leadership
What Are Your Non-Negotiables?
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 | Resources, Social Entrepreneurship, Work + Life | 9 Comments
It’s the morning after Election Day, and I have a question for you: Have you ever hired anyone? Well, if you’ve voted, then you’ve at least influenced who gets hired. And, with all the he-said, she-said and who is right or wrong when–it can be difficult to navigate. So, I ask you: What are your non-negotiables when hiring someone?
I’m not implying that these are the only things you look for when hiring or even that they correlate to how you or I vote. But, they do provide a focus and help us cultivate an internal culture, mindset and attitude towards our work.
My Four Non-Negotiables:
Initiative
People with initiative are rare–and when you come across them, you can develop not only a mentorship relationship, but also a reverse-mentorship relationship. In other words, like iron sharpens iron, working together makes you both better at what you do and what you know. A person with initiative does not always have all the answers–but they know where to get them. They are resourceful, pro-active and self-thinkers. For example, I once was in an interview where the person asked: If I was hired, what could I do before now and then to prepare for the position? Is there anything you’d like me to study or any skills I should refine? This is initiative. Check.
Commitment
From my experience, those with initiative often possess commitment. Commitment comes in many shapes and forms–maybe it’s in the form of certain ethics and values, maybe it’s a deep passion or belief in what one is doing. Maybe it comes from a personal experience that resonates with the individual or a desire to contribute to the team or be a part of something greater than oneself. Often, commitment is the seed for both initiative and accountability. As, people with commitment tend to be life-long learners. People who are willing to “Do, Learn, Improve and Repeat.”
Accountability
They say that few people can admit when they are wrong. What may be more rare, are people who are willing to admit that they don’t know something (but then have the initiative to discover it). To me though, accountability is more than this type of black and white definition. There are shades of accountability, that when you can find hints of it in someone, it is easily recognizable. This is because accountability can also be referred to as servant leadership. I first learned of servant leadership from my dad. In sum, servant leadership is when the leader serves others–rather than others serving the leader. I believe leadership can come at any level in an organization. And one who is a servant leader is the cream of the crop.
Writing Ability
In marketing, we write…a lot. Whether it’s email, marketing plans, research reports, presentations, blog posts, tweets, etc., writing and overall communication is at the core. Writing can be a detailed yet creative process. It gives you insight into how someone thinks and arranges thoughts and ideas and how someone approaches a task. Maybe it’s my own love for writing that gives me this bias, but you can tell a lot from someone’s writing–it can be a canvas for change.
Your Challenge
So–What are your non-negotiables? Consider putting together your team or organization’s non-negotiables. Make it a team brainstorm over lunch. Even if just as an exercise, I think you’ll find it telling about the culture you work in and the direction you’re headed. And that holds great importance in achieving your team and organization’s mission and affecting positive social change. If you do this, please share how the experience goes with the rest of us by posting a comment.
flickr credit: Jose Betancur
Where You Place Your Time and Attention Changes You
Friday, September 17th, 2010 | Faith, Social Media, Twitterverse, Work + Life | No Comments
There’s a new Twitter in town. With new functionality, a new look and feel and lots of new chatter about the future of Twitter and online communications. Maybe you were a part of the live press conference? Or maybe you stopped everything you were doing to follow along?
This is fine. But I can’t help but offer up a thought… What if we paid as much attention to:
- Tuning into the United Nation’s Development Group’s Webcast
- Following the National Conference on Citizenship online
- Hearing about our kid’s day at school
- Listening in to the TEDxChange Event led by Melinda Gates
- Read the newspaper
- Go vote for the 2010 Elections
Following Twitter’s news has a place in our life–but there are so many different aspects to life outside of the Internet and technology. I feel it’s okay to follow the hype–but let’s not get caught up in it. I say this as much as a reminder to myself, as I do to my fellow bloggers and readers. Where we place our time and attention, influences our thoughts. And our thoughts can become our actions.
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
So I ask you: What are your thoughts?
Do Big Ideas Need Big Leaders?
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Leadership, Work + Life | 1 Comment
Lots of people have big ideas–the next ‘big’ thing. Not everyone executes. This isn’t only applicable to individuals, but also to teams and organizations. Many teams have great ambitions, same with organizations–and some are successful in achieving that idea. But, they may not have reached a point of bigness. Teams need leaders. Organizations need leaders–but to what degree?
Thank You Tim O’Reilly
Inc Magazine recently published an article highlighting Tim O’Reilly and the visionary leadership he is bringing to Washington. Out of all the great things covered in the article and that Tim O’Reilly has said, this one line lives with me the most:
“My original business model — I actually wrote this down — was ‘interesting work for interesting people.’ “
Interesting work for interesting people. The word “interesting” is most critical in this phrase, as, people define interesting differently. I find interesting to mean work that meets more than a bottom-line, that influences people and behaviors for good, that is innovative and leverages the latest research, technologies, and approaches for social change. This is quite specific.
Define Interesting
What Mr. O’Reilly says is applicable not only to organizations–but also to people I often say: “Own your education. Own your career.” To be able to do this, you need to know what is interesting.
Then, you need to find people who you also find interesting–who share similar interests, people you admire, people who are one step ahead of you, people who think differently that you, motivate you–but again–to find the people, you need to know what interests you in others.
The Role of Leadership
Have you ever been on the other side of a big idea–where, you want to go from good to great? Is it possible to reach bigness without it? Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, I think best gets to the bottom of why leadership is crucial:
“…more than anything else, real people in real companies want to be part of a winning team. They want to contribute to producing real results. They want to feel the excitement and the satisfaction of being part of something that just flat-out works. When people begin to feel the magic of momentum—when they begin to see tangible results and can feel the flywheel start to build speed—that’s when they line up, throw their shoulders to the wheel, and push.”
Interesting needs interesting.
Do you know what interests you?
flickr credit: TechShowNetwork
Oh! The Places We’ll Go
Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Events and Happenings | No Comments
In case you haven’t heard, 2010 is going to be big–HUGE. Full of wonder, discovery, ideas and action. If you are looking to stretch your horizons this year, I’ve recently updated the “Events” tab up above just for you.
This page offers a listing of 40+ interesting conferences, events, observances and programs to keep you up to date in the world of social marketing and related areas of social change, social innovation, non-profits, and tech. From events like the World Economic Forum, to conferences like the 20th Anniversary of the Social Marketing in Public Health Conference to observances like World Day of Social Justice and Twitter chats like #4change, #hcsm, #SocEntChat and more–it’s shaping to be a powerful year.
The calendar will be continuously updated as the year goes on, so check back often as we have “Watch List” including the NIH mHealth Conference, Mobile Tech 4 Social Change and others. Oh the places we will go in 2010–may we enjoy the ride!
flickr photo credit: ForestForTrees
Beth’s Birthday Bash
Monday, January 11th, 2010 | Free Agent Activism | 2 Comments
We all have influence and impact. Today’s post is to recognize the influence of one person, Beth Kanter, and to realize the impact we can all have when we act together. Beth Kanter, if you don’t know, is a top changeblogger working to help nonprofits do good. But, I won’t provide a bio, her actions speak for themselves.
Actions such as making a birthday wish. Of course, this was no ordinary wish. For Beth’s 53rd birthday, she wished for people to donate to the Sharing Foundation on her behalf. The Sharing Foundation helps Cambodian youngsters go to school and holds a special place in Beth’s heart.
So I did. And so did many others. And so can you. You see, this blog post is one of many that is part of Beth’s Surprise Birthday bash. We want to thank Beth for all of her leadership, her generosity and belief in doing good, and this is the non-profit and social change community’s way of saying THANK YOU.
If Beth’s had an impact on you, join us and let her know by blogging or leaving a comment below. To donate and help make Beth’s birthday wish come true, here’s the link.
Want to follow Beth’s lead and use your birthday for good? Get to know the Causes application on Facebook.
Being Empowered in Government 2.0
Saturday, December 19th, 2009 | Government 2.0, Leadership | No Comments
The other week I had the honor of chairing the Advanced Learning Institute’s “Social Media and Government” December conference. There were some great presentations, even better discussions and what I was impressed with most–many more sophisticated questions. In government communications, it’s no longer good enough to be the first or to be using social media. More and more, you have to show a return on investment. You have to tie what you are doing to why you are doing it–and focus on what you are trying to accomplish.
When it comes to social media and government, some do not know where to start. Thus, as my keynote at the conference, I presented: Being Empowered–Faces and Places You Need to Know. To me, being empowered is closely related to leadership. We can’t lead our organizations or our colleagues if we aren’t first leading ourselves. Hence, why we must become empowered. Being empowered means two things: being encouraged and being equipped. So, I share my presentation with you here to help you achieve both of those items. The faces will help encourage you and the places will work to better equip you.
If you have added “faces and places,” please leave them in the comments as we are all always learning.
Social Change: Art or Science?
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 | Blog Talk, Interesting Articles | 2 Comments
When explaining social media, I find myself, at times, explaining how it is half art and half science. Last week, marketing guru Seth Godin brought up the age-old question again in terms of the marketing field, stating that marketing is both. He explains:
“Some marketers are scientists. They test and measure. They do the math. They understand the impact of that spend in that market at that time with that message. They can understand the analytics and find the truth.”
“The other marketers are artists. They inspire and challenge and connect. These marketers are starting from scratch, creating movements, telling jokes and surprising people. Scientists aren’t good at that.”
A solution Godin gives is that we must wear hats, and be willing to switch hats. A mental image of my boss immediately flashed in my mind as he loves Harvard’s creativity tool “6 Thinking Hats.” There is a heap of value from this exercise that I too have become quite a fan, but that is a blog post for another day.
On the social marketing list serv, Godin’s post inspired a discussion on how this debate applies to social marketing. Though social marketing, is in many ways, the “science behind social change,” my favorite perspective came from thought leader and the mother of social marketing herself, Nancy Lee:
“Personally, I think we need the scientific approach for the situation analysis, determining desired behaviors, selecting priority audiences, and identifying the competition, barriers and motivators. Then, the artists uses this input to inspire the strategy. Then, the science comes back to measure outcomes and impact and what to do better the next time.”
Applying this to Godin’s “hat” analogy, Lee offers us insight, as social marketers, when to wear which hat. Brilliant.
Applying this debate to social change, I believe it is both part art and part science, along with some sweat mixed in, buckets of perseverance, one strong vision, a diverse set of hands and a dash of luck. And, this is a good thing. Take architecture for example. There is no denying that there is a science to building strong foundation that support people, systems, and communities. But on the same note, there is no denying that certain places–the Sear Tower, Sydney’s Opera House, the Great Wall, the Eiffel Tower–emulate an artistic vision and ring a certain bell of inspiration upon viewing. It takes many, many types of hats at different times. The key, is knowing which hat and for what purpose.
Thus, to me, it’s not a question to debate, but a question that expands your closet (and your horizons!)
flickr credit: doc.holiday41
The Blogger Neighborhood is Back with Some Perspective (from the Pipeline)
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 | Blogger Neighbors | 5 Comments
After some delay, the blogger neighborhood is back. To kick it off, let’s welcome Rosetta Thurman, author of Perspectives from the Pipepile.
I first began following Rosetta about a year ago. One scan through her blog’s homepage, and you will say, “She. is. impressive.” That’s what I did. And so did Avi Kaplan, a Harvard student who emailed me to nominate Rosetta for the Blogger Neighborhood. If you have someone you want to nominate, contact me at socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.
Enjoy reading below and discover why Rosetta is definitely on her way.
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Blog Name: Perspectives From the Pipeline, observations on the nonprofit sector from the next generation
Blog Topics: nonprofits and leadership
About the Author: Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color sharing career advice, management resources and fresh ideas to inspire others to lead. Rosetta is a writer/consultant/fundraiser and has been quoted in articles about the nonprofit sector in the Washington Post, Nonprofit Quarterly, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Rosetta is also an Adjunct Professor teaching nonprofit management and leadership at Trinity University in DC.
If you could live on any street, what would that street be named and why? Renaissance Boulevard. I think we are in a time of great opportunity for young people to renew our responsibility to our communities. It’s a very rich time in our history where we have the chance to lend all of our talent & skills to a movement, any movement that will create change.
Who would be your dream real-life neighbor? Nikki Giovanni, my favorite poet. I think I would be inspired every day just by living next door to a literary genius.
What first prompted you to blog? I felt that my generation’s voice was being ignored in the nonprofit sector, as if our opinions didn’t matter in discussions about the future of this sector that we will inherit. At first, I started Perspectives From the Pipeline as a learning experience for me as a young nonprofit professional to formulate my thoughts about the nonprofit sector.
As a member of the “next generation” of nonprofit leaders, I saw many challenges for our sector as well as many new ideas for solving them. Unfortunately, when people my age speak up, few people listen. I write about nonprofit leadership and organizational issues to help others think more critically about their careers & day to day work. My goal is to bridge the gap between challenges and solutions within the nonprofit sector, especially as they relate to the younger workforce and nonprofit leaders of color.
If you customized your own license plate, what would it say and why? OnMyWay. Because my favorite quote from poet Carl Sandburg illustrates how I live my life. “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”
What would you gift to a new neighbor as the perfect welcoming gift? A three-layer red velvet cake.
If you were planning the next block party, what entertainment would you plan? A big concert with Jill Scott and Kanye West. A Soul Train line. All-you-can-eat crabs. And a Taboo marathon.
What’s your favorite blog post and why?
Of mine: because we don’t talk enough about the values that brought us to nonprofit work, Real Talk: Why I Work in the Nonprofit Sector. And from Seth Godin, Because we all need inspiration to make the leap to greatness.
What’s one lesson you’ve learned from blogging? I found that blogging gave me a way to speak to the issues I care about and influence others in the process. On the internet, you can have such a huge reach, and impact on people who may not have given you a second thought otherwise. I learned that people want to hear the truth, and they will support social media and online community if it’s real and authentic.
Past Blogger Neighbors Include:
- Osocio @ Osocio, nominated by SocialButterfly
- Beth Kanter @ Beth’s Blog, nominated by SocialButterfly
- Beth Dunn @ Small Dots, nominated by Beth Kanter
- Len Edgerly @ LenEdgerly.com, nominated by Beth Dunn
- Stacey Monk @ Epic Change, nominated by the Twitter-verse
- Jason Dick @ A Small Change, nominated by Stacey Monk
- Roger Carr @ Everyday Giving, nominated by Jason Dick
- Andre Blackman @ Pulse & Signal, nominated by SocialButterfly
- Laura Stockman @ 25 Days to Make a Difference, nominated by Roger Carr
- Karama Neal @ So What Can I Do?, nominated by the Carnival of Change
- Julie Zauzmer @ 52 Ways to Change the World, nominated by Karama Neal
- Vanessa Mason @ Subject to Change, nominated by SocialButterfly
- Stephanie Gulley @ HeyStephanie.com, nominated by Vanessa Mason
- Aaron Ferster @ EPA’s Greenversations, nominated by SocialButterfly
- Julia Barry @ New Moon Media, nominated by the YPulse Conference
- Rosetta Thurman @ Perspectives from the Pipeline, nominated by Avi Kaplan
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This continuous weekly series highlights different blogs and their respective bloggers in the blogosphere neighborhood. Following the great Mr. Rogers, who tells us to ‘Get to know your neighbor,’ this series introduces us to our blogger neighbors, making for a more unified, collaborative voice for the social sector. Like to nominate someone or be featured yourself? Contact me @ socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.
How Your Childhood Olympic Dream Can Still Come True
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | Blog Talk, Experience This?, SocialButterfly | 4 Comments
Defining Greatness
When I was a kid, playdoh was great. Dancing around in a tutu making cookies was greater. And Lilia Podkopayeva was greatness. Podkopayeva, overlooked by many due to the gold medal win by the Magnificent Seven by the USA, was from Ukraine. And she won the individual Olympic all-around gold in women’s gymnastics at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She was my superstar.
As a child, I loved the Olympics, and still do. A hardcore competitive gymnast growing up, I attended the ’96 games (as an observer) where I saw Podkopayeva achieve what I thought was the unreachable and untouchable – greatness. In this case, that meant the gold. Seeing both Podkopayeva and the USA women’s team both capture gold medals, I hoped to follow in their footsteps.
Re-Defining Greatness
Like any girl after ’96, my dream for Olympic greatness quadrupled, and my love for the sport escalated. I cut out every single news clipping from women’s gymnastics coverage in Atlanta and plastered my room in posters, photos and news clippings. You could say it was a Mag Seven Heaven.
Overlooked by the Mag Seven by many, Podkopayeva was a combination of grace, style, elegance and talent. My favorite coach even nicknamed me “Mini-Lilia” because he thought we looked alike, and had similar talent: grace and style.
However, fast forward 12 years, and I will never receive an Olympic gold medal, but I still reach for my Olympic dream in the horizon – greatness. And so can you.
Infecting Greatness
Every four years, athletes converge together to compete for world titles, Olympic golds, world records and – greatness. But, each of us maintains the home court advantage. We can achieve greatness in our own communities, everyday. Though I’m no longer conditioning, flipping and twisting on the apparatus’, I like to think that I’m still developing my craft – all the while growing in grace and evolving my style.
For what is greatness? As a kid, a gold-medal gymnast defined greatness. For me today, people who live with conviction define greatness. People doing the work that no one else want do = greatness. The single mother working two jobs to give her child a better life, is greatness I only hope I can mimic. As we grow, how we define greatness evolves. Today, my ‘greatness’ role-model is my mom. It’s also my dad. Nedra Weinreich. Andre Blackman. Kivi Leroux Miller. Beth Kanter. Marc @ Osocio. Mike Newton-Ward. Stephen Dann. The Unsung Hero.
See, these are ordinary people, and they are infecting greatness everyday. I only hope that one day I can join their team, and we together, as a team, can achieve greatness. For greatness, just depends on how you define it.
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“There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”
- Buck Rodgers, American Baseball Player 1938
Catch the Wave with MLK, Jr.
Sunday, April 6th, 2008 | Events and Happenings | No Comments
What wave you may ask? The wave of effective positive change in yourself and in your community. At the Next Wave Take Action Summit 2008, the leaders of the future gathered and shared King’s inspiration with their visions for the next big wave of change.
Participants in this interactive 3-day program to learn how to create, develop and spread this ‘wave’ for social change. Speakers shared insights, knowledge and resources about copyright, trademark, gaining nonprofit status, business development, financial integrity, marketing, social marketing and fund raising. The main message: Before you can motivate/inspire/encourage/support others….you have to know who you are, where you’re are going, your strengths, weaknesses, etc.
As organizer Tambra Stevenson might say, “You’ve got to lead your own ship before you can have effective leadership with others.”
The social entrepreneurs who attended this past weekend’s summit are steering their own ship and others, addressing such social causes as:
- Eco-enterprise
- Youth literacy
- Financial literacy
- Health awareness
- Political engagement
- Poverty and welfare
- Health and Wellness
- and more!
Yours truly also spoke about the exciting field of social marketing and social marketing’s role in the growing field of social enterprise. Other summit speakers represented a kaleidoscope of organizations including: ASHOKA Foundation, IQ Solutions, OhMyGov!, GreenDMV, William James Foundation, First Environment, Chance Academy, D.C. Mayor’s Office on Community Affairs, Upgrade America, IBM, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Copyright Office, Nonprofit Roundtable, D.C. Office of Partnerships and Grants Development, Main Streets Anacostia, Creative Cause, DNC Women’s Leadership Forum.
In the future, the Next Wave Take Action committee plans on hosting an event to commemorate Robert Kennedy’s assassination. See you there!
Alexandra Bornkessel
Email: abornkessel@fly4change.com
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
If you have questions, comments or concerns, email me at abornkessel@fly4change.com.
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