Category Archive for : ‘Vision’

For those who are regular readers of my blog you may have (or not) noticed that I’ve only posted two blogs in the last six months. That’s because my son, Jeff and I have been working on a very important project that is near and dear to our hearts. For the last two years we’ve been researching and writing about the importance of the father-son relationship.

Here’s the secret…on March 1 we will be releasing our brand-new book about how to build the vital relationship between fathers and sons.

The book will

The state of affairs in American politics these days has led me to do more reading about Abraham Lincoln. I’ve been reminded of what an incredible example of character and persistence he demonstrated for the greater good while the country was in the darkest, most deadly and deeply divided state in all of American history. He demonstrated powerful and enduring lessons for leaders in all situations, whether political, business or nonprofit settings.

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s award-winning book, Team of Rivals, provides a fascinating look at how Lincoln shocked his political friends

Last week I wrote about a client that “fired” their board of directors, and what they learned along the way and how they went about rebuilding a much stronger board. I included the graph showing a very astute “maturation process” for nonprofit boards. Much credit to the Arts and Business Council of Chicago for the original design of this. I’ve modified it a bit over the last year to fit my own client’s situation.

In a recent interview, Bill Gates mentioned one of his favorite books Factfulness by Hans Rosling’s. He talked

“We just fired our board… Well, actually we asked 14 of our 15 board members to resign.” That’s what a new client of mine told me on the first day of our new agreement. A significant funder of theirs told them that if they were serious about continuing to receive major funding from them, and if they were going to seek more significant funding from larger foundations in their region that they had to have a Board of Directors that was serious about taking them to the next level.

My new

I recently attended a business event at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, co-hosted by AGA (Accelerated Growth Advisors). The meeting was based on the “Make No Little Plans” quote accredited to Daniel Burnham. Burnham was the lead architect for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, was a master urban planner, and designed over 500 buildings, many of which are considered to be architectural wonders still today.

The panel discussion featured numerous innovative and influential Chicago business leaders from organizations like RXBAR, Madison Dearborn Partners, Farmer’s Fridge, Driehaus Private Equity, and Northwestern’s

Recently David Brooks published an article in the New York Times, “The End of the Two-Party System.”

Brooks articulated what I’ve been trying to get my hands around for the last couple of months. For decades the United States has operated with an abundance mindset. In other words, we can accomplish things on a global scale that are good for America and good for the rest of the world.

As an American I’ve always believed and still do that we can all gain, and maybe even all win. It’s not a zero-sum

Welcome to 2018!

The new year has arrived with a blast. As I walked my dog yesterday morning and today at 6:00 a.m. the thermometer greeted me with -12 both days! So, our new year arrived literally with a blast of dangerously cold air. And yet…the dog needed to be walked. Things needed to get done. The new year is off and running.

This is the time of year when many, and I hope you, are taking a bit of time to reflect on “what matters most.” Take a few minutes and

Recently I’ve been reflecting about several situations with which leaders are confronted. I realize that because of my personality, ego and experiences that I sometimes jump to conclusions too quickly. So today I’m offering four leadership scenarios for you to ponder. You can decide what would work best for you:

Situation #A – When people on your team disagree with you:

Do all you can to discredit them, squash their opinion or just fire them
Encourage diverse thinking and lead by appreciating controversy, deeply listen for understanding as to why others don’t share

Last week while out of town on business I had the opportunity to visit a large nonprofit that is a potential client. I was invited to be a “fly on the wall” in their executive team meeting for about 90 minutes to just observe and get a feel for their culture.

As the meeting progressed it became more and more evident one of the executive team members, “Pat,” had a significant blind spot. She appeared to be oblivious to her own limitations around several issues that are greatly affecting her role

Are you weary of the endless blaming that happens in the media each day? I am! In my life I can’t remember a time when so many people in important and powerful positions of leadership regularly cast blame. The incorrect notion that “if I blame you or put you down, then I (faulty assumption) am lifted up.”

In this brief blog I’ll lay out why blaming others is always a bad strategy, and what to do about it.

If a situation, regardless of where it occurs, isn’t going well, and a person