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“Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparations for their victories.”   Ralph Waldo Emerson

The topic of ‘failure’ has made its way in my ear a lot this past week.  Not failure in a negative sense, but failure in a positive sense.   Historically I have not considered the act of failing as a positive event, but now I am learning that failing is not only beneficial, but it may be necessary to push us towards ultimate success. Read More

Last week I spoke about the importance of identifying your strengths and using them as often as possible.  But, I didn’t give a lot of information about how to identify your strengths.  I saved that for this week!  Some resources that I did share last week were the Strengths Finder 2.0 and Strengths Based Leadership (Gallup Strengths Center) books to identify our strengths.  But, there are other ways that you can recognize your strengths on your own. Read More

How often do you think about your strengths? Can you list your 5 top strengths right now; off the top of your head? What about your areas-of-needed-improvement? Could you list 5 in less than 30 seconds? For many people, it is easier to identify and concentrate on our weaknesses rather than our strengths. We seem to ruminate more on what we ‘need to work on’. I used to work really hard to improve those things that I was not so good at. It often made me self-aware and insecure about my ‘weaknesses’. I often put more thought and energy into how I could get better instead of learning and focusing on my natural strengths. Then I was introduced to the idea of maximizing your strengths to benefit yourself, your work and your personal life rather than focusing most of your energy on your weaknesses. Read More

Board members have a lot of responsibility for your nonprofit.  They are required to attend meetings regularly.  They have to serve on special committees.  They have to make hard decisions for your nonprofit.  Board members sometimes even have to make financial commitments for the nonprofit boards that they serve. Does your organization require a financial commitment from all board members?  Read More

The Golden Rule is good.  I am not trying to knock it.  I did grow up trying to follow it.  But, the Platinum Rule is even better, especially when you have a relationship with the person with whom you are interacting.  It’s a completely different focus.  Here are the differences: GOLDEN RULE- Treat others as you would like to be treated. PLATINUM RULE- Treat others as they would like to be treated. Read More