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Hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent you know me, i’m your aptly named host and i’m glad you’re with me. I’d suffer agile respirations if it came to my attention that you missed today’s show strategic alignment dennis miller wrote the power of strategic alignment, his third book because he’s seen too many non-profits expend time, energy and money without achieving the success they hoped for. He wants to turn that around on tony’s. Take two. I hope you scheduled your time off. I mentioned it last week. I’m very pleased now to welcome dennis miller. Dennis c miller is a consultant and executive director of fairleigh dickinson university’s center for excellence. He spent over twenty five years as a health care executive and achieve the status of fellow in the american college of health executives f a c h e fuck, eh in italy in italian fundchat is not very not very complimentary, so we’ll skip the italian it’s f a c h e he’s, a regular columnist for the non-profit times he’s at d c miller associates, dot com, and on twitter he’s at np board therapy he’s breathing heavily because he rushed to get here. Which i appreciate very much. Dennis miller, welcome back. Thank you, tony. Nice to be here. That’s. A pleasure. And were in the studio this time last time. We were at the westchester afb. That’s, right? Several years ago is probably three. Well, yeah, three years ago or so, roughly less traffic on dh. Yeah, i understand. Yes, that was much easier to just walk from your booth over where i was doing the interviews. All right, but since then, you’ve written another book. Yes. Your third. Yes. On strategic alignment. Yes. What is the problem? Why was her book? So why did you do it? That i haven’t worked with so many non-profit clients. I realize that in spite of their commitment to the mission, ah, and their overall commitment to the sector, that many just struggled to engage the board and struggle to succeed. And so, having done numerous board assessments and organizational assessments, i realized too, that in terms of difficulty of having everybody line that the traditional strategic planning process needed to be shook it up and have a new way forward and that’s my concept of strategic alignment. Okay? And what is it that we’re, uh we’re hoping to align? Well, basically, it says it sounds simple, but it’s it’s very challenging. Any organization or any individual has tohave a wheel vision for the future. Oftentimes we think of vision is just a vision statement. It hangs on the wall or in some book and we don’t pay attention to it. It’s absolutely crucial that we have a vision we want to go to and then have all the stakeholders internally and externally aligned with that and that’s usually not happening, okay? And and those stakeholders who are we talking about? Well, certainly internally we’re talking about the leadership team on the board of directors, the trustees will care about the volunteers we’re talking about the staff and externally was certainly talking about the donors and any other government or point that officials or keep people in the community that want to be involved in the organization it’s a very important have everybody aligned and it’s also not just alignment, but also very important to understand today when there’s a whole new set of conferences in nontraditional skillsets that leaders and board members have tohave okay. That’s interesting on and i think we’ll have time to talk about some of those, uh, competencies and expertise that are required. Um, so it really is possible you’ve seen this. It can happen that all these internal and external stakeholders constituents can can actually focus in and pursue the same direction it does happen. I mean, i’ve been to experience it with all of my clients wrestling to pass certainly a couple years that i’ve been at this for quite a long time, a whole new concept of actually spending a lot of time up front really doing an assessment of the organization and knowing not just its strengths, but obviously it’s areas for best practice improvement, not a swat analysis, which kind of leaves you with an empty feeling of what two d’oh swat swat is the strength sprint leading opportunity threats, coercion, threats. It was the old traditional way of people doing a strategic plan assessment, but at the end today it was like so now what do i do with this? From my point of view, it’s about now is getting to know what you are but helping them happen the leader’s helping aboard, helping everybody understand that? Today’s compasses. They’re very different as example. Okay, you know, usually in the past and executive director was high because of either they’re good program skills, the ability, the right grant, good community relationships and their passion for the mission or dedication to it. Today, the compasses for a good leader and the non-profit are very different today. Ceo stands for chief entrepreneurial officer. You have to be the one who helps make things happen. You have to be building relationships. You have to have a visionary view. You have to be able to build relationships and build your brand. You have to be able to communicate your success and talk about your achievements. You have to find opportunities to collaborate with it’s. A very different opportunity to be passively waiting for things to happen and hoping they dio for actually making it happen. That’s a different today’s leadership, you know. Interesting. Uh, chief, entrepreneurial officer? Yes, i believe that. So even large organizations and you used to work out good size hospitals? Yes. They still a tte leased out the leadership, but maybe even trickling down. I need to be entrepreneurial. I think at every level, i think that again, i mean, i’ve been in the nonprofit sector or having worked for non-profits sector, even as a corporate executive freedom from thirty years here, i think we have to think of ourselves with a different mentality that we have to think of ourselves, not as non-profit, which i think is a negative term was realizing that non-profits our tax that is not our business plan and in order to succeed and have a mission, i think you have the balance up mission in margin, but it is very important today to be focused look differently in terms of how you getting your revenues to often we’re so dependent on government and state public funding. It’s not there, and we’re going to a panic is our opportunity to build programs that are impactful tohave people want invested it and that’s kind of what my book describes. I’ve had another ceo say the exact same thing about non-profit being our tax status, not our business mentality, not our mindset, right? It tends to create sort of ah hand to mouth. Yeah, and i think i hate to use the word but there’s almost a sense of, um, self fulfilling. Prophecy that we go around talking about maura non-profit well, then you’re going to end up not making a profit. If you have no profit, you can’t steer it back in the organization moving forward here. I’m fully aware of the challenges that is, but i think you have to think very differently today, and the leadership must be a really different kind of skill set than they were in the past. That looks like you could use a drink of water after this walk. So go ahead, allah. I’ll frame this question long enough to give you a chance to take a sip. Okay? We’re sharing the full experience with listeners who wanted a little traffic on route eighty today. Coming from jersey. Normally not a problem. And three lanes going down. The one was not. It was not. That was not good. But you got here. I got here. I got you feeling all right now i feel great right over here. Okay, i’m glad to be here, but you feel okay. I feel great, actually. But i’m glad to be here. I feel good. All right, good to see you and say i’m thank you. Thank you. Um all right, we’ve got some obstacles to overcome now, though, if if we’re going to be aligning people to a common mission and vision vision let’s say, vision there’s going to be a lot of compromise? People, people don’t, especially on the external mean, the external constituents that you mentioned sometimes boards, volunteers, sometimes they’re not so willing to be ah compromising well, i think it’s really one of the great things about our country is obviously the tremendous matter of volunteerism, people committing to volunteer, being on boards here and certainly the great philanthropic effort of people in this country. But i think in terms of so many of us and i say myself included the former, you know, ceo of major companies come on, do not do a good job of really identifying for bored what we want him to dio we don’t discuss the issue about financial resource commitment at the time of bored recruitment and the role of the board of dramatically changing and oftentimes boards like i didn’t know that i wasn’t sure that was going on what’s my role here and i use an expression of sometimes, you know, people leave their sense. Of humor and intelligence at the door when you go into a board meeting in yesterday, they’re all the board was certainly beyond found it was the fiduciary role, which was very important overseeing fiscal policy, finances, budget investments, budget personnel, then boards evolved and became one strategic and business like everybody had to have a business plan strategic plan, but the day really mature board has to be a leader in partner with your ceo, it has to have a sense of of ownership and has have a sense of being active kapin actively response for making things happen, not just watching them happen, and so that today the wall with a boredom in alignment is very different. Yeah, how does that board fit into this entrepreneurial latto well, it’s crucial because the board has to think well out tomorrow as well as an example, i have an organization that right now for years struggled to have a new executive director who’s done a great job, but the board was kind of passive. The board didn’t expect toe, you know, beyond making a contribution helping out today’s new board they have is energetic, its leadership as new ideas is making relationships with other people here is bringing people table it’s, telling their story, it’s getting people excited about what they don’t. The board’s role is very different today, it’s not just passive. Instead, because you liked emission or care about the mission, you have to want a wool api sleeves and kind of bring it to the table. And you mentioned this, this organization that excuse me, where the board turned over that’s ah that’s ah, lengthy process though it’s not easy. I mean, you know, many of us, you know, we get, we identify with our organisations and we could become attached to them and it’s very difficult. But as i say to people all the time, you know, good organizations evaluate their chief executive, great organizations that violate their selves and their own border performance and that’s kind of what i do a lot of but it’s really important to help them along don’t say they’re out, they’re all good people, but we often times it’s just sort of stuck in the rut, and they don’t really have to be more helpful to the organization. We’re going to go out for a short break and when we come back, of course. Dennis miller is goingto dennis miller, and i are going to keep talking about strategic alignment. So hang in there, getting anything, ending the ending. You’re listening to the talking alternate network to get you thinking. E-giving cubine do you need a business plan that can guide your company’s growth seven and seven will help bring the changes you need. Wear small business consultants and we pay attention to the details. You may miss our culture and consultant services a guaranteed to lead toe right groat for your business, call us at nine one seven eight three three four eight six zero foreign, no obligation free consultation. Check out our website of ww dot covenant seven dot com. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three the conscious consultant helping conscious people be better business people. Dahna you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Duitz no. Hyre oppcoll welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I, uh, before we go any further, i wantto correct dennis’s earl, he has a new one that that i was not aware of. Dennis c miller, dot com it’s launching tomorrow and associates are out the door. Absolutely so don’t go to dennis don’t don’t even think this email social still taking dahna similar back-up but the tagline revitalizing a non-profit board okay, we’ll go directly. Go, dennis. Similar dot com. Okay. Thank you, tony. My, um okay, our board, you know, we spend a lot of time on this show talking about boards. The board is going to be sort of, you know, they’re they are part of the leadership, and we need leadership to implement this very important vision statement because we’re all going to be strategically aligned to the common vision. We need to have leadership to create this vision. Absolutely. I mean, it’s, i think, you know, in the old days, it was the board that set the vision and they wanted someone to implement it, which was the old title executive record than it has to be done in partnership people to have to own it so certainly the ceo has to be in took a part of setting that vision with the board here, but the difference is today the board has to have a responsibility for making sure that vision is achieved and what would be the measure progress towards what are we going to do? What do i have to do is aboard mate, what can i do with tons of my own role here? One of them frequent things mentioned to me during a board assessment is many times boardmember don’t feel is engaged with the organizations they like on dh that’s a common thing on what’s really falls on onto the shoulders of is the board chair or bored present? Whatever the terms and the ceo have to find a way latto seek thie individual talent that each person has and find the way to engage them in this process. Some people are sort of involved with social medium walking find a way to tap into them other people more involved in community relations, the community find the way to engage you board the board has to be engaged on an emotional level. I too want to achieve that vision that’s the excitement that’s. The thing that makes things happen is betting yourself and continuing improve yourself. So you’re there to provide the mission for your organization. You make the point in the book that leadership is how you make people feel. Well, i i do say this year i mean, ah it’s a long time ago working different people here. I say all the time that you know, people as a leader, people will often forget what you said. I’ll forget what you did, but to always remember how you made him feel. And i think one of the mistakes that many people make it the top of leaders at the top is they think they could do it by themselves. They don’t realize they need a team to do it. So it’s, very crucial in my first book, a guy to achieve new heights of four pillars, let’s accept non-profit leadership. I describe obviously the characteristics of a good leader which really four basic things. A phenomenal ability to build relationships inside the outside organization, but to be built trust respect amongst all the employees is they have to have my field you care to? Make sure there’s a person in charge number chill. You have to be able today not only be passionate emissions, you have to be able to communicate your achievements and your success. You have to tell your story. In some case, you have to pound your chest a bit more than the normal, very different part of leadership. How would you like to see thie assessment process and the and the strategic planning process? I should say, be different. You know, what i recommend is this year, and i mean, i certainly do a lot of them. But i mean, anybody who’s sort of who’s, talented and sort of organizational development, organization of psychology or things like that first, what you want to take a look at the organization? Sense of information as a physician would take a look at history and physical x rays of blood work before they did any thing you want to take a look at, you know, just get familiarize yourself. What are the financial statements or what? Do the annual report? Select what’s the market communication with what the information is going on here. Number two, you want to be able to schedule face-to-face? Confidential meetings, we’re probably all members of the board and key leadership team and ask open ended questions and they range from not just on how long you been on the board, but on a scale of one to ten how effective do you feel the board is today? I think that celestin of certain, i’m asking why we’re getting to some of that board self assessment that you mentioned earlier, not just valuing the ceo, but valuing themselves, yeah, and evaluating their perspective on the organization. So how do they feel about the committee structure? Are they involved in the committee? Is our committee structure? Is there a vision? Well, it’s amazing when you asked questions, tony, the board members about tell me what your mission is, and they describe it pretty quickly and they’ll be asking what your vision is. They say they repeat the mission and oftentimes organizations because we’re all caught up in the alligators all caught up in fighting the day. Did they battles battles? We often don’t have a vision and it’s the one thing that will propel you forward more than anything else toe having a vision for your organization that everybody believes. In and then every activity, every activity of the ceo, every activity, the board, every activity of the program, every activity banning stretch everything is geared towards achieving that vision and constantly moving forward. That’s a big step that fir boards we have to be very conscious of measuring our success toward the vision. Yes, we have. We have vision, and then we have mission and then goals steps to achieve that mission. These all need to be measured. Duvette this is part of the self assessment. Absolutely. I remember back in my early days or, you know, being a president of ah, large hospital and new jersey and the vision when i got there was to be the best comedian hospital of jersey and was like, what does that mean? How would you know the best communion? Ostomel mary-jo xero and so often times peoples in the nonprofit sector vision statements are you had to be the premier behavior health care system to be the premier human service argast but how do you measure that? So poor. The idea is, how are you measuring your progress? Are you achieving? If you cannot demonstrate you making progress toward division, then you really haven’t done a good job, so it’s really crucial is part of the assessment asked those questions, and he has a question that i think everybody should be asking their borders. How does i ask this altum as a boardmember how do you measure organizational success? Well, how do you measure the board success? And it’s it’s a stimulating conversation is a little bit provocative, but that is so crucial to get him think a little bit differently than the challenges they face every day here and that’s just kind of what we talked about, what the people typically say, they don’t say they say, well, we measure the bottom line, you know? We’re still we’re still open was still wanting, you know, the door’s not closed, that kind of thing, but kind of a sad commentary when you’re measuring success, just the fact whether you’re still open in business or not. Yeah, that threshold it’s a very low bar doubled, and i think, honestly, it’s it’s not a question that we often ask you and i think it’s one one of my books, maybe the second book to non-profit bought their books all get confused there’s so many about that just i can’t remember what i said in my first book of my third buy-in, but, well, i described this year i said, can you imagine this scenario at a board meeting? I want to call the meeting to order. Okay, tony motion approved a minute, sam. Seconds it. Ok, let’s, go on the first item agenda let’s talk about why we exist. What’s our real purpose. Why do we exist? What’s. And it sounds like come on, we got more thought. That’s. A really good question asked. I also did it. I did it work shot once really was funny. In hindsight, it was not funny. Ah, the organization wanted to raise a million dollars. Now i didn’t want fund-raising in my early days than i do now. But i have a lot of relation with people here and i told you because anything, we’re not ready to raise any significant money. But they asked me if i would do we treat on fund-raising and when i got to retreat, my first questions it wass could you tell me what you’re top of? Two achievements were last year and it was just dead silence in the room it was dead. Silence follow-up waded our budget. There was no one cares following a woman the back room says we do this program called pals p a l s a stands for peace. An alternative learning system. So what does that says? We teach young children who have been subjected to either sexual assault with domestic violence howto build trust relations with people again? That’s phenomenal! How do you communicate that you stay cold us they said we don’t do a good job but that’s. Why having trouble raising money? Only one person in the retreat. This is a border treat. Only one person identified pals as a as a success from the previous year, so they’re not even communicating it within themselves. Exactly. And i don’t think where it’s not part of the the dna. So many non-profits not to be focused on achievement it’s focusing on the mission by itself. Here don’t get me wrong. I’m a merry mission focus guy thinks it’s crucially important it’s. Why? I have dedicated my life to helping non-profit organization. Very passionate about it. What you have to be nowadays. Achievement driven results driven. Why is that important? Well, because one is because it’s a good process to have but two funders investors today, donors allow institutional and person, but they want to make a difference and i mean just similar to someone wanting to invest in the stock down on wall street and see the return philanthropic people of very range from small donors so large they want to know what you’re doing with it. They want to know, are you making a difference? And you have to some way be able to communicate them to different you’re making. Plus, when you talk about your achievements, when you talk about your success, it changes the mindset, i believe, for board members to think to go away from fund-raising i described a tin cup theory where you feel like you begging for your needs, and he began to have a conversation about talking about your achievements and your success. Now the concept becomes or we’ll do, we think we need to have investors in our success. The answer is yes, so it changed the mindset from talking about what we need is an organization just to keep going to what we are achieving and wanted to continue those successes no. Steps, it’s very different. This all means that we’ve got to ask very hard questions because we’re going to have to identify metrics, yes, they’re goingto that we’re goingto review and report on at at the board to our stakeholders as you’re saying, they demand it, you know? And we might not always like what those numbers have to say first asking the hard questions and then getting the answers that may not always reflect what we what we’d like them to month after month, quarter after quarter, and not only that, i remember doing a sort of a focus group aren’t with employees group that i was doing strategic plan within, i asked, was a behavior health care organization, which is a lot of work, and i asked this group, you know, how many counseling sessions do you do in a year and the one of the top executives and well, they don’t know that because we don’t give that information? Well, the whole point of the strategic alignment is that every employee, every level has to be a line with you organization goals, their individual goals have to be in line with your goals and and people need information. So not to have this information is sort of making a disconnect between your organization. Gold, you new individuals is very important that everybody get involved. I would hope that’s a number that everybody can be proud of. And if it’s not, then we all need to work together to make it a number were perhaps aly and when people focus and on, you know, progress and success and measurement, it’s not about holding people the punish people, but and is more than just accountability, it’s having something to strive for in life, we always feel better when we’re striving for something and it’s important as an organization to think differently, that about poor me, you know, we don’t have any money from the government, what are we going to do? But today days you’ve got to make it happen and there’s a responsibility that it can’t happen, organizations at every level and every type can succeed with a news conference e of leadership would a new skill set of the board would a with a passion to achieve your vision with measurable records of success or a point of success and everybody being held accountable and and measuring. It performs accordingly. It’s fun, it’s a different challenge. We’re going to fund all this. So it’s, sort of a perfect leading to what you were just driving. We need to have ah plan for for bringing in the money to create all this, you know, but i think you have to start with something different that i mean, waffen times. We start with a fund-raising playing, which involves something like this year and so it’s it sounds funny, but i go like this. So typical development committee is like, okay, let’s call the meeting to order. All right? Ho. We’re going onto this year at a gala. Ah, we honored him last year. Two years ago where you want her. So we’re gonna honor who’s. Got a chair or golf committee? Who kind of a wine tasting is you? How much is going to cost? How much money can we bring in? And then we talk about well, anybody go over the major prospects that we were signed at last week’s meeting will last much meaning to talk about anybody approaching any large givers and the silence in the room. And then the development chair says, well, you know let’s ah let’s. Put that what’s table that until more people come to the meeting next week. Let’s not talk about the table settings for the gala. We have a different mindset that people just not engaged. They’re terrified of fund-raising. They’re afraid of rejection. We have to think differently. You got to start with a case. Would support. Why? Why? With someone invest in you. Why should be worthy of a gift? You gotta start with that process. And then there were true. What is the difference? Your gift will make what’s the difference. And then number three obviously the various ways to people can give. But you have to have a more comprehensive fund-raising plan today. Yes. Special events. Important. I call them friendraising. Besides just fundraisers. Oftentimes the fundraiser is an end to itself. It needs to be beginning. We need the cult of any people besides your annual pill. But people are the ones that give you the overwhelming eighty percent of of money in this country. And people does money out there. People will invest in you if you tell him about who you are. If you show them your excitement if you show them. Your energy was showing what you’re doing. There will be people in your community at every level did they want to support you? But if you come across with a tin cup theory begging for money because if you don’t go on a business, it’s a very unappealing process and you’re going to be stuck in the mud. But your first question that you’re suggesting asking of donors, you know why? Why should you give you asking it internally so that you can answer it extremely washing to give to the organization that goes back to these hard questions that we’re now asking? And we have presumably we have metrics that say, here’s, the reason to give because because we’re impacting, we’re changing, we’re impacting lives were not just we’re not just having therapy sessions, but here’s here we prevented six suicides last year at school, and hundreds of cases of depression were were treated and people got jobs that were there were largely unemployable because of their depression and right, i mean, this is the why, how many people that have been homeless, but not because we’ve developed a collaboration with behavioral unit or now ending the cycle of homeless was ending the cycle of depression, ending the cycle of mental health issues that so they can sustain employment or sustained family integrity. These are things we need told that’s what people want to hear. So again, it’s a very different mindset and part again of my process, strategic alignment is putting is assessing where you’re at looking at the piece of you put together and giving a plan of action to it and it’s all again really, tony about execution, okay? We’re gonna get the execution. I mean, we’ve got all this in line, and we’ve talked a little about our our funding plan. Um, anything? Well, is anything more you want to say about the funding part of it before we get teo execution? I just think it’s a really important teo. Make sure that everybody’s on board with that and what i, um here’s what i here’s what i want from my boards, okay? I would very few exceptions and i’m not talking about, you know billion dollar boards metre palm zem award. Ok, very high level princessa university of something like that. What you really kind of want is i don’t want my boardmember is really asking for money honestly, because they’re going to ask for to low they don’t know how to do it. I want my board to help me identify two or three prospects every six months. People today can help me have an introduction to breakfast mean, they can come on a tour of our facility, i want boardmember is help me build relationships. I will do the asking or will work as a team and building a strategy for that, but i really want my boy to take on a different role on that and and that’s, just a border had how to be asking for money, it’s much deeper than that, we’re gonna take a little pause just while i mentioned something that is important, i think for you on i mentioned it last week, so i’m sort of wagging my finger now, and i hope you are thinking about your summer and fall vacation plans because it’s now spring and as i said last week, if you are going to be a giver, we all and we’re all working, giving professions that’s why we’re that’s, why we’re in our missions and doing the work that we get so much joy from if you’re going to be doing that if you’re going to give you got to take and taking is time for yourself so again, little finger wag i hope you’ll excuse me. I hope that you are planning for your summer and or fall time off now, while there’s still time to do it and time doesn’t get away from you and that’s very simple. Tony’s take two for friday, eleventh of april fifteenth show of the year you were you were nodding and and well it’ll but what time? Well, we did take time and that’s so long ago i go to a ruber annually on and that was out in california, southern california. My son got married so it’s eighty five degrees out there, but as you all know, we went through a horrible wanted. This year i’m thank god it’s springtime! Thank god it’s april, i don’t see any snow on the ground. I hope there’s no more coming in, but it was a very tough went for people, but i agree with you also that it is crucial for every one of us to take some time for ourselves and both, either with family and friends or just heimans wafer, you need to try either we recharge well, everybody’s working so hard it’s, so difficult for so many people. So many organizations has just struggle who are really good people. So you need some time away to kind of refreshing recharge your batteries school. Thank you for that endorsement. It’s. Good time. That retreat sometimes. Good time for a retreat. Well, that’s work though. Ah, a board retreat, but could be it could be energizing. Should be energizing. Ok. Should be energizing. Trippy like. Okay. Well, that’s, the way we should be having fun way, right? It’s still work, but we can have fun. But it should be fun. I mean, if it’s not fun, it should be fun. That means hard work. But it should be fun. Absolutely. I’m making a difference in the life of someone else should be fun. You’re absolutely right. It’s. Healthy there’s. No distinction between work and fund. I know i enjoy the work that i do. Write to me busy but it’s it’s fun doing it and i feel like work. I i like, you know, my consulting practice. I love being part of the program. At the university off a set of actions on tuesday leadership development and our certificate programs and writing my books and articles. But i love just working with people in long as that is, i love it. And that the university is fairly dickinson really took the university it’s, a centre for excellence. Leadership governs atlanta p and the earl is fdu died four slash c f a cft cf fact under four x next month on may fourteenth, we have our second annual conference of women and non-profit leadership at the marriott gland pointed tina class it was sold out. So we’re looking for a great break program issue. Let’s turn to our execution plan that we all need thing is all we got do a lot of planning. We got execute. Yeah, well, you know it’s it’s what i tell you, we all owe everybody who’s been listening. Everybody knows it’s exciting to go to a strategic plan its most times. Then what happens is sort of the so, like a sugar high and it’s. A lot of exciting beginning and then a time to implement it. And then all of a sudden, you know, kind of wears often data they challenges. So what if some of recent difficulty movement, first of all we get into way don’t always have people trained to take strategies and operational realities. That’s one thing number two sort of asylum mentality that you know, it’s. Not my job. It’s someone else’s job and protecting your own. You know, back in the turf is a problem here and so often times. And i just found it to be completely true in my experience, where clients is that where most people think the reason for failure is because of external environment conditions. I actually think it’s the internal issues that prevent people from success while blaming the outside of the external that you have no control over easy, it’s. Very convenient. Yeah, i know. So i was i had lunch today with a great great friend of mine. I’ve done a lot of work with and he’s a fantastic guy. He’s got a good organization, but he is not always comfortable, obviously addressing performance issues. And so they get scared under the rug. And then everybody also against the moral life. So execution is crucial. I mean, what we find too often, tony is strategic plans sitting on a shelf collecting dust that’s very common and again. So the board is happy the beginning thie idea of ah always dresses issue but then this measuring results and one of things that i recommend is actually having an assessment of usual plan one year implementation to see how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved and what maybe need to be achieving what the obstacles here. So the board’s role and ceos rolls execution and it’s rarely because there’s no plan of action there no detail responsibilities. There’s no there’s, no time tables, there’s, no accountability. And so, wait, just calm, you know, we have team meetings, and then we go away because we don’t get along with our team and really it’s a ceo’s job to make sure that he or she is building a team is giving people feedback and holding people accountable. I mean, you know and timetables, so we’re signing and time assigning responsibility on time from right. And if there’s an obstacle, go as a team, address it. You know, i worked for the organization what i won’t say whose name you know, not too long ago and you know, they point to things it so it’s not my problem. Well, actually, it’s a collective problem, so sometimes issues can be solved by just one person. It needs a team approach. We should be working as a team approach here. I just think that it’s crucial in terms of education, the whole people was the sailors before and often times, you know, in the corporate world which i was just, you know, for seven years a cz, an executive running a health care practice in the northeast for non-profit clients ah, people will give a lot of responsibility, but they’re held accountable and unfortunately, a stereotype in the nonprofit world there’s people will forgive a lot responsibility and very little accountability. We sort of have ah, you know, we don’t want anybody go o r where, you know, we don’t wantto upset the cart, and yet what happens is that when performances and driven and impacts everybody else here, so execution is altum responsible responsibility of the ceo ah, and and that’s, when i talked about, you know, the entrepreneur role today, the leadership conference is a very different execution is crucial sitting on a shelf is is an investment you put all that investment in similar ship it’s important to see what happened. Maybe did something change? Why isn’t example, one of the clients that i’m just finishing work what wanted to build from a behavior health care program that was more of an outpatient baseball grant funding? They wanted to build a more of a fee for service program to address the increasing number of people insured to the affordable care act, but yet it’s in seem to be happening. Why? Well, they will want organized it didn’t have the right management team in place, i was able to come on and make some suggestions to promote this person to move person along here. So it’s really crucial final why hasn’t something that you said is a goal? Why isn’t it bit achieves its cause? It’s really important to take a look at that? You made too much investment. It’s too important teo cannot keep going. Let’s, talk a little about this breaking down the silos. Yeah, because now we’ve now we’re invoking courage, which i mentioned before that courage from above we’ve got ego. We’ve got personality got turf things are not so easy to get everybody get. Broken down and get everybody collaborating. It’s not easy. I mean, we’re human beings. We have attendance to protect ourselves and protect little ter fear in our own little eagles, you but again, it comes down to leadership accountability. Um, one of things that i did back in my in my hospital days remember when i became president of ah ah hospital, you know, the boys recruited me and told me this hospital’s doing so well financially, which turns out it wasn’t, but they told me it was doing well on patient satisfaction when i got there front and actually that were in the bottom quote on the country, a little alarming, right? And it was actually embarrassing, but one of things that i did was provide an educational training program and focus to that to remind everybody that everybody who comes that everybody who works here is actually on stage. You know, if you go to report away show and i’m not a big broadway guy, but my wife likes to go if you go to see cats, whatever they’re putting out for ten thousand times, but looks like the only time they were put on for you here. Tell people you know, people come into our organization with its the hospital organization. It may be the first time they’ve seen in a hospital could be the best day of the year. Two delivery of a newborn baby. It could be the worst day that grandma has passed away in the ice. You could be a tragedy happen yet, but day everybody comes in is somebody’s mother, father, brother, sister, we have accountability, tow how we’re going to be treating those people, how we’re going to be saying hello, how we’re going to be voting people that look lost directions, it comes down to leadership again. Leadership has to be able to know their person, their personnel, they have to know their leadership team if the leadership team is not working effectively, it transgressions all way down the entire organization. I did this organizational envision setting process for someone and wake appearing when i did employ duitz lorts how you know all those people in administration, because why? Because the people in administration talk about each other in a negative way and so it’s important to address it, and i think you can develop team goals, collaboration, eso people. Don’t feel a strength but it’s absolutely crucial toe let people know what they’re doing well, but as a leader it’s crucial to be ableto communicate the people that need to be able to work specifically that other people and when they’re not address it and give me some improvement. Most people want to do it. Nobody misbehaves intentionally, but it’s really crucial in today’s non-profit setting to be strategic aligned to achieve division chief you goes, it must be internally light, and that requires leadership address it as well as human resource functions because we’re talking so much about health care. Reminded that i was walking through a hospital once and the guy who was carrying a ladder, you know, clearly facilities maintenance guy, he said hello with a bright smile, you know, and it’s just it’s a struck me i mean, the guy’s got a ladder on his shoulder, he’s still he’s, still greeting me and saying hello. Well, i’ve seen i’ve seen non-profit executives who may have different locations and their employers don’t even know they are, they don’t even visit him. Yeah, it’s so comment right? Multiple locations, everybody comes to them when it comes to the ceo for a meeting and or the university president with the multiple college of something? Nobody comes to them. How often are they getting out? I had a i had a profound with grad school, columbia school, public als and administration back a long, long time ago. And my professor, i said to all of us one day. So listen, someday you guys going to work in hospitals, put your books away, put your contracts way, but walked down the emergency room. Remind yourself why you there. And it was a lesson i’ve always learned. And i think the same thing is true here as a leader. Step away from your desk, ming with the people that are doing the programs. Have a conversation with them. Go to duncan. Don’t start bringing some coffee, buy some doughnuts. Take a tour. He would. They got to say, i mean, the first time they’re probably thinks something critical happen. That’s. Why, there’s, something bad happened. But it’s, um, it’s crucial to hear what people have to say. People. Ah, need to be heard when you, when you listen to your employees, they feel cared for it’s all part of the alignment. Process it’s crucial you can’t afford not to have everybody’s energy aligned and that’s just that doesn’t always happen the way it should, because the leadership is so important. The board, in addition to assessing itself point you made earlier, does need to be doing ceo assessment also and moving out someone who is not providing this the entrepreneurial spirit, that spirit, that leadership that you’re you’re advising and no one’s looking to be, you know, firing people if you have that sort of the end product of the but there’s so many accusations that they have not evaluate their ceo and it’s so many ceos i’ve asked. I have never evaluate their own direct reports on dh so it’s crucial performing all it may be a requirement. There is requirement accreditation a lot of things that have performance and i was everybody dreads. Um, but that’s the paperwork but it’s, really crucial if you weren’t effective leader managed to be able to address on every day basis. The things that people doing well, pat him on the back. I just had someone tell me the problem with our supervisor it’s all critical it’s not a pat on the back. And so performance the violations should be a re energizer it should be able to say, dennis, this is what you’ve done well, as focused on the good things first tennis, these two things i’d like you to work on. I want to work on this, i want to work on that that was important, and is the impact that’s having it’s crucial to do that? And so you have to evaluate people you have to evaluate your ceo if you’re ceo can’t always do it. One of things that is is necessary or investment have a performance coach have a life coach, i’m a performance, i do a lot of performance coaching for ceos and boardmember it helps me get on track, it helps and have an independent, neutral person that they can talk to about their issues they’re having in and support them. So you want to always find the upside you want to help people get better on lee when all else fails, the end up coming down, determined people, but sometimes it’s, you have to do it empowering to mean the board the board empowers the ceo and maybe it is through some, some coaching, but then the empowerment, of course, has to trickle down the ceo. I need to be doing the same for their report yet, and you can’t there’s too many ceos or ceos that do everything themselves and don’t delegate and stuff and that’s not why you’re hiring people and so that’s not effective use of your time to be having, you know, twelve direct reports and going over all crime reports that that’s not effective for yourself, you know, it’s it’s, you have to start with yourself, though it’s very difficult to empower someone else when you don’t feel empowered yourself here and in alison, i mean, in the hospital, so you have to allow people make mistakes now you don’t want to obviously, you know, you can’t give the wrong blood. I do things like that, but, you know, sometimes people have to make him sex and grow and they learn from, and i think you’ve got to encourage innovation. You’ve gotto coverage your employees to take a chance. You got encourage employees, take a risk, let him know that you support him, you know, take a take a crack at a new program, take a crack at a new angle to it. Do something differently. Give him thie given the authority to take risks. It’s it’s crucial. What about talk about board recruiting? Yeah, the board is so critical, right? What’s, your advice around getting the right people on the board well is crucial. And here’s a couple things here. First of all, i advise my clients to move away from sort of the board the board nominating process two aboard recruitment process and let me explain. You know, toni and tamar listens. What? I mean by that, first of all, what i recommend to my clients is they should they should have and develop an ideal boardmember tricks. What does that mean mean? Well, if you were building you bored today, what would be the ideal attributes, talents or expertise that you’d want on your board? What are the geographical areas of diversity? May you want? If you’re involved in westerns? Accounted the one everybody from white plains will you want other ports of you’re involved in a city? The one everybody from manhattan. You want people from the bronx? How about, you know, other firms of diversity on it? One of the skillsets you need what corporations? Or philanthropic entities, may you want someone on so you have to develop that set number two, you take the same thing for what you currently have and the difference between the two should be aboard with cubine strategies it’s okay to nominate people to recruit people, you know, but more importantly, today it’s about recruiting people that you don’t know but finding a way to get to them. That is really the talent of board development that it’s not just nominee people, but if you have an example, if you say we really could use someone that is really expert expert in social media, marketing, internet communication, you may not know somebody who talked to people who might they know who might, you know, in another another corporation find someone they don’t know and then talk about the process? Zaptitude we often don’t do a good enough job talking about why we should have people on our board. I mean, if you’re bored, does not energized if the board is not excited about if you if you’re not an excitement or condition, we’re not striving to be a winner. You’re not gonna recruit, but you have to be able. To pound your chest will be talking about that organization. It’s. Crucial. People want to be part of a winner, and obviously, you know, the latter’s voice. Sometimes get the right person. You’re gonna go away for a couple moments when we come back. Of course, dennis and i’m going to keep talking. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Have you ever considered consulting a road map when you feel you need help getting to your destination when the normal path seems blocked? A little help can come in handy when choosing an alternate route. Your natal chart is a map of your potentials. It addresses relationships, finance, business, health and, above all, creativity. Current planetary cycles can either support or challenge your objectives. I’m montgomery taylor. If you would like to explore the help of a private astrological reading, please contact me at monte at monty taylor dot. Com let’s monte m o nt y at monty taylor dot com. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, this is claire meyerhoff from the plan giving agency. If you have big dreams but a small budget, you have a home at tony martignetti non-profit radio. I got live listener love that i wish i could send, but were pre recorded today. Uh, you know, i think i can pretty well wing it. We know we’ve got listeners from in japan and south korea and maybe even iran, certainly china on dh coming domestically, california, maybe agoura hills is listening. That would be mark, i think. Ah, but other listeners from california, new york, new york is always checking in texas. Ah, washington and oregon sometimes hopefully santa monica. My kids live in santa monica if you told them to it and then then they’re here. So live listener loved everyone who is listening live and, of course, pod class pleasantries. I just said plod classed pod class, pod crit podcast that’s awful saying that five times, but bob broadcast pleasantries. I say it all the time, but i’m sending podcast pleasantries to everybody who’s listening in the time shift wherever you might be very grateful for all of you, the vast majority of our of our nine thousand listeners. If i could just add something what i said when we talked about a lot of things, you know, leadership board development board recruitment program stuff. I think it’s not easy to be successful. It’s not easy to move the organisation for it to do so has takes courage. It takes a commitment. It takes the the theme ability to not always make everybody comfortable. I think organizations tony, that need to change is sometimes you have to become uncomfortable in order to grow and far too often. You know, i’m not talking about going out in the alienating people, but that’s part of the entrepreneurial spirit is being uncomfortable. But there’s time in every organization, too make changes. I mean, there’s some organizations i worked on august eighteen once that was had one hundred or history. Ah, and it certainly gone through, you know, multiple little changes here, but i’ve done a lot of work with many walkers. There’s inmate make-a-wish chapters that you know into their fortieth year and the leadership that was necessary twenty years ago, ten years ago is not that kind of boardmember that people needed is not there. It’s change is crucial on what i hope from people, whether they all listen to the show today or they read my books that they confined on, you know, dennis similar dot com to amazon or bonds amglobal online. I hope that they find the courage. I hope they’re they’re energized. I hope they’re feel inspired because i do believe that there is a way to succeed. I do believe there’s a way to a better life for these organizations. I have tried toe layout, road maps for them, whether it’s leadership board organization there is a way and there’s many people out there every day. The remains of people, of course, this country that’ll get up every day to try to make a difference in life of other people. And i admire that. I’m glad to be part of that. But it’s not easy, but it’s crucial. That changes record. What’s an ideal board meeting. Yeah. Going on, idealware. Finally, i got one guy. Got one good one in the whole hour. Very good. I want decent ideal board. Meaning is focusing more about tomorrow, then? Yes. Oh, lay out an agenda for an ideal annoy. Ideal boardmember people. It may. I said i would take a little bit of time. Just kind of give, i think. First of all, an ideal board meeting has ideal committee meetings. Okay. Ah, good. Bored has committee structure, and you don’t want to do all the work there. I would say a good janet would be to have a relatively brief update on key issues about the financial picture updates on the strategic plan or updates on board governments. I think it’s more important for a good board meaning to be focused in on tomorrow’s activities have the board engaged and about tomorrow i tell people, it’s sort of a thermometer if you’re bored me and he’s spending more than fifty percent of the time talking about yesterday, you’re not having affected board. I mean board meeting should know more ninety minutes, one hundred two hours, maximum if your board meetings going more than at their in effect geever so an idea. Boyd means when people leave energized, feel refreshed and they don’t have what i call the rubber band theory. Boardmember is rubber band theory boardmember everybody has one. You know you said that your packets a week ahead of time person picks up the packet on the way home from work stops at the board meeting parks the car and takes the rubber band off. The packet is leading the pack is that going to the board meeting goes at a board meeting doesn’t even have the ability that initially an emotion called home and i second the motion i’m happy put the rubber band back on a really good boardmember of border generals, when the board chair is engaging people for discussion, it’s when boardmember zehr bringing ideas for when boardmember zehr asking questions boardmember should be asking questions. Is that about micromanage? But the board should be challenging leadership interesting, you said relatively short amount of time on things like the budget fiduciary oversight mean now, okay, you know, you may have an annual budget planning me, ok, but this is not this is not that this is your average board meeting, but, you know, you don’t need to spend most of the time on the fiduciary, like you’re saying looking back where was money spends, etcetera, more time looking forward, visionary boy, i was now and that’s how it should be now, obviously, you know, unfortunately, and today’s climate, most board the spending time, you know, howto bring in money to keep ourselves open here, but i think honestly, they’re going about it the wrong way. I think that you know what i believe in very much in my heart and soul is about there not going about talking about their achievements or not talk about the success. They’re not talking about the difference in the lives of making if you begin the process about that, you will find the money you will worked for in finding the resource is here. So again, the ideal board meeting was when people we had a great boardmember at the university, they are our center for actually what really did on and it was just, well, we’re focused, not truthfully, it’s not believing it was energized cause why? Because we’re talking about how to build our own committee structure about social media marking communications in the whole university, how to be looking forward to a development of online programs, there’s just people in the classroom how to be looking at our own bored witches now, two years into a distant how to be, you know, we doing that’s it was it was an energized because we’re talking about tomorrow, people were excited about that, and i think that’s what we need to focus in on tell me what you love about the work that you do. I love the i love the people i work with, you know, i’m a guy that came up from from nothing. No, sir. It was put in my mouth. You know, i had a lot of issues, as most kids do with family went to college, graduated late at the age of twenty eight, graduated grad school twenty nine and became a ceo thirty seven. I just love the people i work. What i love what they do. I loved what they’re trying to do for the people in the community. Ah, that is what i enjoy helping him. I know i’ve helped a lot of organizations. I get a lot of feedback. There’s a lot of wonderful client testimonies on the website. I just have a passion for what i do, tony. I like it. I like people. I like life and well, here to make it better for everybody else. That’s. What? I like dennis miller. You’ll find him at d c miller dot com on darcy miller. Dot com dennis c miller dot com sorry, dennis c miller dot com on twitter he’s at np board therapy and you also find him at the fairleigh dickinson university center for excellence, which we know is fdu forward slash, c f, ft you dot ideal forward slash cf. Even my mother called me the n e for many years. I had to tell my mom, my mom is dennis, you know, i appreciate that. What? Thank you very much, dennis. Next week. Ah, next week is maria simple returning she’s, our prospect research contributor, and are doi and of dirt cheap and free ideas, and she will have them for us for us next week. Friend of mine as well optimist that says good friend of hers of his creative producer is clear meyerhoff sam lever, which is our line producer, shows social media is by julia campbell of j campbell social marketing and the remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules that music you’re listening to is by scott stein you with me next week for non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent go out and be great. I didn’t think that shooting. Good ending. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Get in. E-giving cubine. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s, create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping countries. People be better business people. Hi, i’m ostomel role, and i’m sloan wainwright, where the host of the new thursday morning show the music power hour. Eleven a m we’re gonna have fun, shine the light on all aspects of music and its limitless healing possibilities. We’re gonna invite artists to share their songs and play live will be listening and talking about great music from yesterday to today, so you’re invited to share in our musical conversation. Your ears will be delighted with the sound of music and our voices. Join austin and sloan live thursdays at eleven a. M on talking alternative dot com, you’re listening to talking alternative network at www dot talking alternative dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Have you ever considered consulting a road map when you feel you need help getting to your destination when the normal path seems blocked? A little help can come in handy when choosing an alternate route. Your natal chart is a map of your potentials. It addresses relationships, finance, business, health and, above all, creativity. Current planetary cycles can either support or challenge your objectives. I’m montgomery taylor. If you would like to explore the help of a private astrological reading, please contact me at monte at monty taylor dot. Com let’s monte m o nt y at monty taylor dot com. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you, too? He’ll call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight, three that’s two one two, seven to one eight, one eight, three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Talking dot com.