I’ve used this space frequently in the past to talk about my vision for alternative forms of power in the nonprofit sector.  I want US civil society not only to advance ideas for a better world through advocacy and by meeting needs, but to show us that better world inside their doors.  I want people all over the organization to be able to use their gifts to create and inspire without taking on so much responsibility that they flame out, and I want everyone, regardless of role

The manager had been told that the budget demanded she cut a staff position.  There were no obvious candidates.  After stomach-churning days and sleepless nights, she made her selection and called him into her office to deliver the news.  Even as they spoke, the institution cut off his email access.  He was escorted out as soon as he could collect his things. I saw my colleague packing but didn’t understand what had transpired until the next day.  There were no goodbyes, no r

Conversations about artificial intelligence have been heating up in my own practice.  A new client checked in to make sure promised...

If I suggest a different way to think about conflicts of interest, the first reaction may well be “but we don’t think much about...

( a slightly modified version of this was published as an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on June 15, linked here .) On June 4,...

It’s a morning in the near future.  You sit down at your computer and open it to see what’s been going on since yesterday.  A quick look...

Some years ago I visited a friend in Los Angeles and explored the city with her.  One of our stops was the Japanese-American National...

Those of us who love distributed-power models still have strong preferences about what happens in the world.  Distributed power is the...

On a recent zoom meeting with peer consultants we considered places we felt stuck.  Some were torn between a choice of professional...

If our objective is egalitarian workplaces we may feel we’re taking down big structures and pushing against huge systems.  The...

There are plenty of places you can find well-vetted lists of recommended recreational reading for your trip to the beach.  Summers,...

A couple of years ago (!) I wrote a post about the often-unrealized potential of group decision-making processes.  Recently some...

I recently taught a full-day class on leadership to a fabulous group of nonprofit professionals.  As part of the curriculum, I covered...

Around this time, we play-act at closing a year, secure in knowing we’re not really passing anything more than an arbitrary buoy in the...

There’s one aspect of distributed-power organizations that always particularly resonates with me: moving away from parent-child...

It was November 2014, and we had just learned that a St. Louis grand jury had decided not to indict the police officer who shot Michael...

I recently guest authored a blog post for the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and since it reflects some of my...

You have a commitment to equity, anti-racism, and/or anti-colonialism. Your organization is contributing to change. You are determined...

A friend told me the story of a relatively new employee where she works. She’d changed departments and was no longer available for...

Last month I reluctantly watched as dozens of Giving Tuesday emails rolled into my inbox. While they were often well-crafted and...