Resources
If You’re Not Confused, Try Harder
By Melanie Lockwood Herman An NRMC Risk Assessment or ERM engagement typically centers on one-on-one conversations with individuals from our nonprofit clients. Conversations spark ideas, reveal challenges, and help us understand complex nonprofits through a variety of unique lenses. We’re eager to speak to newbies, veterans, optimists, worriers, dreamers, and everyone in between. Notes from … Continued
8 Things Nonprofit Leaders Can Do for Their Teams in Tough Times
The past few years have been especially challenging for nonprofits, their teams, and the people they serve. You’ve likely steered your team through many challenges, from budget strains to community grief about injustice and acts of violence. And there will be many more challenges to navigate. Here are some ways to take the best possible … Continued
How to Have Better Meetings
We’ve all attended unproductive or pointless meetings. Why am I here? When will this end? Why am I feeling frustrated and confused? But done well, meetings can bring emerging issues to the forefront, catalyze exciting ideas, build consensus, and form a sense of connection and partnership. Here are some ways to make your next nonprofit … Continued
When to Hire an Interim Executive Director
Your nonprofit’s executive director just notified the board that they will leave the organization. How do you know if you should hire an interim executive director? Here are some signs that an interim ED could be the right fit for your nonprofit. High Stress Your nonprofit is experiencing—or is recently healing from—internal turmoil. Role Confusion … Continued
How To: Become a Better Manager
Most of us weren’t born knowing how to help other humans reach their potential in their careers. Here are some ways to learn to become a better manager at any stage of your journey.
5 Superpowers of a Great HR Manager
Most of us have encountered HR managers who seemed neither human nor resourceful. Luckily, many of us have also encountered HR managers who helped us through tough situations and made us feel seen. What makes a great HR manager? Here’s a look at five superpowers the very best HR managers have.
Embrace Risk in Hiring and Supervision
“It is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.” – Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace When you hire and supervise people, there are some risks you should never take. Don’t assume payroll will take care of itself. Don’t pay someone a salary you … Continued
How to Become the Resilient Leader Your Mission Requires
Risk management leaders require personal resilience and a strong sense of balance, helping their organizations avoid harm while enabling growth after disruptive experiences. Watch this webinar to learn what constitutes resilient leadership as a risk professional or individual contributor to a nonprofit’s mission. Enjoy a countdown of ten compelling characteristics every resilient leader endeavors to … Continued
The Secrets of Effective Risk Communication
“Clear, concise, accurate, and timely information is hard to come by.” – General Stanley McChrystal & Anna Butrico, Risk: A User’s Guide By Melanie Lockwood Herman During three decades of advising nonprofit sector leadership teams, we have heard and seen that many groups run out of time for candid conversations about risk and spin their … Continued
How To: Be More Inclusive in Staff Supervision
Managing other employees is one of the most important roles a leader can have. Inclusive supervision should be a top priority for nonprofit leaders who manage others. But most leaders have never been taught to do that. Here are some practices that will help. As you’ll see, your team members’ feedback will paint a picture … Continued
How To: Manage Across Generations
For the first time in modern history, five generations are in the workplace at the same time. This presents both opportunities and challenges. Here are some tips for how to tap into the diversity of perspectives that come from managing multiple generations, and navigating cross-generational conflicts that may arise. Remember that your employees are … Continued
How To Take More Risks In Your Leadership
By Rachel Sams When I led a newsroom, I learned from staff feedback that my team wanted more support from me. Our news organization had a lot of change initiatives. I spent time with my bosses to understand what changes were coming and plan how the newsroom could cover them. I worked to protect my … Continued
Traveling via TARDIS: Managing Risk with the Risk Time Machine
Prepare for risk events while traveling in style and across time like The Doctor. Doctor who, you ask? This time The Doctor is YOU! Attend this webinar to learn how to use NRMC’s Risk Time Machine worksheet to assess a specific risk while practicing both reflection and foresight. Learn how to lead a team through … Continued
Fuzzy Futures: Managing Uncertainty with Scenario Planning
Events like the COVID-19 pandemic provide sobering wake-up calls to nonprofit leaders, who must execute their missions today and tomorrow despite unnervingly uncertain futures. To better prepare for surviving unpredictable, unthinkable events or futures far from today’s reality, watch this webinar to learn about the art of scenario planning. Leave the webinar with a basic … Continued
How to Be Productively Positive, Not Pollyanna
“Being human means making space for the positive, the negative, and everything in between.” – Whitney Goodman By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve recently finished two books that inspired me to question my impulsive inclination to look for silver linings behind every cloud. Both books offer thought-provoking insights for leaders seeking to be appropriately positive without … Continued
Reimagine Your Risk Roundtable
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During NRMC consulting engagements and conversations with our Affiliate Members, our team often hears about the work and deliberations of risk teams. During the Virtual Risk Summit, I was delighted to join my colleague Ann Terlizzi, Director of Risk Management at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, for a fast-paced session we … Continued
Managing Risk & Safety: What’s New and What’s Next?
This webinar explores the changing risk landscape for nonprofit organizations and the risks that arise from our uncertain, evolving circumstances. Learn how to apply lessons from recent experience to your work to infuse a spirit and commitment to safety, resilience, and well-being. The NRMC team will highlight some of our interactive tools and resources that … Continued
Workplace Culture: The Foundation for Sound Risk Practice
By Whitney Thomey Workplace culture has gone viral. In less than a second, Google will return nearly 400,000,000 results on the question “What is workplace culture?” From surveys to engagements, renewed values statements to grand-scale reorganizations, nonprofit leaders are focusing on how culture is defined, infused, and perceived throughout the organization. Workplace culture is central … Continued
Workplace Culture: The Foundation for Sound Risk Practice
By Whitney Thomey Workplace culture has gone viral. In less than a second, Google will return nearly 400,000,000 results on the question “What is workplace culture?” From surveys to engagements, renewed values statements to grand-scale reorganizations, nonprofit leaders are focusing on how culture is defined, infused, and perceived throughout the organization. Workplace culture is central … Continued
Breaking The Silence: Navigating Difficult Topics in the Workplace
This webinar explores the risks associated with uncomfortable conversations, awkward situations, and fear in the workplace. Learn why fear and intimidation reduce motivation and engagement and how building ‘psychological safety’ is key to creating a workplace worthy of your mission. This webinar concludes with practical tips and strategies for anticipating and managing difficult circumstances and … Continued
Everything I Know About Risk Management I Learned by Teaching Risk Management
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Whenever we want a far-reaching impact, teaching others to teach can be a high-leverage strategy.” I’ve just finished reading Effortless by Greg McKeown. In Chapter 12, “Lift,” I was struck by a subhead that reads, “When You Learn to Teach, You Teach Yourself to Learn.” McKeown goes on to explain … Continued
Round and Round: The Leadership Learning Loop
By Melanie Lockwood Herman I recently listened to a compelling interview with Katlin Smith on the NPR program “How I Built This,” hosted by Guy Raz. Smith founded Simple Mills while working as a management consultant at Deloitte and attending the first year of an MBA program. Per the company’s website, “Simple Mills is on … Continued
Do What You Love, Love What You Do
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During our Zoom Family Meeting on Valentine’s Day, I made my siblings and parents laugh out loud when I told them that I was spending the day with my one true love… my job! Since we are obsessive Life360 members who track each other’s comings and goings, they already knew that … Continued
The Naked Truth: Trust Unites
“The process of building trust takes risk. We start by taking small risks, and if we feel safe, we take bigger risks. Sometimes there are missteps. Then we try again. Until, eventually, we feel we can be completely ourselves.” – Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reflecting on … Continued
What We’re Learning from our Favorite Recent Reads
Join this webinar to learn interesting insights, thought-provoking ah-ha moments, and tangible takeaways from our favorite ‘reads’ from the past year. Learn lessons from philosophers across the ages, modern-day leadership gurus, and even a rocket scientist. Leave this webinar with newfound inspiration to lead the risk team in your organization.
Finding Purpose in Uncertainty
by Melanie Lockwood Herman Did you know that team members with “purpose” are healthier, more deeply committed to the mission of their employers, and enjoy greater feelings of well-being? Do you have a “purpose”? Do you inspire a sense of “purpose” in the team you lead? Having a “purpose” doesn’t mean never asking: ‘what am … Continued
Never Say, “Never Say Sorry.”
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center is excited to introduce a guest writer to you for today’s eNews! Delia Jones provides practical tips and a thought-provoking way of looking at the art of an apology. By Delia Jones It’s a punchline, right? Certain people can’t get through a sentence without including “sorry.” I’m half Brit, and … Continued
Practical Tips to Inspire Board Risk Leadership
The board of a nonprofit has ultimate legal and moral responsibility for the organization’s health and well-being. To protect an organization’s mission, reputation and assets, the board must provide thoughtful risk oversight. Join NRMC for this webinar exploring how to inspire your board to embrace and live up to its fiduciary roles, including responsibility for … Continued
Contentious Conversations: Talking Politics at Work
(download The Political Risk issue of Risk Management Essentials, here.) Is civil discourse creating a toxic environment in your workplace? According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Politics at Work Survey, deepening divisiveness across party lines is a catalyst for workplace conflict. This often results in lower productivity, employee alienation, poor morale, increased … Continued
Contentious Conversations: Talking Politics at Work
(download The Political Risk issue of Risk Management Essentials, here.) Is civil discourse creating a toxic environment in your workplace? According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Politics at Work Survey, deepening divisiveness across party lines is a catalyst for workplace conflict. This often results in lower productivity, employee alienation, poor morale, increased … Continued
Systemic Failure and Risk Management
“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” – Marvin Minsky By Glenn Mott The other night, I happened to catch the documentary program “Retro Report” on PBS. Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization that produces mini documentaries that look at today’s news stories through the lens of historical context. Executive … Continued
Oil Cured Tuna, Mayo, Celery, Toasted Rye, Oh My!
by Melanie Lockwood Herman In his article, The Tuna Fish Sandwich Test, Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison writes that “As much as people talk about being ‘lifelong learners,’ few really make the effort. It’s one of those little fibs they tell themselves or say at job interviews.” Burnison explains how he sometimes asks a “quirky … Continued
6 Risk Trends that Matter to Your Mission
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Yesterday I read with interest Kate Barr’s new blog post titled 8 Trends in the Nonprofit Sector. Kate is the President & CEO of Propel Nonprofits, an organization that supports nonprofits in Minnesota and adjacent states. Propel’s finance factsheets, worksheets and other resources are top notch, and I recommend them. Kate’s … Continued
Social Distortion, Personal Responsibility, and Reputational Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Cool Hand Luke, 1967 This week I’ve been reading Rethinking Reputational Risk: How to Manage the Risks that can Ruin Your Business, Your Reputation and You, by Anthony Fitzsimmons and Derek Atkins. In an early chapter, the authors share the following definition … Continued
Egalitarian Risk Leadership: Flatten or Fatten?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman In our capacity as advisors and coaches, the NRMC team develops and adapts risk management frameworks, strategies and tools for the complex nonprofits we serve. No two consulting clients or Affiliate Members are the same. To make the consideration of risk a worthwhile endeavor, versus a rote ritual, it’s crucial to … Continued
Don’t be Dispassionate: How to Use Emotional Impulses to Make Better Decisions – Full Article
By Glenn Mott “Heuristic / you risked it.” —Hank Lazer Recently, I had an opportunity to read a special issue of the Harvard Business Review called “The Brain Science Behind Business”—a compilation of previously published articles about neuroscience. Reading these articles got me thinking about the role of heuristics in risk management. Heuristics refers to … Continued
Use Design Thinking to Find Creative Solutions to Worrisome Risks
By Katharine Nesslage “Some of our important choices have a timeline. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever. Sometimes our doubts keep us from making a choice that involves change. Thus, an opportunity may be missed.”– James E. Faust As disruption—rapid change in current behavior with no time to oppose it—becomes the … Continued
If Ruminating on Risk Inspires Worry, You’re Doing it Wrong
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During a recent risk workshop, one of our participants commented, “Thinking about all of the potential risks facing my organization makes me really worried!” Her remark reminded me of the distinction between what many leaders believe is the narrow purpose of risk management and its true aim. The narrow view of risk management’s … Continued
Rewarding Risks: The Prodigious Power of Volunteers
By Christy Grano It’s National Volunteer Week, an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of volunteers and the indelible impact that volunteer service makes on communities across our country. In the promotional materials for National Volunteer Week, the Points of Light Foundation reminds us that: “Whether online, at the office, or the local food bank; whether with a vote, a … Continued
Dampening Drama: Lessons from a Large Family
by Christy Grano I was the oldest of seven siblings, with two military veterans for parents. That’s right, seven kids, just like the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music. We didn’t march to a whistle or live in a mansion, but efficiency, order, and education were certainly high priorities. Charts mapped out our … Continued
Got Growth? Managing Risk When Your Nonprofit is on the Rise
By Christy Grano and Melanie Lockwood Herman For several years our NRMC team has had the opportunity to work with a number of nonprofits that have grown rapidly from a small capable corps of nimble and idealistic pioneers to strong, sustainable organizations with functions, departments, and even signs of bureaucracy. We’re grateful for the opportunity to … Continued
Resolve to be Resolute
Eat healthy, exercise more, save money-sound resolutions, all. How many of us will still be at it after January? Surveys suggest that somewhere on the order of 80 percent of resolutions fail. This may explain why 30–day challenges have become popular, and in many cases have replaced the yearlong commitment of a New Year’s resolution. A quick … Continued
5 Musts to Attract Mission-Motivated Millennials
By Melanie Lockwood Herman While traveling last week an infographic in the Dec 2018/Jan 2019 issue of Fast Company caught my eye. Titled “Millennials in the Corner Office, Gen Y Bosses Tell Us How They Lead,” Yasmin Gagne has compiled the results from a survey on millennial leaders conducted by Fast Company, Inc., and the … Continued
Talking Cures: Authentic Risk Management
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Inspiration for RISK eNews often comes from the work we do answering day-to-day RISK HELP questions from our Affiliate Members. It also comes from the more cerebral work of helping our consulting clients build durable risk management frameworks, resources, and plans. RISK HELP is almost-always delivered through one or more brief … Continued
Person of Interest: Soliciting Insights from Staff In-the-Know
By Erin Gloeckner “It’s better to be interested than interesting.” – Oprah Winfrey Are you a fan of true crime TV? In a crime drama, “person of interest” refers to an individual who possesses information that is potentially relevant to an investigation. While some persons of interest might come forward themselves, they are often identified … Continued
Restructuring Risk Roles
By Erin Gloeckner Throughout the sector, more and more nonprofits are formally assigning risk management responsibility to an individual or team focused on risk, usually with risk or related words in their job titles. Many NRMC clients succeed by assigning an existing team to wear the risk hat and champion risk management initiatives, without recognizing … Continued
Selfless Leadership: When to Leave Fingerprints
By Melanie Lockwood Herman If you’re a fan of crime dramas, you’re well aware that recovering fingerprints—the impressions left by the friction ridges (raised portion of the epidermis) of a human finger—is often an important part of a crime scene investigation. And when the identity associated with the fingerprints is revealed, it doesn’t always match … Continued
Risk Management Advice: Smarts from the Streets
This week’s RISK eNEWS features street smart words of wisdom from risk management leaders who serve in nonprofits, or who serve clients across the nonprofit sector. Find inspiration in this sage risk management advice from your peers, who take bold risks every day! NRMC: Are you a risk taker, or risk averse? Why? Mike … Continued
Risk Management Leaders Must be Unstoppably Optimistic
“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” – Colin Powell By Melanie Lockwood Herman In his article, “How to Lead in 2018,” Fast Company editor Robert Safian beckons his readers to embrace optimistic leadership by staring “unblinkingly at this time of chaos and dig into the difficult work of building a better tomorrow.” Across our work … Continued
Infographic: Five Favorite Reads for Risk Professionals
AHT Insurance Partners with NRMC as Corporate Sustainer The NRMC team proudly announces that AHT Insurance has joined our family of Corporate Sustainers. We are grateful for the AHT team’s commitment to provide year-round support for NRMC’s mission. AHT previously sponsored our annual conference, the Risk Summit, and will now continue to do so, while supporting NRMC’s … Continued
Risk Leadership Resources for Nonprofit Risk Champions
November 30, 2017 Explore this RISK eNewsletter filled with risk leadership resources What Star Trek Taught Me about Risk Leadership There’s not exactly a Starfleet Academy for nonprofit risk professionals, like in the beloved television and film series, Star Trek. So how will you know when you reach the status of a commissioned officer, ready … Continued
Risk Lessons from Soccer’s Sidelines
By Eric Henkel I spent a big chunk of time recently as a supportive sideline spectator at a soccer tournament with my kids. They play on two different teams, so there were a lot of games and not much downtime. While sidelined, it occurred to me that like the parents of competing soccer players, risk … Continued
The Illusion of Teams
By Eric Henkel Teams are often viewed as a possible panacea for complex organizational challenges. However, forming and deploying teams to address perennial problems sometimes creates a mirage; leaders believe they see something that isn’t really there. Effective teams are more often an illusion than a reality and many nonprofit leaders are content to believe … Continued
What Star Trek Taught Me about Risk Leadership
By Erin Gloeckner There’s not exactly a Starfleet Academy for nonprofit risk professionals, like in the beloved television and film series, Star Trek. Nonprofit risk professionals are often designated by surprise, and are expected to learn on the job, wear new hats (e.g., insurance program manager, safety committee leader, etc.), or seek out professional certifications … Continued
The Risk of Regret: Not Every Mission Really Lives
By Melanie Lockwood Herman In Everybody Dies But Not Everybody Lives, rapper and spoken word artist Prince Ea challenges us to be open to risk-taking: “There was a study done, a hospital study on 100 elderly people. Facing death, close to their last breath they were asked to reflect about their life’s biggest regret… Nearly … Continued
Dream Big: 10 Lessons Learned from Skydiving
By Christine Smith On Monday, I had the opportunity to jump out of a plane from 10,000 feet in the air at 120 miles per hour. Yes, that’s right, I went skydiving! If you’ve seen my bio on the NRMC website, you would know that it was an item on my bucket list. To say … Continued
Managing Interns & Risk: Let’s Dive In(ternships)
By Christine Smith Now that summer is officially in full swing, you may be spending part of the summer at the pool, beach, or a waterpark. I’ve opted to spend my summer interning with the NRMC! In the past month, I have started to realize why employers often prefer prospective candidates with internship experience. Thus … Continued
Belt and Suspenders: Redundancy in Risk Practice
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Daring and prudence, when used together, lead to new and safe structures.” – Why Buildings Fall Down I was reminded of several risk practice fundamentals this week while reading a fascinating book, Why Buildings Fall Down. The book chronicles structural failures, including the collapse of dams, bridges, stadiums, and buildings, and … Continued
What’s in a Word? Risk Management Leaders as Mission Champions
By Erin Gloeckner “What’s in a name?” asks Juliet in William Shakespeare’s famed play Romeo and Juliet, as she argues that her and Romeo’s family names are the only cause for their families to remain enemies. Though the Capulet and Montague names were meaningless to Juliet, researchers and philosophers from ancient to modern times have … Continued
Fascination with Compensation: The Executive Team, the Board, and the IRS
Presenter: Eric Henkel, NRMC When it comes to matters of executive compensation, it can be hard to create an appropriate compensation package. It can be a challenge to balance the need to attract the most qualified individuals for key positions in your organization with the risks related to compensation. This webinar addresses items to consider … Continued
Risk Categorization: Learning from the Risk Leadership Certificate Program
By Erin Gloeckner Our Risk Leadership Certificate Program (RLCP) is underway. With our RLCP cohort, we’ve enjoyed productive generative discussions about core competencies for risk professionals, including risk assessment, risk culture, risk function design, and insurance program oversight. With each conversation, we challenged our understanding of risk management best practices, like risk categorization. Prior to … Continued
Succession Planning for [NOT] the CEO
By Erin Gloeckner CEO succession planning arises as a strategic risk and key concern of nonprofit boards in many NRMC-led Risk Assessments. If you’re looking for an article about CEO succession planning, this is not it. Instead, review our popular article, Avoid Transition Trauma with a Succession Plan. This article explores succession planning for nonprofit … Continued
New Risk Benchmarking App & Infographic: 5 Riveting Reads for Risk Champions
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center team is pleased to share our new, free resource: the Risk Benchmarking App. This web application allows nonprofit leaders to compare their organizations’s risk practices to those of peer organizations. The Risk Benchmarking App uses five commonly asked questions to compare nonprofit risk management practices. We plan to add … Continued
What Will You Learn This Year?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.” – Julia Child While perusing a past issue of The Economist, I encountered an unfamiliar term: deep learning. According to “Now We’re Talking,” (The Economist, January 7, 2017), deep learning is “an artificial-intelligence technique in which a software system is trained using … Continued
Commandments of Supervisor-Employee Relationships
Dissatisfaction with supervision is a key factor of voluntary turnover. Fostering healthy and productive supervisor-employee relationships is critical to living out your nonprofit’s values, and to moving your mission forward by retaining talented, dedicated staff and volunteers. Unfortunately, some supervisors lack the soft skills required to foster positive relationships with their team members, and yet … Continued
Drinking from the Hose: Is Your Executive Onboarding Program Effective (and Sane)?
By Erin Gloeckner Transitioning into any new job is often compared to drinking from a fire hose. How quickly can you learn everything about your new role and organization? How long will it take for you to fit in and live out the culture, policies, and expectations of your new workplace? And how can you … Continued
Networking Know-How
By Emily Stumhofer Nonprofit leaders often wear multiple hats and many of us begin our workday with an impossible to-do list and a packed schedule. Once you have a clear schedule and routine, there may be little time left for workplace activities that aren’t pre-arranged and scheduled into busy days. One activity that is more … Continued
A Spoonful of Skepticism Helps the Medicine Go Down
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Have you ever attended a board meeting where one of the members seemed to have everything figured out? Or have you ever worked (or lived with!) a ‘know-it-all?” One of my favorite expressions relevant to the world of nonprofit governance is, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” … Continued
Dueling it Out: Addressing Common Board Conflicts with Confidence
Conflict in a board meeting is often unavoidable, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Opposing board member viewpoints can lead to an increase in productivity, creativity, and new insights if these conflicts are managed thoughtfully. Constructive conflict in the board room is much like a fencing match: a victory is not achieved through aggression, … Continued
Succession Planning: Managing the Risk of Executive Departures
Recent studies suggest that a significant percentage of senior nonprofit leaders will be retiring in the next five years. Yet most nonprofits do not have a succession plan ready to ensure a smooth transition when experienced leaders depart. And despite the fact that the lack of a succession plan keeps countless volunteer board leaders awake … Continued
Hello Goodbye: Succession Planning 101
Countless nonprofit board members and CEOs have faced this million-dollar question: “Do we need a succession plan?” which is often followed by confusion and another query: “Do we need a successor ready now?” Attend this webinar to learn the why, what, who, and how of succession planning. Reflect on why your board and/or CEO might be shy of initiating succession planning … Continued
Outdated or Poorly Written Governing Documents: What Are the Risks and What Can You Do?
Bylaws, board minutes, codes of conduct, and other governance policies need to be clearly written and reflect how your nonprofit operates or they are of little value in protecting the organization. Their purpose is to provide commonality of behavior, which gives direction to the leadership and protection by intent in the event of a dispute, … Continued
Ready, Mindset, Go!
April 6, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman During two Risk Assessments / ERM engagements for complex nonprofit organizations, our team has shared the idea of a ‘risk aware mindset’ with our clients. What are we referring to? In general, we’re talking about a leadership team that is: Eager to learn, and learn some more Comfortable … Continued
The Dark Side of Leadership
By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Emily Wilson Few nonprofits can thrive or even survive without strong leadership. Yet what happens when forceful leaders cross the line and become bellicose bullies or just plain bad bosses? Sadly, the nonprofit sector is not immune from the harm that destructive leaders leave in their wakes. Destructive leaders are … Continued
Level the Playing Field Through Inclusive Meetings
May 4, 2016 By Emily Stumhofer It’s all about perspective. Diverse perspectives can contribute to a more complete and whole view of an organization and its challenges and strengths. Most of us understand the value of obtaining diverse perspectives, and including a variety of people and stakeholders in discussions and meetings, but are we doing … Continued
Employee Engagement: Why Good Isn’t Good Enough
May 12, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels,” tops the list of factors contributing to over all job satisfaction, according to the 2016 SHRM Employment Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey. Also positive, SHRM–the Society for Human Resource Management–reports that U.S. employees are “more satisfied with their current jobs … Continued
Join the Culture Club
December 23, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Assuming you love your job, what is it about your nonprofit that makes it a wonderful place to work? Despite the undeniable uniqueness of nonprofits, most organizations have the following elements in common: a compelling mission, a defined leadership structure, multiple stakeholder groups and vulnerability to financial stress … Continued
Be The Boss You Want to Work For
January 20, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman In last week’s Risk eNews, Erin Gloeckner dared readers to promote workplace safety by managing the downside risk of employee sleep deprivation. In the Schumpeter column in this week’s edition of The Economist, (“The other side of paradise,” The Economist, January 16th, 2016), I was intrigued to learn … Continued
Managing Mission Creep
February 24, 2016 By Erin Gloeckner The perennial debate: be good at everything or be great at one thing? I’ve witnessed this struggle at diverse nonprofits during many NRMC consulting engagements. The door of opportunity opens and most nonprofit leaders eagerly walk through. We take on additional programs or lines of service based on the … Continued
Avoid World War Y
March 2, 2016 By Emily Wilson As a member of Generation Y, I am well aware of the stereotypes that we face. We were the last generation to be born before the popularization of texting, and the first to experience social media in our youth. We have a unique lens that allows us to understand … Continued
Why We Shouldn’t Just Get Along
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During an interview for a recent Risk Assessment, a staff member at a client nonprofit asked, “Why can’t we just get along?” She continued by describing the actions of senior leaders in her organization, whose behavior toward one another negatively affected employees at all levels of the organization. Instead of inspiring … Continued
Mindful Leadership
July 29, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman During a recent consulting engagement, a member of my team reminded our client that when an organization adopts a large number of ambitious, complex goals, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Instead of feeling “doable,” success may feel out of reach. The key to tackling big goals, she explained, … Continued
A Little Respect
August 5, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman As anyone who’s ridden in my car, visited my home, or asked me about my taste in music knows, I’m a huge fan of Channel 33 on SiriusXM. My “First Wave” station plays music from the 1980s–from upbeat dance tunes to the bizarre poetic musings of Morrissey. One … Continued
Rebellion: How to Change Your Approach to Learning
August 12, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin The desire to learn on the job is shared by employees from all generations, backgrounds and tenures. Yet promises made to new hires about “learning opportunities” are infrequently supported … Continued
As Luck Will Have It
August 19, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Dan Ariely’s book, Irrationally Yours, is a collection of his “Ask Ariely” columns featured in The Wall Street Journal. I purchased this book at an airport bookstore after learning that a short flight delay was going to stretch into several hours. As luck would have it, this particular … Continued
Stuck in the Middle
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Certain melodies and lyrics get stuck in my head. In 1972, the single “Stuck in the Middle with You,” by Stealers Wheel, took up permanent residence in my brain. Peaking at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song was apparently inspired by a business lunch, where songwriters and … Continued
Why Sorry is the Hardest Word
September 9, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman This weekend I had an opportunity to watch a program titled “Cardinal Seán” featured in a re-run of the television program, 60 Minutes. The subject of the program was Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston. One of the most compelling moments in the broadcast was a video clip … Continued
How the Grinch Stole the Workplace
January 22, 2015 By Erin Gloeckner It’s normal to have a cranky day at work, but string together too many cranky days and you might start sounding like the Grinch. You’ve worked with a Grinch before—that employee who makes snide remarks, starts rumors, complains without end, or uses body language and other behaviors to display … Continued
Break Free: The Big Payoff from Kicking the Habit
April 1, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Leaders are guided and inspired by the missions and values of the organizations they serve when they are called on to balance risk and reward in programming. And when it comes to the toughest choices, most leaders go with their gut. But what if your gut is leading … Continued
Hire an Architect, Not a Drill Sergeant to Lead Your Volunteers
April 15, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman We are celebrating National Volunteer Week by reflecting on some of the challenges (opportunities!) facing volunteer programs in the U.S. Despite differences in leadership styles, we’ve noticed a striking similarity among volunteer program leaders: many view their role as that of a drill sergeant responsible for developing and … Continued
Think Again: How Outsmarting Yourself Can Lead to Better Decisions
April 29, 2015 By Emily Stumhofer Risk leaders in the public sector make decisions every day. Did you know that how you reach a decision is based in part on the neural pathways in your brain? And by the time you reach your mid- to late-20s, many pathways are “hard wired.” These well worn pathways … Continued
Inspire True and Triumphant Teams
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Few leaders are willing to face the wrath of their friends and peers and speak ill of “teamwork.” Yet too often we use the words “team” and “teamwork” when we really mean work groups or a process involving a group of co-workers, while ignoring some of the difficult challenges that arise … Continued
Make Safety a Habit
Most of us have at least one bad habit we’d like to kick. But the term “habit” doesn’t deserve a bad rap. Habit can, and should, be a positive concept in a public entity. Nowhere is habit more important than the area of workplace safety. A safe workplace, summer camp, clinic, training site or residence … Continued
Boiling the Frog: Fighting the Slippery Slope of Ethical Indiscretions in the Workplace
By Emily C. Stumhofer A familiar anecdote suggests that if a frog is dropped into a pot of boiling water, he will immediately jump out, but if he is dropped into a pot of cool water that is gradually heated, he won’t perceive the danger, and will be cooked to death. Although some recent science … Continued
Enough is Enough: Banish Meeting Madness
By Emily Stumhofer We all go to meetings, sometimes even multiple meetings in the same day. A recent Bain & Company study reports that managers spend 15 percent of their time in meetings, and executives spend two full days per week in meetings. And according to a report on the “state of the modern meeting” … Continued
We Are the Champions, My Friends: Risk Champion Q&A
By Erin Gloeckner Risk management is a team sport. A team approach encourages the consideration of alternative perspectives on risk, as well as integration of aligned risk management practices throughout your organization. Still, it helps to have an experienced risk management thought leader on board; this ‘risk champion’ can inspire buy-in from the whole team … Continued
How to be the World’s Smartest Risk Manager
By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve just finished the National Geographic book, “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler.” Who doesn’t want to be the world’s “smartest” anything?! As a big fan of the expression, “don’t believe everything you read,” I had no expectation of becoming the world’s smartest traveler when I cracked the cover of … Continued
Leadership is Hard
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading “The Hard Thing About Hard Things,” by Ben Horowitz, the former CEO of Opsware, whose company was acquired by HP for $1.6 Billion in 2007. What practical advice might a Silicon Valley tech executive turned venture capitalist have to offer nonprofit CEOs and risk champions? Brutal … Continued
Shift Happens
By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve been engrossed in the pages of a new book this week: Surviving and Thriving in Uncertainty: Creating the Risk Intelligent Enterprise by Frederick Funston and Stephen Wagner. The pages of this text offer a refreshing approach to integrating the principles of effective risk management into organizational planning, strategy-setting and decision … Continued
Listen While You Work
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Earlier this month I had an opportunity to hear a keynote presentation on leadership by Dr. John C. Maxwell. During his thought-provoking address at the 2010 General Assembly of YMCAs, Dr. Maxwell discussed “levels” of leadership and the reasons why we follow others. He pointed out a common error made by … Continued
Brain Freeze
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Once again I’m intrigued by and caught up in the latest research and analysis on the human brain. I’ve been re-reading “The New Science of the Teenage Brain,” featured in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic, and I’ve begun reading Michael Shermer’s new book, The Believing Brain. Both publications offer … Continued
Is Your Door Open?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman I enjoy reading about and observing the intersection of human nature and “best practices” in organizational management. This week I had an opportunity to read the October 2011 edition of HR Magazine, the monthly publication of the Society for Human Resource Management, and I also finished reading Mob Rules: What the … Continued
May I Have Your Attention Please?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading Daniel Kahneman’s terrific book, Thinking Fast and Slow. Many readers will recognize the author as the past recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and recall his ground-breaking work—with Amos Tversky—on the subject of decision-making. Kahneman begins Thinking Fast and Slow by reminding his reader … Continued
Risk Oversight: Who Dunnit?
By Erin Gloeckner When I first heard the term risk oversight, I imagined a risk manager following clues in a deerstalker hat like Sherlock Holmes. I thought risk oversight meant chasing down the villain who allowed the risk to materialize. But risk oversight is not about blaming people when downside risks materialize. Those responsible for … Continued
Risk Talking at Your Nonprofit
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Talking about risk is essential to fortifying your nonprofit’s reputation and mission, and providing a safe environment for the people who serve and those who rely on you for services. Yet starting a conversation about “what could go wrong” isn’t always easy to do. During a recent conversation with a … Continued
It’s Not Me, It’s You!
By Melanie Lockwood Herman One of my favorite parts of the Seinfeld episode titled “The Lip Reader,” is when Gwen tries to soften her break-up with George by saying, “It’s not you, it’s me.” George responds, “You’re giving me the ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ routine? I invented ‘It’s not you, it’s me.’ Nobody tells … Continued
Avoid Transition Trauma with a CEO Succession Plan
by Melanie Lockwood Herman and Erin Gloeckner CEO succession planning can be a touchy subject. Members of a nonprofit board may fear the risk of insulting a CEO by suggesting the topic as an agenda item. Some CEOs may feel disinclined to raise the subject because it could send mixed signals about their intent to … Continued
Engaging the Board in Forecasting and Managing Risk
Ideally, you want managing risk to be second nature to your board and senior managers. Sign on for this 1-hour online program and then point the board towards an enlightened understanding of risk and risk taking. Learn how to keep the board fully apprised of your agency’s risks without causing undue concern or worry. Watch … Continued