How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Why does your organization exist? Why should you get out of bed in the morning? Why should anyone care? Author Simon Sinek asks these questions in one of the most popular TEDtalks to date. With almost 8 million views, his 18-minute talk outlines one simple principle: real leaders don’t plan, they inspire. Drawing on the examples of some of the world’s most influential leaders and businesses, Sinek’s approach distills the seemingly mystical formula for inspiration into a simple communication framework he calls “The Golden Circle.” Starting with Why The Golden Circle models how...
Read MoreThe Art of Asking
Asking the right questions to think creatively. High turnover. Low profits. Stale ideas. Organizations sometimes face chronic problems. Moving forward when it feels like our wheels are spinning is all about asking the right questions. Often the right questions don’t address individual organizational problems at all. Instead, they take a broader look at the organization’s environment, goals and assets. The right questions don’t ask, “how do we solve this problem?” but rather, “what is the best way to serve our customers or achieve our goals?” I was recently on a team that...
Read MoreSeeing Green
Last week we shared fundraising secrets from the Non-Profit Fundraising and Development Master’s course at Canisius College. Our final task for the class brought students and partner organizations together to tackle one of the most daunting tasks of a fundraising professional: making personal invitations for large gifts. Our final exam required us to sit down for a brief conversation with fictional millionaire matron, Mrs. Gotbucks. During our meeting, we considered Mrs. Gotbucks’s interests and history and invited her to consider a major gift to our partner organizations. Our asks varied...
Read MoreLessons in Fundraising
One of the most valuable experiences I’ve had this semester is working with the Western New York Books Arts Center through the Master’s program’s Fundraising & Development course. The class is structured around experiential learning, which calls us to weekly apply new techniques from lecture to boost our partner organizations’ fundraising efforts. Working alongside WNYBAC made me better able to understand the organization’s mission and invite others to take part in it. Fundraising first requires us to understand our organization’s vision of the future and their goals for...
Read MoreSecrets of a Customer Service Champion
This week, Forbes named Wegmans a “customer service champion.” Forbes writer Carmine Gallo praised Wegmans, alongside Apple and Ritz-Carlton, as companies that know the secret to great customer service. And what’s that secret? Empowerment. To provide excellent customer service, all three companies put the power in the hands of their employees. Sure there are rules and policies dictating employee behavior and decisions, but when it comes down to a customer with a problem, employees get the flexibility and the resources to go above and beyond for their customers. The resources employees...
Read More
