Resources
De-escalation Techniques in the Workplace
Violence has increased in America, and people’s tempers may flare even in routine interactions. Learn how frontline staff and managers can bring down the heat in difficult conversations and be prepared if an interaction does escalate.
If You’re Not Confused, Try Harder
By Melanie Lockwood Herman An NRMC Risk Assessment or ERM engagement typically centers on one-on-one conversations with individuals from our nonprofit clients. Conversations spark ideas, reveal challenges, and help us understand complex nonprofits through a variety of unique lenses. We’re eager to speak to newbies, veterans, optimists, worriers, dreamers, and everyone in between. Notes from … Continued
How to Maximize the Benefits of Hybrid Work
Many employees feel most comfortable in a hybrid work environment, where some work takes place remotely and some happen in person. The best strategy to excel in a hybrid work environment is one your team has likely used to excel in other areas: set and reiterate clear expectations, try new things, and adapt quickly when … Continued
How To Be Age-Inclusive in Your Hiring
Age diversity can make your nonprofit team more creative and innovative. And if that’s not enough motivation, age discrimination against people over 40 is against the law.* Here are some tips to ensure your hiring is age-inclusive. Set a Foundation for Age Diversity Within Your Organization Share information about your nonprofit’s open positions widely within … Continued
How to: Hire and Work with Neurodivergent Employees
Neurodiversity is a concept that acknowledges and appreciates the diverse range of ways people’s brains function, including neurological differences. Those differences can include dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), Tourette syndrome, and others. Some neurodiverse people identify as having a disability, while others do not. Research shows that organizations … Continued
Does Your Nonprofit Live Up to Its Values?
by Melanie Lockwood Herman I recently finished reading a thoughtful book titled Strategic Risk Leadership: Context and Cases by Toben Juul Andersen and Peter C. Young. I found Chapter 4, titled “Risk leadership as a moral endeavor,” especially intriguing. In that chapter, the authors write that “…leadership can be moral or immoral, and therefore leadership … Continued
How Hiring Employees with Disabilities Can Benefit Your Organization
Hiring employees with disabilities brings new perspectives to your nonprofit and helps you meet the needs of the community you serve. Many resources exist to help your organization become an outstanding employer of people with disabilities. Here are some of the ways that work can benefit your nonprofit. First, the basics: Federal law requires organizations … Continued
Building Meaningful Connections at Work
We spend much of our waking lives at work, but many of us have only superficial relationships there. That contributes to a broader loneliness epidemic that weighs us down and can even shorten lifespans. Connecting with colleagues doesn’t always happen easily, but the effort can benefit individuals and the organization, and make work more productive … Continued
How to Become the Resilient Leader Your Mission Requires
Risk management leaders require personal resilience and a strong sense of balance, helping their organizations avoid harm while enabling growth after disruptive experiences. Watch this webinar to learn what constitutes resilient leadership as a risk professional or individual contributor to a nonprofit’s mission. Enjoy a countdown of ten compelling characteristics every resilient leader endeavors to … Continued
Create a Safe and Inclusive Workplace for Transgender Employees
Transgender people may experience discrimination in many ways, including at work. Employers have a legal and moral responsibility to accommodate the needs of transgender workers and not tolerate discrimination. Here are best practices and resources to ensure a safe and welcoming workplace for transgender employees. NOTE: keep in mind that some of the practices below … Continued
A Happier Hybrid: Managing The Risks of Hybrid Work
By Rachel Sams You likely worry about how hybrid work affects your nonprofit‘s employees. Then you probably get pulled right into the day’s crises or priority tasks. Crafting a smart hybrid work approach that fits your nonprofit sounds daunting. But excluding digital security, the big challenges of hybrid work center around office culture, productivity, and … Continued
How to Be Productively Positive, Not Pollyanna
“Being human means making space for the positive, the negative, and everything in between.” – Whitney Goodman By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve recently finished two books that inspired me to question my impulsive inclination to look for silver linings behind every cloud. Both books offer thought-provoking insights for leaders seeking to be appropriately positive without … Continued
Cultivate Curiosity to Fuel Risk-Aware Thinking
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “The world’s biggest untapped source of energy isn’t in the wind, water, or sun. It’s inside established organizations. These organizations. . .are populated with people who, like all people, entered the world naturally curious and creative. That curiosity and creativity has been blunted and constrained, but it is there.” – Eat, … Continued
Fusion or Confusion? Managing Hybrid Team Risk
HANDOUT – Fusion or Confusion – Managing Hybrid Team Risk – MARCH 2022
Call It What It Is: Organizational Trauma Isn’t Burnout
By Rachel Sams One night a client attacks another client at the nonprofit where you work. You don’t hear about it for days—and then only through office gossip. Your nonprofit’s leaders brush off frontline employees’ demands for paid leave. A constant low boil of anger simmers in the break room. Your boss says you must … Continued
Dream a Little Dream With Me: Channeling Chaos
By Melanie Lockwood Herman The word chaos has myriad negative connotations: confusion, disruption, frustration. Many risk leaders expect that evolving risk management capabilities will bring order, formality, and cadence. My team fields question after question about managing risk more effectively; no one has ever asked us to help a risk team create disorder from order … Continued
Safe and Supported: The Intersection of Psychological Safety and Fruitful Risk Practice
By Erin Gloeckner “My input isn’t valued here.” “My coworkers always reject my ideas.” “I feel so stupid around my boss.” “I have to pick my battles.” “It will be safer for me if I keep my head down.” “I wanted to warn them, but I couldn’t risk being ridiculed again.” “I told them … Continued
Managing Risk & Safety: What’s New and What’s Next?
This webinar explores the changing risk landscape for nonprofit organizations and the risks that arise from our uncertain, evolving circumstances. Learn how to apply lessons from recent experience to your work to infuse a spirit and commitment to safety, resilience, and well-being. The NRMC team will highlight some of our interactive tools and resources that … Continued
Workplace Culture: The Foundation for Sound Risk Practice
By Whitney Thomey Workplace culture has gone viral. In less than a second, Google will return nearly 400,000,000 results on the question “What is workplace culture?” From surveys to engagements, renewed values statements to grand-scale reorganizations, nonprofit leaders are focusing on how culture is defined, infused, and perceived throughout the organization. Workplace culture is central … Continued
Safe and Supported: The Intersection of Psychological Safety and Fruitful Risk Practice
By Erin Gloeckner “My input isn’t valued here.” “My coworkers always reject my ideas.” “I feel so stupid around my boss.” “I have to pick my battles.” “It will be safer for me if I keep my head down.” “I wanted to warn them, but I couldn’t risk being ridiculed again.” “I told them … Continued
Workplace Culture: The Foundation for Sound Risk Practice
By Whitney Thomey Workplace culture has gone viral. In less than a second, Google will return nearly 400,000,000 results on the question “What is workplace culture?” From surveys to engagements, renewed values statements to grand-scale reorganizations, nonprofit leaders are focusing on how culture is defined, infused, and perceived throughout the organization. Workplace culture is central … Continued
Breaking The Silence: Navigating Difficult Topics in the Workplace
This webinar explores the risks associated with uncomfortable conversations, awkward situations, and fear in the workplace. Learn why fear and intimidation reduce motivation and engagement and how building ‘psychological safety’ is key to creating a workplace worthy of your mission. This webinar concludes with practical tips and strategies for anticipating and managing difficult circumstances and … Continued
The Resilience Mindset: 7 Musts if Your Mission Matters
By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Whitney Thomey Across the vibrant and diverse nonprofit sector in the U.S. and internationally, leaders and teams are recognizing that we’re not going back. Initial thoughts of returning to a pre-pandemic state are dissipating as we collectively grasp the significant implications of a risk event for which an entire world … Continued
Do This, Not That: 5 Essential Risk Policy Drafting Tips
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been busy helping consulting clients and Affiliate Members make sense of (and hopefully improve!) an array of longstanding risk-themed policies, from employee handbooks to vendor contracts and risk-scoring frameworks. In between writing and re-writing, I was able to finish an insightful book that I mentioned last week, Essentialism: … Continued
Attitude of Gratitude
By Whitney Claire Thomey “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture Two humble words, “thank you,” have the power to ground us, build us up, and develop deep, meaningful connections. November in the United States is when many people are reminded … Continued
Future Focused: 3 Virtues and Vows
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “But you can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. The desire to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time. You can build an airy city out of ruins.” ― Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium This week I’ve been reading the October/November issue of Fast Company. In a piece titled “The … Continued
Finding Purpose in Uncertainty
by Melanie Lockwood Herman Did you know that team members with “purpose” are healthier, more deeply committed to the mission of their employers, and enjoy greater feelings of well-being? Do you have a “purpose”? Do you inspire a sense of “purpose” in the team you lead? Having a “purpose” doesn’t mean never asking: ‘what am … Continued
Never Say, “Never Say Sorry.”
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center is excited to introduce a guest writer to you for today’s eNews! Delia Jones provides practical tips and a thought-provoking way of looking at the art of an apology. By Delia Jones It’s a punchline, right? Certain people can’t get through a sentence without including “sorry.” I’m half Brit, and … Continued
Baking Risk Aware Thinking and Acting Into Your Nonprofit’s Values and Culture
The expression “culture trumps strategy” definitely applies in nonprofits working to embed strong risk management practices into their operations and planning processes. Join this webinar to learn how to sync risk management practices with your nonprofit’s values and culture. Find out why syncing your approach to risk management with cultural tenets is a recipe for … Continued
Does Your Nonprofit Have Resilience DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is “a molecule that contains the biological instructions that make each species unique.” (See www.genome.gov). Did you know that certain information about future health risks is embedded in your DNA? Popular DNA test kits offer the promise of insights we can use to change our habits and lifestyles to improve health and … Continued
The Best of NRMC’s Resilience Resources
Resilience is a subject that is top of mind for many nonprofit leaders today. At NRMC, we believe that building organizational resilience is a core component of effective risk management. Today’s RISK eNews presents a collection of resilience resources developed by our team. Business Continuity Planning Business continuity planning (BCP) is one of the best … Continued
Practical Tips to Inspire Board Risk Leadership
The board of a nonprofit has ultimate legal and moral responsibility for the organization’s health and well-being. To protect an organization’s mission, reputation and assets, the board must provide thoughtful risk oversight. Join NRMC for this webinar exploring how to inspire your board to embrace and live up to its fiduciary roles, including responsibility for … Continued
Learn, Adapt, Repeat
“Those at the top of an organization typically used to say that the answer lay in a sound plan. . . The reason for this is the underlying conceit that we can both know the future and master it. That has always been a dubious claim, but in today’s uncertain environment it is patently ridiculous. … Continued
Reduce the Risk of Ridicule
by Melanie Lockwood Herman The topic of psychological safety at work has been of interest to me since I read The Fearless Organization and Teaming, two terrific books by Harvard Business School professor Amy C. Edmondson. Both books present the many relevant reasons why leaders should create environments that are safe for personal risk-taking. I’ve … Continued
Question Everything
“The ability to ask questions is the greatest resource in learning the truth.” – Carl Jung I’ve just finished reading Questions Are the Answer, by Hal Gregersen. This terrific book has inspired me to scribble more than usual. I’ve been jotting down questions on scraps of paper, adding questions to our staff meeting agendas, and … Continued
Managing Talent Acquisition Risk
Volunteers and staff are the lifeblood of any nonprofit, but they’re not always easy to find! In this workshop NRMC’s Executive Director, Melanie Herman, explains the art and skill of attracting top talent, strategies for managing a talent pipeline, and practical tips for drawing the right people to your organization at the right time. Learn … Continued
Systemic Failure and Risk Management
“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” – Marvin Minsky By Glenn Mott The other night, I happened to catch the documentary program “Retro Report” on PBS. Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization that produces mini documentaries that look at today’s news stories through the lens of historical context. Executive … Continued
Understanding and Managing Risk Culture
You don’t have to study risk management for long to realize that workplace culture is a critical component. But how can a single person affect change across an entire organization? This course gives practical tips on building a risk aware workforce and a workplace culture that embraces and strengthens risk management. Find out why and … Continued
Is Your Board an Asset, or a Liability?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reflecting on the role of a nonprofit board in risk management. A nonprofit board is: A line of defense, a powerful radar system that can help detect incoming opportunities as well as threats A vision magnifier, a diverse board helps the management team see far beyond the … Continued
Social Distortion, Personal Responsibility, and Reputational Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Cool Hand Luke, 1967 This week I’ve been reading Rethinking Reputational Risk: How to Manage the Risks that can Ruin Your Business, Your Reputation and You, by Anthony Fitzsimmons and Derek Atkins. In an early chapter, the authors share the following definition … Continued
Dream a Little Dream: Managing Sleep Deprivation Risks
By Katharine Nesslage Our ambitious 24/7 lifestyles, filled with unbalanced diets, low physical activity, excessive electronic media use, and psychosocial stress, are causing a precipitous decline in our sleep. But the safety implications of sleep deprivation have been known for decades. Precipitating causes of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident (1979), the Exxon Valdez oil … Continued
Don’t be Dispassionate: How to Use Emotional Impulses to Make Better Decisions – Full Article
By Glenn Mott “Heuristic / you risked it.” —Hank Lazer Recently, I had an opportunity to read a special issue of the Harvard Business Review called “The Brain Science Behind Business”—a compilation of previously published articles about neuroscience. Reading these articles got me thinking about the role of heuristics in risk management. Heuristics refers to … Continued
High or Dry: Weed and the Workplace
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Is your nonprofit workplace a “drug-free” zone? Although nonprofit leaders are in agreement that impaired staff pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of people who serve and receive services, the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana creates a host of challenges for nonprofit employers who wish to take a stand … Continued
Heartfelt Risk Lessons From an Authoritarian Piano Teacher
By Christy Grano If you learned to play a musical instrument as a child, like I did, then you may agree that music appreciation does not always happen in the first few lessons. How many of us wish that our 10-year-old selves had recognized the magic of musical expression, rather than avoided practice? Like many … Continued
Clearing the Air: How to Find Powerful Lessons After a Loss or Near Miss
By Melanie Lockwood Herman The hindsight bias, also known as the “I-knew-it-all-along” effect, is the tendency to believe that past events were predictable. In the risk realm, an important part of a risk leader’s responsibility is reflecting on mistakes, losses, near misses and situations that didn’t go as planned or hoped. The NRMC team strongly … Continued
Dampening Drama: Lessons from a Large Family
by Christy Grano I was the oldest of seven siblings, with two military veterans for parents. That’s right, seven kids, just like the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music. We didn’t march to a whistle or live in a mansion, but efficiency, order, and education were certainly high priorities. Charts mapped out our … Continued
Got Growth? Managing Risk When Your Nonprofit is on the Rise
By Christy Grano and Melanie Lockwood Herman For several years our NRMC team has had the opportunity to work with a number of nonprofits that have grown rapidly from a small capable corps of nimble and idealistic pioneers to strong, sustainable organizations with functions, departments, and even signs of bureaucracy. We’re grateful for the opportunity to … Continued
5 Musts to Attract Mission-Motivated Millennials
By Melanie Lockwood Herman While traveling last week an infographic in the Dec 2018/Jan 2019 issue of Fast Company caught my eye. Titled “Millennials in the Corner Office, Gen Y Bosses Tell Us How They Lead,” Yasmin Gagne has compiled the results from a survey on millennial leaders conducted by Fast Company, Inc., and the … Continued
Dangerous Ideas: Negotiating Controversial Art At Cultural Nonprofits
Nota bene: One of the finest sessions among many at our latest Risk Summit in Philadelphia was a program presented by Nick Pozek on the stewardship of cultural nonprofits. Since not everyone had the pleasure of sitting in, NRMC asked Nick if he would write this week’s RISK eNews column, so that our readers could … Continued
Scorched Middle Earth: Banishing The Department of No
by Melanie Lockwood Herman As fans of high fantasy fiction know first-hand, Middle-earth is the fictional setting for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the most widely-read books from English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Wikipedia, “Middle-earth has also become a short-hand to refer to the legendarium and Tolkien’s fictional take … Continued
Don’t Be a Buzzkill: Restore Trust in Risk Leaders
By Erin Gloeckner Recently, an NRMC Affiliate Member wrote to our team asking how to convince her peers that risk management is in fact a mission driver, rather than a drag. Buy-in for risk management initiatives is sometimes hard to obtain because team members are resistant; the other side of the problem is that sometimes … Continued
Not Here: Zero Tolerance for Inappropriate Workplace Conduct
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Last year I attended a leadership conference hosted by Camp Fire, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people to “find their spark, lift their voices, and discover who they are.” During the opening keynote session, Hal Gregersen, Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, reminded his audience that “assumptions act as … Continued
Pass the Remote! The Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs of Telecommuting Teams
by Delia Jones Remote Work: Benefit or Burden? “You should be able to work from anywhere.” A former boss of mine said that a lot and it sounded great. If an employee asked to work from home, my boss would agree with that announcement and leave the second level managers to implement a telecommute solution. … Continued
Sick of Power Plays? Manage Workplace Power Plays & Revenge Risk
“Every time we experience power… we find ourselves at… a fork in the road… we can act in ways that lead us to enjoy enduring power… or we can be seduced by the self-indulgent possibilities that power occasions. Which path you take matters enormously.” – Dacher Keltner, The Power Paradox By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week … Continued
Selfless Leadership: When to Leave Fingerprints
By Melanie Lockwood Herman If you’re a fan of crime dramas, you’re well aware that recovering fingerprints—the impressions left by the friction ridges (raised portion of the epidermis) of a human finger—is often an important part of a crime scene investigation. And when the identity associated with the fingerprints is revealed, it doesn’t always match … Continued
Happy Knot: Managing Workplace Culture Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading The Economist’s potpourri of prognostications: “The World in 2018.” In his introduction to the publication, editor Daniel Franklin writes that, “It promises to be a nerve-jangling year.” Check! In my recent risk adventures, it seems like many nonprofit leaders are either waiting for the other shoe to … Continued
Risk Management Advice: Smarts from the Streets
This week’s RISK eNEWS features street smart words of wisdom from risk management leaders who serve in nonprofits, or who serve clients across the nonprofit sector. Find inspiration in this sage risk management advice from your peers, who take bold risks every day! NRMC: Are you a risk taker, or risk averse? Why? Mike … Continued
Risk Management Leaders Must be Unstoppably Optimistic
“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” – Colin Powell By Melanie Lockwood Herman In his article, “How to Lead in 2018,” Fast Company editor Robert Safian beckons his readers to embrace optimistic leadership by staring “unblinkingly at this time of chaos and dig into the difficult work of building a better tomorrow.” Across our work … Continued
Why Your Workplace Needs More Sinners, Fewer Saints
Employers and employees might believe that sainthood is the path to success in the workplace, but I disagree. There are seven of the deadly ‘sins’ that our workplaces desperately need.
Risk Lessons from Soccer’s Sidelines
By Eric Henkel I spent a big chunk of time recently as a supportive sideline spectator at a soccer tournament with my kids. They play on two different teams, so there were a lot of games and not much downtime. While sidelined, it occurred to me that like the parents of competing soccer players, risk … Continued
The Risk of Regret: Not Every Mission Really Lives
By Melanie Lockwood Herman In Everybody Dies But Not Everybody Lives, rapper and spoken word artist Prince Ea challenges us to be open to risk-taking: “There was a study done, a hospital study on 100 elderly people. Facing death, close to their last breath they were asked to reflect about their life’s biggest regret… Nearly … Continued
Truth or Story? The Human Capacity for Knowledge
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Tell me a story. In this century, and moment, of mania, Tell me a story. Make it a story of great distances, and starlight. The name of the story will be Time, But you must not pronounce its name. Tell me a story of deep delight. (from the poem Tell Me … Continued
Motivate Me: Workplace Motivation for Nonprofit Teams
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Have you ever spent an entire day searching for motivation to complete a few simple tasks? Whether your to-do list includes a few loads of laundry, the resorting of your sock drawer, or a report your board has requested repeatedly, feeling demotivated–and guilt-ridden because of it–is a familiar emotion for most. … Continued
No Worries: Mastering Productive Worry
By Melanie Lockwood Herman It’s been nearly 15 years since I first heard the expression “no worries” during a trip to Australia. I recall feeling a bit confused when my “thank you” was met with an enthusiastic “No worries!” But as my trip continued, I appreciated the sentiment that seemed to accompany the phrase. By … Continued
Don’t Get Stuck in a Rut, Trust Your Gut
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” – Alan Alda In last week’s Risk eNews (“Embrace Your Leaky Brain to Conquer the Unknown“) I shared a lesson from the book … Continued
Embrace Your Leaky Brain to Conquer the Unknown
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I was dismayed to learn about the damaging effects and destructive force of a leaky faucet. For the past two weeks I have noticed–but repeatedly ignored–a strangely stiff faucet handle and minor leak in one of my sinks at home. Now it’s time to pay the piper, or in … Continued
Cheers to Your Good Health: Integrating Workplace Health Programs
Watch this webinar to learn about how integrating workplace health programs can benefit your nonprofit. Improving employee health can benefit nonprofits in many ways, from boosting employee productivity and morale, to decreasing health care costs.
Commandments of Supervisor-Employee Relationships
Dissatisfaction with supervision is a key factor of voluntary turnover. Fostering healthy and productive supervisor-employee relationships is critical to living out your nonprofit’s values, and to moving your mission forward by retaining talented, dedicated staff and volunteers. Unfortunately, some supervisors lack the soft skills required to foster positive relationships with their team members, and yet … Continued
Q&A: Transgender and Your Nonprofit
With an estimated 700,000 transgender people in the United States, the issues around their fair employment, access to facilities, healthcare, education, and discrimination can influence decisions made by your nonprofit. Are you prepared? Join us for a short question and answer session with Karen Ibach, partner at Montgomery McCracken and Nonprofit Issues Editor, Don Kramer.
Can’t Buy Me Joy (at Work) – Build Trust for Engagement
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Across the nonprofit sector, work teams are gathering for holiday-themed celebrations and modest gift-exchanges, wrapping year-end fundraising appeals and saying a fond farewell to departing board members. And in many workplaces, nonprofit executives, managers and supervisors are taking extra time and care to say ‘thank you’ to their most valuable assets: … Continued
Keeping Your “Promises, Promises”
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “You made me promises, promises, knowing I’d believe. Promises, promises, you knew you’d never keep.” – Promises, Promises by Naked Eyes Several years ago I heard a wonderfully simple definition of accountability: ‘doing what you said you were going to do.’ I often share this definition when I’m leading board orientations, … Continued
Effective Communication & Annual Reviews
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Communication let me down And I’m left here Communication let me down And I’m left here, I’m left here again! “Communication,” Spandau Ballet Last week’s Risk eNews, “Super Size It: Don’t Skimp on Supporting Your New Hire,” seemed to strike a chord with readers, based on the chorus of ‘Amens’ in my … Continued
A Spoonful of Skepticism Helps the Medicine Go Down
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Have you ever attended a board meeting where one of the members seemed to have everything figured out? Or have you ever worked (or lived with!) a ‘know-it-all?” One of my favorite expressions relevant to the world of nonprofit governance is, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” … Continued
Managing Remote Worker Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman You’ve either heard the gossip about remote workers, been the subject of comments about your engagement as a remote worker, or perhaps you’re a dreamer, longing to replace an expensive, lengthy commute with a short walk to your home office. Recent research sheds a bright light on some of the myths … Continued
Safe and Secure: Supporting International Staff
By Eric Henkel The safety and well being of employees is generally a top-of-mind concern for nonprofit leaders. When an organization deploys its staff internationally, additional uncertainty enters the already complex risk landscape. Deployed staff members may work in limited resource environments or in conditions of cultural and political instability. Issues that might seem routine … Continued
Survivor: Office Party
If your office is like others and is planning an end of year celebration, join us on Tuesday, December 29 at 2:00 pm EST for our final Affiliate Webinar for 2015. We will review seven tips for getting through the festivities like a winner. You don’t have to outwit, outplay and outlast your colleagues to have a … Continued
Myth and Mystery: Managing Workplace Culture Risk
Workplace culture often seems elusive, and many organizations determine that spending time and money on strengthening culture is just not the best use of resources. This webinar addresses some of the risks associated with this viewpoint, myths associated with workplace culture, and tips for enhancing the culture in your organization.
Last Call: Effective Exit Interviews
When an employee departs your nonprofit, you have one final opportunity to ‘source’ insights and feedback from that person; similarly, the employee has one last chance to leave a positive mark on your mission. Attend this webinar to learn how to make the most out of exit interviews. We will provide tips on exit interview … Continued
Ladder of Inference
The Ladder of Inference technique is a tool to help prevent common biases and human tendencies from derailing your risk management program. Inspired by the tool developed by organizational development guru Chris Argyris, this workshop begins with a review of four common mistakes in risk practice: (1) faulty assumptions; (2) superficial learning from loss; (3) choosing beliefs … Continued
Teamwork is Job One!
A common mistake in nonprofit risk management is delegating responsibility to a single staff member or volunteer. Attend this webinar to learn why an interdisciplinary approach to risk identification is vital, and how a team comprised of players from every level in the organization is the most effective driver for sound risk management. By the … Continued
Just Touching Base: How Customer Service Can Serve Your Nonprofit
Risks associated with customer service may not be what come to mind when you’re analyzing the risks facing your nonprofit. However, since all nonprofits rely on their clients, donors and volunteers, effective interactions can make or break the success of your mission. Poor customer service can lead to a strike out that causes you to … Continued
Human Behavior and Risk Management
When a nonprofit adopts a risk management framework,” deputizes members of a risk management committee, and approves a set of slick policies that have been blessed by counsel, one would expect that the organization’s risk management journey will be relatively smooth and uneventful. But not if there are human beings in the mix! This webinar will explore … Continued
Why Can’t We All Get Along? Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce
Within a few years, five generations of workers will be represented in the nonprofit workforce. Whether you’re a CEO, CFO, HR Director or other senior leader in a nonprofit, you’ve probably encountered a few challenges stemming from the varying perspectives and priorities that workers from different generations bring to your organization. Conflict between generations is … Continued
Obtaining Buy-In and Support for Your Critical Risk Management Policies
Getting staff and volunteers to answer the question: “What’s in it for me?” can be a very effective impetus for following risk management policies. In-service training that elicits their ideas on how to make the workplace safer in general and in their areas specifically will engage people in the solutions and make them understand why … Continued
The Goldilocks Principle: Creating a Culture That’s Just Right
By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Alexandra Ricketts One of your best employees just left the organization and you feel a sense of urgency to replace her. But is it simply time to fill the open chair with a warm body? If your expectations for performance are low, then almost any applicant will do. But if … Continued
Banish Overconfidence to Unleash Originality
April 20, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman I recently purchased tickets to attend one of the stops on Garrison Keillor’s farewell Prairie Home Companion tour. Although I’ve heard it countless times during his weekly radio broadcast and it’s a bit corny, I’m looking forward to hearing–for the last time–the closing line from the Lake Wobegon … Continued
Adopt a Total Ban on Personal Electronic Device Use While Driving
January 26, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Since we began offering free RISK HELP to our Affiliate Members in 2012, we have answered a wide array of risk questions–some highly unusual. Last week we received this quirky question from two incredibly different member organizations: should we adopt a complete ban on the use of personal … Continued
Join the Culture Club
December 23, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Assuming you love your job, what is it about your nonprofit that makes it a wonderful place to work? Despite the undeniable uniqueness of nonprofits, most organizations have the following elements in common: a compelling mission, a defined leadership structure, multiple stakeholder groups and vulnerability to financial stress … Continued
Be The Boss You Want to Work For
January 20, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman In last week’s Risk eNews, Erin Gloeckner dared readers to promote workplace safety by managing the downside risk of employee sleep deprivation. In the Schumpeter column in this week’s edition of The Economist, (“The other side of paradise,” The Economist, January 16th, 2016), I was intrigued to learn … Continued
Avoid World War Y
March 2, 2016 By Emily Wilson As a member of Generation Y, I am well aware of the stereotypes that we face. We were the last generation to be born before the popularization of texting, and the first to experience social media in our youth. We have a unique lens that allows us to understand … Continued
Drafting the Ideal Team: Risk Lessons from the NFL
By Arley Turner Next week is my favorite event of the pro football offseason, the NFL Draft. During the draft, the General Manager of each franchise often leads the selection of the team’s “draft picks.” Each prospective team member is carefully screened before the GM decides which players will be targeted as new players for … Continued
Great Communication Mitigates Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Last week we welcomed a new staff member to the Center, Arley Turner. At the Center, communication skills top the list of what it takes to get hired and succeed. So for this week’s RISK eNews, we decided to try something new: a conversation about the interplay of communication, risk and … Continued
Poor Communication = Declining Morale
By Melanie Lockwood Herman According to a survey of more than 300 HR managers, a lack of “honest and open communication” tops the list of factors causing low morale in the workplace. The survey, conducted by Accountemps, revealed that the #1 source of low morale in any workforce is poor communication. Although ineffective communication bears … Continued
Coping With Crisis: Managing Employee Fear and Low Morale
In the weeks and months following a major disaster or traumatic event, employers in government entities and nonprofit organizations discover unprecedented levels of fear and concern on the part of staff. The evidence manifests itself in many ways. People with perfect attendance records call in sick at record levels, seriously impairing the organization’s ability to … Continued