May you live in interesting times.

I’m working on an article for PowerSteering, Greenlights’ e-newsletter, and as usual, tons of pithy and memorable sayings are flooding my head.  If only I got paid by the bad pun or the witty, homespun proverb!
I’m a big fan of aphorisms, “words to live by,” and  plain ol’ colorful sayings.  Just ask my godson Manoa, who finally [...]

Jan Masaoka Makes a Mean (Blue) Guacamole

I’m so happy that Jan Masaoka, Editor-in-Chief of the Blue Avocado, is going to be our keynote speaker for the Crossroads Conference on September 24.  I’ve heard Jan speak at a national conference before, and been inspired by many of the articles she’s written –  first with Board Café, and now with Blue Avocado.
Jan offers [...]

Top 5 Tips for Running a Great Meeting

Meetings.  Your eyes may have involuntarily rolled back in your head at the mere mention of the word.  Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without (hating) ‘em.
Well, I’m working on a customized training for a new Greenlights client, who wants me to help his team think about how to run effective and interesting meetings.
I remember [...]

To Everything There is a Season

It’s beastly hot outside, and I celebrated my birthday this week.
 These two constants of late June in Texas have got me thinking about the passage of time and seasons, which of course got me thinking about the Biblical passage, “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” 
 This, then, got me [...]

Ready, Fire, Aim: Tales from Nonprofit Target Practice

“Ready, fire, aim.”
I had a boss back in the 90’s who used to describe our approach to education policy reform that way. It was a joking admission to outsiders that yes, we sometimes did go off “half-cocked.” But it also suggested that our organization learned lots of valuable lessons in the field once we [...]

On Rain and Reflection

It’s finally raining today, and I find that a rainy day (increasingly rare in Central Texas, these days) is nature’s great encouragement to slow down a bit and reflect.
This morning, amidst the thunderstorms, I had a great Strategic Planning Committee meeting with one of my current consulting clients.  Our main objective was to debrief the [...]

Volunteer: It makes good career sense

The phones at Greenlights have been busy in March! I’m getting lots more inquiries from talented and interesting people looking to break into the nonprofit sector these days.
Some have been “downsized” from a corporate job, or have recently moved to town and are seizing the chance to get a new nonprofit gig. Many view the [...]

Exhilarated and terrified…that’s me!

Since September, I’ve been enjoying my participation in the 2009 Leadership Austin Essentials Program (I think I’m supposed to say “The Best Class Ever!” here).  My juggling skills have sharpened as I’ve attempted to add Leadership Austin responsibilities atop my Greenlights workload,  but the rewards have been worth it.
Take Friday, for instance.
I facilitated a planning [...]

Wonder Woman and the DISC: The Lasso of Truth

Last night I found myself watching the series premiere of Wonder Woman, a childhood favorite TV show I hadn’t seen in thirty years.
A co-worker loaned me the DVD of the first season on the theory that fun, mindless TV would be the perfect antidote to a rough couple of weeks.  I must admit that from [...]