Resources
Unplugged
By Whitney Claire Thomey “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott When you find yourself traveling at the speed of risk, is it necessary to stay plugged in to organization communications, local and world news feeds, and updates from social media? Staying “on” all … 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
Dream a Little Dream: Managing Sleep Deprivation Risks
By Katharine Nesslage Our ambitious 24/7 lifestyles, filled with unbalanced diets, low physical activity, excessive electronic media use, and psychosocial stress, are causing a precipitous decline in our sleep. But the safety implications of sleep deprivation have been known for decades. Precipitating causes of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident (1979), the Exxon Valdez oil … Continued
High or Dry: Weed and the Workplace
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Is your nonprofit workplace a “drug-free” zone? Although nonprofit leaders are in agreement that impaired staff pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of people who serve and receive services, the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana creates a host of challenges for nonprofit employers who wish to take a stand … Continued
Out of Focus: How Being Less Focused (and More Aware) Pays Off
By Glenn Mott Mindfulness, like it’s complement gratitude, has been much hyped—with good reason. Our underlying mindset and conditioning are nearly invisible to most of us; by itself, the conscious mind is insufficient to get at the deeper mindset. Nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness (aka mindfulness meditation) has been shown to change attitudes, emotional responses, and habitual … Continued
Not Here: Zero Tolerance for Inappropriate Workplace Conduct
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Last year I attended a leadership conference hosted by Camp Fire, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people to “find their spark, lift their voices, and discover who they are.” During the opening keynote session, Hal Gregersen, Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, reminded his audience that “assumptions act as … Continued
Workplace Wellness: Managing Risks to Employee Health & Productivity
By Jules Finkelstein Although most nonprofits are founded on deeply-rooted principles of service and compassion, nonprofit leaders sometimes forget to care for their own employees. During the day-to-day grind, employees may also forget to take care of themselves. Employee wellness is a potentially powerful risk management resource; this article invites you to consider whether it … Continued
Pass the Remote! The Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs of Telecommuting Teams
by Delia Jones Remote Work: Benefit or Burden? “You should be able to work from anywhere.” A former boss of mine said that a lot and it sounded great. If an employee asked to work from home, my boss would agree with that announcement and leave the second level managers to implement a telecommute solution. … Continued
Happy Knot: Managing Workplace Culture Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading The Economist’s potpourri of prognostications: “The World in 2018.” In his introduction to the publication, editor Daniel Franklin writes that, “It promises to be a nerve-jangling year.” Check! In my recent risk adventures, it seems like many nonprofit leaders are either waiting for the other shoe to … Continued