Leader vs. Manager

If you had the opportunity to design a degree program in business management, what areas of study would you highlight?

For me there are several but one for sure would be to dispel our modern notion that leaders and managers are different people in the organization.  This is rarely the case as most organizations simply don't have the resources to hire people who are solely leaders or solely managers. So by necessity, highly successful people in the organization are those who can shift in and out of the roles of managing and leading as their ever changing landscape requires.

Certainly there are significant differences between leading and managing and we talk about those at length.  I want my students to graduate with an appreciation of both roles so they can do well in whatever challenge they may pursue, in whatever role they may need to fulfill at the time.

I have long been a fan of leadership studies going back to the mid 1980's.  I know this won't sit well with some but I fear we have cannibalized the study of management for the sake of placing leadership on a pedestal.  There is room enough on the pedestal for the appreciation of both studies as there is capacity enough in an individual to be both a manager and a leader.

Charities and Special Funds for Tragedies

Because I’m no longer employed in a leadership capacity with a charity organization, I can say things that I would in the past refrain from saying.  But for the sake of my friends and colleagues still in charity work and for the public at large, here I go…  Many charity organizations are simply not designed to effectively handle large influxes of money for unexpected tragedies, nor should we expect them to be unless we pay them for that service.

What brings this to mind for me now is the news in northeast Ohio regarding families of the victims of the Chardon School shooting who are suing the United Way of Greater Cleveland and its Geauga County Chapter for allegedly misdirecting donated “Chardon Healing” funds.  The goal of this article is not to promote an opinion on this specific incident but to speak in general about the dynamic of crisis fundraising and response.  There are many cases in which charity organizations have come under criticism for not directing donated funds as expected by the masses of contributors.

Let me premise this article by saying that my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of the Chardon School shooting.  I remember that day well and how affected I was by it, paralyzed for days at the tragedy of it all.  I do indeed hope that those families receive all the assistance they need.

Often when a crisis occurs, people will respond by donating money to help the victims involved.  I continue to be moved by the gracious generosity of many to help others in need.  It is a special thing to witness and it gives me reason to stay optimistic about the human experience. 

Handling such financial outpouring, however, to help in the most effective manner is a big hairy challenge for the charity organization that accepts the responsibility.  Truth be told, charity organizations are simply expected to do so even though they know it will be impossible to satisfy everyone’s expectations.  They do so because their stakeholders expect them to and because it would be a public relations debacle if they said no thanks, not this time.  I give charities credit for making the attempt.  It is after-all their purpose in the community to help.

Now, from a manager’s standpoint, I want to stress to readers the intracasies and considerations involved.  A terrible tragedy has happened in the community and people are hurting.  Emotions are running high and money is pouring in from many individuals, each of whom has a slightly different notion of how the money should be used.  The charity is expected to distribute all of the money to the right people very quickly even though some affects of most tragedies are long lasting.  And here’s the clincher, no one wants to pay for the managerial expertise necessary to facilitate the giving – every dollar must go directly to the victims!

The charity must still assign personnel to facilitate the distribution in an orderly manner.  This involves fielding hundreds, if not thousands, of phone calls and emails, creating an application process, interviewing many affected individuals and families, coordinating services, accounting for who gets how much and why and so much more.  This type of work is more involved than just cutting a few checks and calling it a day.

In the case of the Chardon School shooting, if memory serves, almost a million dollars was collected in a very short time (a lot of money to be sure, but not so much compared to other tragedies and fundraising efforts such as a hurricane relief fund that might affect tens of thousands of people).  Imagine being responsible for the charitable help to tens of thousands of people.  Will the charity hire additional employees to do this very involved work?  Probably not.  In fact, nonprofit organizations are notorious for giving already overworked employees more responsibility, especially if they don’t have additional funds to pay for more help.  I beg the question, should we expect the charity to hire additional employees to do a thorough job if we don’t allow for even a small amount of our charity dollar to be used in this manner?  Well, you might say, I’ve donated to this charity in the past and they should use that money to do this work.  That sounds quite rational except for the fact that every dollar given in the past is immediately budgeted towards already existing needs in the community.  Most charities don’t have additional resources set aside to facilitate unexpected tragedies and if they do, those dollars are minimal.

Generally speaking, it is common for charities to receive financial contributions year ‘round that are earmarked by well meaning contributors to be used 100% for the direct needs of clients (no overhead expenses).  This is an understandable desire, as people don’t want their contribution to be used for such boring stuff as staff salary, snow removal for the agency parking lot or office expenses but it is an expectation that is frankly unrealistic.  Charities have expenses like any other organization and unless we acknowledge this fact we’ll be doomed to position even the best managed charities to fail when we need them to do their best work on our behalf – responding to a crisis.

The public rightfully does not want charity organizations to “profit” from tragedies.  Trust me, they don’t.  In fact, they are put at great risk when we expect them to deliver quickly and in a big way with absolutely no additional funding.  Not only might they unintentionally mismanage the crises but their other ongoing programs may suffer as well because resources are surely being pulled from them to do the urgent unfunded work at hand.

Would it be so unpalatable to the public for a small percentage of the donated funds to be used for oversight expenses, say 3% or 5%?  I, for one, would not mind if the charity used a small amount of my donated funds to get the job done well.  There are other considerations that need to be addressed too, such as how to set up special funds with clearer parameters in order to minimize contributor confusion and angst but that is content for another article.

For now, I would simply ask readers to give their charity organizations the benefit of the doubt.  They are doing the best they can with limited resources.  It is an especially difficult task to administer a special fund after a tragedy without the necessary dollars to manage it effectively.  And to my colleagues in charity organizations I would recommend, it’s time to communicate in a better, more straightforward way what you can and cannot do for the community – and how much it will reasonably cost!

7 Tips for Finding Opportunity

When it comes to opportunity, everyone knows the saying, “it’s not what you know but who you know that really matters”.  It’s a sarcastic way of suggesting that life isn’t fair.  My response to that is, so what?  Get good at knowing people.

We are social beings and we do not live our lives in a vacuum.  Opportunity happens when two or more people engage each other to get something done. It would make sense then that having a large network of friends and other acquaintances that care about you is a good thing, right?  People who are serious about opportunity nurture relationships with others not for the sake of manipulating people but for a genuine desire to help.  Givers gain.  If you know many people and help them when you can, typically they’ll return your generosity by offering you opportunity as well.

Tip #1: Get serious about nurturing positive relationships, networking to meet new people and giving of yourself rather than receiving.

The truth about opportunity is that you also need to “know stuff” too.  So the saying above is true in both respects.  It’s also important to be able to bring knowledge or experience to a situation where knowledge or experience is lacking.  So, toward this end, people who want to find opportunity believe that learning new things is a life-long endeavor.  You don’t necessarily need a college education, although I’m an advocate of college.  Learning can happen in many ways; books, videos, workshops, discussions with others, industry groups, etc.

Tip #2: Make a habit of learning something new each week.  Never stop!  You’ll be amazed at how just a little new information can set you apart from others and position you for better opportunity.

Connect yourself with people who are already successful.  Find a mentor who will let you tag along while they go about their business.  A good mentor will share all that they’ve learned with you, introduce you to others who can help and then they’ll celebrate your success with you.  Help your mentor, if you can, in their pursuit of their hopes, dreams and goals.  Don’t be surprised if your mentor gives you work to do.  This is a good thing.  They know that you’ll learn a lot by doing as well as by observing.  When your mentor finds even greater success, chances are they’ll share a little of that opportunity with you as well.  Climb the ladder!

Tip #3 Connect yourself with people you know who have already found some measure of success.  Tell them that you are interested in pursuing the same type of opportunity that they are pursuing.  Ask them if you can help them in some way.

Here’s the glue that holds it altogether – positive attitude.  Successful people don’t wait for opportunity to come to them.  They know it doesn’t work that way.  They are proactive, always on the alert for something that will help them get to a better situation in life.  They are the ones who cheerily volunteer for jobs that no one else wants.  Their positive energy draws others to them along with possible opportunity.  No one can maintain a positive attitude 24/7.  Surely we all have bad days every now and then but successful people seem to bounce back faster than most.

Tip #4:  Continually strive for a positive attitude of action, not idleness.  Others will find your positive attitude irresistible and believe that you are charismatic person. Read motivational books, listen to motivational audio, and hang with others who are positive.  Stay away from negative people as much as you can.  Negative people are never a source of opportunity.

Once you have an idea about the type of opportunity you want, learn to ask for it.  This sounds too simple to work but you’ll be amazed at how effective communicating your desire can be.  Remember that large group of friends and acquaintances we talked about earlier?  Make sure they ALL know what your hopes, dreams and goals are.  You may be surprised to find that someone you know is in a position to connect you with opportunity, if only they know about your goal.

Tip #5: Share your hopes, dreams and goals with others you trust.  Ask them straight out if they can help you or if they know someone who can.

Embrace failure.  What?  That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?  The truth is that successful people see failure as a natural step toward success.  They don’t let failing at something stop them for long.  They have developed ability over time to get going again after life slaps them in the face.  Certainly, no one enjoys failing but too many people stop and give up their hopes, dreams and goals after their first experience with failure.

Tip #6: Try to see mistakes and failure as a natural step toward success.  Learn from each incident of failure to adapt, change and not repeat the same mistakes over and over.

Last, but perhaps most importantly, give opportunity to others when you can.  This goes back to the idea that givers gain.  But it’s really simply about being a good human being.  Finding success and opportunity is more fun when you bring others along for the ride.  If you find any measure of opportunity and success in life, be sure to share it with others.

Tip #7:  Try to find ways to share your opportunity with others in ways large and small.

Innovation, Not Just For NASA Engineers!

The recent landing of the robotic Mars rover Curiosity by NASA has me thinking about the magic of innovation.  Thousands of things had to go just right in order for those involved to achieve such a task.  Of course, years of planning, testing, learning by both mistake and success led to this outcome but the end result is certainly magnificent!

It's easy to believe that such innovation belongs only in the fields of science, engineering, computer technology, etc.  But as one who has a long history and a continuing connectedness in non-profit charity work, I firmly believe that we must appreciate and pursue innovation in the delivery of human services, health care and the like.  For example, I would ask, how have we been innovative in our approach to feeding the hungry, serving people who are homeless, educating kids with disabilities?  It would sadden me to believe that we can land a machine on Mars with almost pinpoint accuracy yet we still operate a homeless shelter the way it was managed 70 years ago.

Innovation does not need to manifest itself in the form of a gadget, although sometimes it does.  It can come in the form of a new process or a series of questions that lead to more useful information.  Sometimes innovation involves the merging of two seemingly different disciplines to produce a refreshing new and valuable byproduct.

A program in Lorain County, Ohio comes to mind where persons who are experiencing extreme poverty and even homelessness are introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship, starting their own micro-businesses in an effort to produce income and a degree of financial stability instead of waiting months or even years for someone else to hire them.  Contact me for more detailed information about this program if you are curious - excuse the pun.

Many such stories of innovation in the "caring industries" do exist but I would encourage even more innovation.  I ask my colleagues in non-profit, are you a change agent in your organization?  In your community?  Do you feel free to offer innovative ideas within your organization or is the environment in which you work stifling to new ideas?  If so, how can you tactfully change such an organizational culture?

Some folks scoff at the notion that we (humankind) spend too much time, energy and resources exploring the universe while many still suffer here on Earth.  And while I do "get that", I also suggest that many still suffer here on earth because we (humankind) have neglected to be innovative in our care for others.  Do practitioners in the charities wake up each morning with a spirit of innovation and the craving to do better as do our friends in the sciences?  Some do, for sure, yet regrettably many do not and they are still running their shelter as if it were 1942.

I don't believe in change just for the sake of change itself, that philosophy can be harmful.  But I do believe that purposeful innovation can and should happen throughout the vast spectrum of human endeavor, including the work of so many non-profit charity organizations.  I offer my congratulations to the innovation offered by those who work at NASA to make the Mars landing possible and equally to those in the non-profits in Lorain, Ohio who are teaching the homeless to start their own micro-businesses!  Inspirational Video & Space Exploration

Will NASA Take A Back Seat?

With all of the challenges facing our nation at this time it appears that the ambitions of our nation’s space program will once again take a back seat to other concerns of policymakers. While perhaps understandable, the agenda of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has become a regrettable case study for those who follow public policy of the ebb and flow of national priorities. Forty years ago the U.S. was on the verge of accomplishing what many thought impossible – landing a man on the moon and returning him safely back to earth. Soon our astronauts will be hitching rides with Russian cosmonauts aboard their aging Soyuz space capsules to get to and from the international space station. Such an arrangement would have been unthinkable in the early days of the space race and must surely send shivers down the spine of those who had anything to do with the amazing accomplishments of the 60’s and early 70’s.

NASA suggests that the shuttle program is winding down to a close with the last launch to happen soon. A new spacecraft design is being proposed but it won’t be ready for several years, if everything goes as planned. This leaves the United States without its own means to the space station we helped design and finance.

Certainly, the cold war is over and times have changed. We no longer experience the fearful animosity toward Russia that we had then for the former Soviet Union. Nevertheless, this gradual turn of events is very unsettling to some who can remember sitting in front of a black and white TV or a transistor radio to witness Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon. Perhaps it is the realization of the loss of something great – leadership and reputation. Perhaps, if we are honest with ourselves, there is still some lingering fear about the intentions of Russia.

Learned economists and policymakers are able to demonstrate the many residual benefits of our early leadership in space exploration. They describe advances in computer technology that made today’s personal computing possible. They might also mention satellite technologies that led to more accurate weather forecasting, wireless communication, cell phone and GPS technology and so much more. The list of long-term benefits is long.

President Elect Obama will have the opportunity through his policy making, as other modern presidents before him, to either strengthen NASA and it’s role in our political and scientific landscape or to minimize it – making it more likely that our astronauts will be dependent on the kindness of others for their way out of this world.

Cash for Clunker Program

Congratulations, you are now the partial owner of the SUV you were wise enough not to buy in the first place. In President Obama's attempt to revitalize the U.S auto industry, he will sign into law the Cash for Clunker program which will give owners of gas guzzling vehicles a financial reward for turning them in for newer, more efficient vehicles. I applaud the attempt to minimize our nation's dependency on oil and largess but rewarding people for their bad choices with tax dollars is getting old with me. I'm begging our legislators and our new administration to think twice before spending any more money on those whose bad choices caused these problems to begin with.

Managing Stress Vital in the Caring Industries

I have the privilege on Friday, February 27, 2009 to speak to the employees of a local non-profit social service agency serving people with disabilities and their families. They have invited me to visit them during a staff retreat to discuss the nature of their work, remind them that their work is indeed meaningful and address the stress that is inherent in their day-to-day work experience.

Having worked myself in the non-profit social service sector for over 22 years, and reviewing the profiles of each employee, their job roles, etc. on their company website, I feel that I know them well.

I am convinced that people who work in the social service arena, or the “helping” industry are cut essentially from the same fabric. At the risk of stereotyping, here’s what I believe I know about them before even meeting them. They are people with great capacity to care. They find joy in listening to others and helping them solve problems. These folks are resourceful. They spend their days collecting information about the resources in their community that might be helpful to the people they serve. They collect information like others collect stamps, knick-knacks, baseball cards, sports paraphernalia, etc. Any social worker worth her salt has a milk crate full of files on programs, services, brochures, annual reports, names of people to call, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Computer savvy social workers are now using computer databases, spreadsheets or some other type of software to collect and organize information. Essentially, they are walking libraries of helpful contacts.

Social service types are clever and persistent. They must be in order to be effective at what they do. They have a heightened sense of justice, pointing to social injustices like bomb sniffing dogs. They are advocates of social welfare and change. The best are often consulted by leaders in the community to get the pulse of the people.

Here’s what else I know about them. They’re exhausted. They are overwhelmed by the enormous amount of need in our communities. They are discouraged at the lack of resources made available to them to do what they feel is the most important work on the planet – helping others in time of need. They feel as if they are on the Titanic bailing out water with a thimble. They must manage unbelievable amounts of work related stress. At the end of the day they go home to their families and loved ones and hope that the ugly ravages of their day do not permeate their home, their marriage, and their relationships with friends. Some of them will work tirelessly until they become sick, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Their biggest fear is of working to the point of burnout, getting to a place in life where they simply don’t care anymore - about people, about anything. Those who succeed at longevity in their field, working 25, 30, 35 years or more, will be given the obligatory retirement luncheon, many handshakes and well-wishes and then they'll hope to gradually find some degree of normalcy after a lifetime of giving.

A recent report compiled by the National Association of Social Workers entitled, “Stress at Work: How Do Social Workers Cope” describes the dilemma. Over 3,600 social workers responded to a survey and reported that indeed they are concerned about how work-related stress is affecting them. Seventy percent reported feeling fatigued from stress manifesting in health problems, sleep disorders and other such outcomes. One respondent said, “the major challenge of social work is that social workers have too many things on their plates. They cannot possibly do everything they need to do and do it well. Burnout is a main reason people are leaving the profession. We are short handed as it is…”

Here’s what I’m going to tell the group:

Your work is important and meaningful. I know that it’s easy to forget how meaningful your work is, especially when you are overwhelmed. You often don’t get to appreciate the long-term affects of your interaction with people but I want you to know that you are indeed changing lives for the better. You are leading a quiet revolution. You are serving our most vulnerable citizens in a manner that respects their rights, their dignity as a human being. Sadly, this is not happening in many areas of the world where those at risk are not provided even the most basic of life necessities. Worse, some are disregarded, considered of little or no value. But you, and others like you, refuse to allow this to happen in our society. You have gotten us to a place in our societal evolution where at least we know what to strive for. And you should know that even though some of your work may go undone, others who follow your lead will continue the effort.

While stress is an inherent reality of what you do, allowing yourself to get to the point of burnout is not noble. We need to you to learn how to nurture yourselves, to find balance in your life so that you can continue your important work for as long as you desire.

You already know this, but I’m going to remind you anyway. When you are overly stressed you harm yourself physically. You experience prolonged exhaustion to the point of illness, depression or some other similar consequence. You harm yourself emotionally and you become bitter. You feel as if life is robbing you of all that is important. You take out your frustration on those you love, family members, friends, co-workers or even clients. They don’t deserve that behavior from you and you really don’t want to treat people that way anyway, it’s not your nature. Respectfully, I need to tell you that when you get like this you are not a very attractive person. You have ironically become someone as unhealthy, at risk and vulnerable as those you serve. You deserve better.

When you get to feeling like this, here’s what I want you to remember. You deserve to be human, perhaps a little selfish for your own sake. That means that you should not feel the need to push yourself beyond your limit. In fact, you need to nurture yourself. You do not need anyone’s permission to nurture yourself, just do it. You should not feel guilty showing yourself some tender loving care. Do not wait for someone else to nurture you. You are the expert of your own self and while others care about you they won’t see what you already know. First, you need to get some rest. Your body needs to rejuvenate, everything else will fall into place when you are rested. When rested, reflect on what you are sacrificing due to your job. Are you not seeing family members enough? Spend time with them. Are you not eating right? Determine to change your diet to allow more healthy foods into your life. Continual stress increases hormone levels in your body that need to be released else they become harmful to you. Exercise can purge your body of these harmful stimulants. Change your lifestyle in a manner that lets you get some exercise at least 3 times a week. Consider all the ways that you need to regain balance in your life and pursue these positive changes.

When you are at work, tell don’t ask, others in your work environment about the changes you are making. They will be better served by you and your example if you are able to address stress in a proactive manner. If you truly believe that your workload is unrealistic, share these concerns with others in your organization, especially those with influence, supervisors, managers, directors, board members. Cite your concern for the safety of your clients. Tell your co-workers that you will not participate in a caseload so large that would be harmful to your clients. They deserve better and so do you. Don’t whine, simply state your concern in a professional manner. Start with your immediate supervisor and go up the line until your concern is addressed. Place your concerns in writing, perhaps during a performance review so that you can refer others back to your wisdom. Others will view you as a leader, whether they agree publicly or not and will be relieved that someone else shares the same concern.

You must revisit and tweak your lifestyle often to be sure you are not falling back into a behavior pattern that leads to burnout. Encourage your co-workers and your organization to discuss strategies for addressing stress. Develop team strategies for working more effectively and with less stress. Encourage open communication to get to a point where everyone supports each other in the effort to reduce the negative affects of stress inherent in your work.

You and your coworkers are too valuable an asset to our community and our nation for you to succumb to the powerful affect of stress and burnout. Please don’t let this happen. Go forth and create a healthier and better balanced lifestyle for yourself. Enjoy! And, one last thing – thank you!