable and truly an experience.
The CEO of Craig, Mike Fordyce, used ROI as a big part of his theme in his remarks. He said Craig is really about:
RETURN ON IMPACT… RETURN ON INNOVATION… RETURN ON INVOLVEMENT.
Then, he closed with Craig’s over-arching theme around Return to Independence.
We’re proud to have been a sponsor of this experience and particularly proud to partner with Craig in a $93M Funding Initiative for Patient Support, Program Outcomes and a (new) Vibrant Family Campus.
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March 5, 2012 | Nick Fellers
Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln, General Patton, and more.
Following up on Friday’s nugget about Leadership Development, wanted to recommend a great Leadership Read.
Leadership Excellence: The Seven Sides of Leadership for the 21st Century. Author Pat Williams has been aggregating, applying, and sharing Leadership Wisdom for 30 years.
Of all the leadership books, I really like this one because Williams takes a story-telling approach. He’s pulled the best leadership stories from some 500+ books and years sharing the podium with modern-day leaders from Colin Powell to Richard Branson.
Selected nuggets:
- “Leadership is about the future, so all true leadership begins with vision.”
- “There is no such think as an emotionless vision.” – Andy Stanley, founding pastor of Atlanta’s North Point Community Church
- “Great leaders rally people to a better future.” One of my favorites from Marcus Buckingham (with stories about Jobs, Disney, and Henry Ford)
- “Never mistake a productivity target for a vision. Numbers don’t excite anyone.” We see a lot of people grabbing onto the Jim Collins BHAG concept and mistaking ‘the big number’ for a vision.
- “Management is about the present. Leadership is about the future.”
- “Walt Disney once said, “I resent the limitations of my own imagination.” Disney would cast a vision and if everyone went along with it too easily, he knew he wasn’t thinking big enough.
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March 2, 2012 | Nick Fellers
Most of our work is around organizational and team development. Getting this stuff right dynamically supports and drives funding.
This is a mash-up of the coaching conversations we’ve been having with leaders – in particular emerging/developing leaders.
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Be decisive.
The leader’s job is to make decisions.
If you make a wrong decision, it can be addressed. There’s no way to address indecision.
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Cast and hold a VISION.
“Leadership is about the future, so all true leadership begins with vision.”
– Pat Williams -
Communicate the vision… constantly.
The vision lives in YOUR head. I see leaders who are frustrated that others can’t just ‘get it’. “We went over the plan at the retreat. What don’t they get?”
Are you that person?
Spend every day, take every opportunity, to clarify the vision…. Communicate the vision. It took you a while to build in your head and you expect someone else to get it in ONE meeting?
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Don’t be Eeyore!
You get it… right?
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Hire people around you that compliment your strengths.
Emerging leaders need to be aware of their strengths. Hire people that complement your strengths. Are you a frenzied, synaptic thinker? Hire a linear-thinker to support you.
You can offload things that aren’t your strengths – freeing you up to LEAD.
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Let Fires Burn.
This is a shorthand to emerging leaders. They often want to jump in and fix everything. Sometimes you have to let the fires burn.
Don’t you dare go put out that next fire! Instead, figure out how you can support your team of firefighters.
Funny thing happens. When they’re empowered and you stand back, there are fewer fires.
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Treat people on your team as ASSETS.
You can treat people like a liability or an asset and where they fall on the balance sheet depends upon how YOU treat them.
Our friend Bill Strickland is changing the world with this simple insight. I will be forever grateful to Bill for explaining it this simply.
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Finally. BE. A. LEADER!
“LEADER’S LEAD!”
- From an incredible philanthropist and leader, Bob Werner
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February 28, 2012 | Nick Fellers
Information Design. Annual Reports. Nicholas Feltron.
Designer Nicholas Feltron published his annual report yesterday.
Probably not the type of annual report you’re thinking of.
Nick Feltron has been publishing his PERSONAL annual report for seven years. His visual thinking has been pretty influential (pick up a copy of Fast Company mag or Good, much of the information design is ‘Feltron-ish’). He was picked up by Facebook last year. The addition of the Facebook timeline is his work.
Take a few minutes to click through the information. Notice how ENGAGING information design can be. It’s a great way to mix stats with some of your stories – perhaps in your own annual report.
None of what Feltron does is EASY, but you can still draw inspiration… you can still think about HOW you’re communicating your IMPACT in a visual and engaging way.
I think of Feltron as an emerging influence. If you like his stuff, also check out Edward Tufte, the grandfather of information design.
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February 27, 2012 | Tom Suddes
“To hear is to forget. To see is to remember. To DO is to KNOW.” – A Zen Master
“To KNOW and not to DO is not to KNOW.” - Some Other Zen Dude
“When you KNOW better… you DO better.” – Maya Angelou
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For Impact is...
Our Point of View, Our Message, and Our Commitment.We Lead, Facilitate, Train and Coach...Based on 40+ years in this 3rd Sector, 30 years in business, $1 Billion Raised, and $1 Billion Trained and Coached.
