Mission: Accountable » Book Reviews

Building Trust in Your Organization

Becky DaVee — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:11:22 +0000

Today, the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of NACBA is conducting a workshop for its members and Phill Martin, Deputy CEO of NACBA, will facilitate the dialogue. “Trust and Betrayal in Staff Teams” is the title of the workshop. Building trust and loyalty within an organization provide essential foundations of success in providing missional programs to the public. Everyone on the same page, working completely together, for the mission of the organization.

According to Steven Covey’s book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, trust means confidence. The following 13 behaviors either build or erode trust:

straight talk
demonstrating respect
creating transparency
righting wrongs
showing loyalty
delivering results
getting better
confronting reality
clarifying expectations
practicing accountability
listening first
keeping commitments
extending trust first

For more information about Covey’s book and building trust, see ConvergenceCoaching LLC Inspired Ideas Building Trust.

How does your organization perform in the trust department? Assess your team by using the 13 points of trust.

Managing Risk – Excerpt from Nonprofit Risk Management Center E-News

Becky DaVee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:14:11 +0000

The following excerpt is provided, by permission, from Melanie Herman, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, Leesburg, VA:

In Jeffrey Rosenthal’s fascinating book “Struck by Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities, Rosenthal explores the science of probabilities. He compells his readers to remember that risk management is accompanied by “randomness”. Many aspects of our lives are governed by events not completely within our control and uncertainty is here to stay. Nonprofit leaders have two options regarding uncertainty: #1 – Let uncertainty get the better of us and our tax-exempt organizations or #2 – Learn to understand and perhaps appreciation randomness and act accordingly.

According to Rosenthal, “by thinking logically about the likelihood of various outcomes, we can better make decisions and understand our lives more deeply.” So what does thinking logically have to do with governance and managing risk?

According to Herman, nonprofit leaders committed to coping with and even embracing uncertainty must, however commit to estimating the probability of various outcomes and making adjustments in those estimates on an ongoing basis (sounds like an accounting policy to me!). Predictions about the future should, and will, change as the future unfolds and (management) needs to be flexible in adjusting policies, procedures, staff training protocols and management oversight to reflect insights from experience (including losses) and the availability of data which confirms or discredits our worst fears. Over the course of years or decades, few if any risk management strategies will remain relevant (without adjustment or timely assessment/monitoring) in a dynamic organization. Management should be eager to update policies to make certain they suit the organization rather than clinging to time-worn policies and procedures.

Risk management is ever changing. Reviewing policies/positions, etc., are critical in moving forward and evaluating the budget and operations for 2010.

The above used by permission from Melanie Lockwood Herman, ED of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Carlye Christianson, Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects, also contributed to the article. For more information about the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, see www.nonprofitrisk.org.

Relationships – Another Indispensable Leadership Quality

Tishia Jordan — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:21:09 +0000

A client commented that some business dealings are necessary evils; but what makes it so much better is when the people you’re dealing with are nice and care about you and your business. Many of our relationships are formed out of necessity. When we see beyond the need of the transaction and focus on the need of the person (to find direction, to feel special, to be encouraged and to succeed); we can not only have an impact but develop a valuable relationship.

For more information on leadership qualities, see The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell.

Servanthood – Another Indispensable Quality of a Leader

Robert Simpson — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:13:04 +0000

A leader should be able to ignore their position and put others ahead of their own agenda. A true sign of leadership is the ability of being a servant while being confident and secure in that role. You will be rewarded for serving others through their willingness to follow your lead.

For more information, see The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John Maxwell.

Having a Positive Attitude – Another Indispensable Quality of a Leader

Kimberly Perkins — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:25:47 +0000

To be an effective leader, you must have a positive attitude. Your attitude drives your behavior and your behavior affects those working around you. To remain positive, think about these things:

1. Your Attitude is a Choice. You can’t always control what happens to you (or what your client/coworker does or doesn’t do), but you can control how you react to those circumstances.

2. Your Attitude Determines Your Actions. Your attitude drives your behavior. Your body language is a reflection of your attitude.

3. Your People Are a Mirror of Your Attitude. A leader creates the environment that determines people’s moods at the office and their mood, in turn, affects their productivity and level of engagement.

4. Maintaining a Good Attitude is Easier Than Regaining One.

Need help in readjusting your attutide? If you need an attitude “pick-me-up,” try the following:

1. Feed yourself the right “food.” Try to think positively and surround yourself with positive reinforcement.

2. Achieve a goal every day. Set an achievable goal each day so that you feel that you are making progress. This will help you to feel more positive.

3. Write it on your wall. Keep reminders of goals you’ve accomplished or things that inspire you to stay positive. These constant reminders will help you to maintain a positive attitude.

For more information on leadership qualities read The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell.

Discernment – Another Indispensable Quality of a Leader

Susan White — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:11:45 +0000

Intuition is built from our experiences and causes us to have gut feelings about situations. Discernment is the ability to blend intuition and intellect, to see a partial picture and fill in the missing pieces. Discernment allows us to see the root of the problem and evaluate options.

Does it seem like some people often appear to be in the right place at the right time? Could it be that they have the willingness to use their experience and follow their instincts.

For more information on leadership qualities, read The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell.

Security-Another Indispensable Quality of a Leader

Linda Low — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:16:41 +0000

A good leader is secure in his convictions and abilities. John Maxwell writes, “No one can live on a level inconsistent with the way he sees himself…anytime his success surpasses his security, the result is self destruction.”

A secure leader makes others feel good about themselves, gives more to others than he takes, empowers his best people and celebrates their victories. A secure leader believes in others because he believes in himself.

For more indispensable qualities, read The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John Maxwell.

The Value of Competence

Donna Mayes — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:54:03 +0000

According to John C. Maxwell, “competence” is a character trait all leaders should possess as described in his book titled “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.”
Competence doesn’t just happen, it must be cultivated:

Evaluate yourself

Be accountable for your actions

Challenge yourself

Believe in yourself

Don’t settle for mediocrity

Motivate others to succeed

Positive Attitude

Kimberly Perkins — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:52:44 +0000

To be an effective leader, you must have a positive attitude. Your attitude drives your behavior and your behavior affects those working around you.

To remain positive, think about these things:

1. Your Attitude is a Choice. You can’t always control what happens to you (or what your client/coworker does or doesn’t do), but you can control how you react to those circumstances.

2. Your Attitude Determines Your Actions. Your attitude drives your behavior. Your body language is a reflection of your attitude.

4. Maintaining a Good Attitude is Easier Than Regaining One.

If you need an attitude “pick-me-up,” do these things:

1. Feed yourself the right “food.” Try to think positively and surround yourself with positive reinforcement.

2. Achieve a goal every day. Set an achievable goal each day so that you feel that you are making progress. This will help you to feel more positive.

3. Write it on your wall. Keep reminders of goals you’ve accomplished or things that inspire you to stay positive. These constant reminders will help you to maintain a positive attitude.

We should all be accountants! (at least a little bit)

Susan White — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:55:49 +0000

Peggy M. Jackson, DPA, CPCU and Toni E. Fogarty, Ph.D., MPH, have written a wonderful book for nonprofits. It is called Sarbanes-Oxley for Nonprofits. Now I know that most people involved in nonprofits are “people dedicated.” Most do not spend their time reading accounting rules. This book shows why it is important for the nonprofit’s management and board members to have a basic understanding of financial statements and how to analyze them. This information shows a picture of the financial health of the nonprofit. The healthier the exempt organization, the more people that can be helped. Isn’t that something we all want?

In my next few articles I will give some very basic information about the four financial statements and some financial ratios to help evaluate them. Don’t worry. This will be simple and valuable information. Who knows? You might even find it interesting and fun. Be careful. You might be an accountant in the making.