Making a Difference

July 24, 2017

Since my retirement from Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston in October ‘16, I’ve observed and engaged with the world of nonprofit organizations in a new and interesting way. Having been an operating and executive level practitioner for over 35 years, I’ve taken the time to step out of the weeds and observe that world from more lofty perch. As a practitioner, I focused on the hundreds of details that allowed my organizations to achieve their missions. Details of program delivery, training, staff development, fund raising, and day to day management. In that role, it was always hard to pause and look at the “big picture”, consider long-term goals, cogitate about mission, and figuring out what would “make a difference” in the long run.

Serving as a consultant for nonprofit organizations requires a different perspective. For the most part, the practitioners, especially at the senior staff and board levels, are quite able, and despite all the challenges and stresses they are delivering for their clients and stakeholders every day. When I engage, I help them to hit the pause button, the “let’s think about this” button, the “imagine” button, and most importantly, the “what-if” button. We practice strategic thinking, challenge assumptions, re-direct focus, and dream.

My role isn’t to tell folks how to do things, instead, I help them to discover and articulate what they want to do, what they ought to do, and sometimes, what they need to do. I help break down huge leaps into reasonably manageable steps, elicit performance metrics, and document creative thinking. Often I help leaders to acknowledge what they already know, and serve as a test-bed for both strategic and tactical developments.

A coach, a consultant, can be a valued resource to even the strongest leadership teams. An outside pair of eyes, an unbiased perspective, and a professional who has “no skin in the game” can help enliven, invigorate, and motivate practitioners mired in the day-to-day.

Schedule a trial conversation with me. Risk an hour of your time over a cup of coffee. Test the value proposition we offer. I look forward to an interesting conversation.