Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: leadership

  • Building In Volunteer Accountability

    Key with volunteers is the opportunity to contribute and make a difference. Take that away and why not just stay home and catch up on chores?

    A position without accountability is the same as a position that doesn’t matter. If it’s not important enough to have standards and expected outcomes, then it’s not very important.

    By treading lightly and avoiding confrontation over sub-standard work by volunteers, we rob them of one of the key benefits of getting involved—the opportunity to make a difference. Work that matters is work worth insisting on people’s best efforts.

    Try including expected outcomes in your volunteer job descriptions. Lists of tasks or responsibilities leave too much to individual interpretation. Many arguments or misunderstandings about performance can be avoided from the outset with a focus on outcomes.

    Accountability is not a threat to those who care about their work… it is a gift. How do you go about giving the gift of accountability?

    (Find the entire Challenges Facing Non-Profits series here.)

  • When It’s Difficult to Say “Thank You”

    Rodney Walker asserts that volunteers are the non-profit’s most valuable resource in this week’s podcast interview.

    But volunteers don’t always do a good job. They do not always come with the skills we need. Some arrive with too much time on their hands and set up a home away from home in our office. Awkward, to say the least! Bless their hearts for helping on the one hand, while we curse under our breath for the complications, on the other.

    pdf iconYou might consider developing a simple job description for each task or role for which you plan to recruit volunteer help. (Click here for free pdf template download.)

    Such a tool would help you and your team define more clearly what you actually needed help with. More importantly, prospective volunteers would see up front how much time was being asked, the duration of the commitment, the tasks involved and the skills required.

    This job description could serve as a talking tool or discussion guide when interviewing interested recruits. You would be able to highlight how the person’s heart fits with the organization’s mission, without sacrificing the substance or quality of the job that needs to get done.

    How do you keep volunteers both motivated and on track?

    (Catch up on the entire series here.) 

  • Listen In -> Non-Profit Challenges #4: Working With Volunteers

    Is there such a thing as firing a volunteer? For organizations that depend on volunteers, this can be a tricky subject. What about motivation when there are no raises or promotions on offer?

    This week’s interview with Rodney Walker focuses on the challenge working with volunteers presents the non-profit.

    Listen in.

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  • Do Promotions Make Perfect?

    Why won’t my new boss ask for help? He is obviously in over his head.” If you are like most employees, you’ve wondered about your newly promoted boss before.

    Of course, she can’t yet know what she’s talking about in certain areas. But you understand those areas. You could help if only she talked to you before making some of her decisions, before it is too late.

    Scary, eh? Would you believe most people feel they have to continually prove they deserve leadership? As much as we want and expect to be promoted, very few of us feel we deserve it. Instead, many leaders are plagued with doubt. Will I be able to (more…)

  • Listen In -> The Challenge of Non-Profits with Rodney Walker

    My good friend and admired entrepreneur, Rodney Walker, talks with me for the next four weeks about the challenges facing non-profit enterprises.

    This was an interesting series for me, because non-profits don’t (and can’t) function like for-profit companies. We will delve into:

    1. Unhealthy Board/Director Dynamics (the current recording)
    2. There’s Never Enough Money
    3. Can You Measure Success?
    4. Working with Volunteers

    Let us know one of your board versus director challenges!

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  • Stuck in the Middle?

    What do you do when you can’t do what you should do? All leaders have the responsibility to address a variety of organizational problems. They may face the exodus of their quality staff. They may struggle with a lazy worker who is undermining team morale. They may need to meet a tight budget or accelerated schedule. But not all leaders have the authority to solve the problems they face. Some leaders may be powerless to change an overly stratified organizational chart. Or unable to extend unrealistic deadlines imposed by clients. Or locked into a contract negotiated by others. They are, in fact, stuck in the middle.

    In one organization, a middle manager knew he had found something special in Greg, a young new hire. He was trained in cutting edge (more…)

  • Avoiding Difficult Conversations?

    Jane had not been pulling her weight for months now. Initially, Tom was glad to jump in and take up the slack for the sake of the team. After awhile though, he grew to resent her and his job. It was even beginning to affect his performance and his overall job satisfaction. Tom needed to resolve this situation before it got any worse.

    He needed to have a difficult conversation with Jane.

    When initiating a difficult conversation like this, it is important to understand what (more…)

  • Working with Unworkable Ideas?

    Have you ever been blamed for failing to implement an unworkable idea? Many leaders are strong idea people, but they may not be strong on implementation. Too often, they believe an idea should come to life exactly as it exists in their imaginations. While related, vision and implementation are different animals. Visions are ideal, principled, exciting. Implementation is complex, pragmatic, messy.

    And so implementation is usually a disappointment to these leaders. When you warn them that their original idea has problems, they often react with (more…)