Resources
Learning Bites, Courtesy of Shark Week
By Melanie Lockwood Herman A member of my immediate family—who would prefer not to be named (or shamed) in this article—is so fearful of sharks that they find it impossible to consume any of the fascinating programs featured during “Shark Week” on the Discovery Network. I’m the opposite. A global pandemic interrupted my 2020 plans … Continued
Traveling via TARDIS: Managing Risk with the Risk Time Machine
Prepare for risk events while traveling in style and across time like The Doctor. Doctor who, you ask? This time The Doctor is YOU! Attend this webinar to learn how to use NRMC’s Risk Time Machine worksheet to assess a specific risk while practicing both reflection and foresight. Learn how to lead a team through … Continued
Fuzzy Futures: Managing Uncertainty with Scenario Planning
Events like the COVID-19 pandemic provide sobering wake-up calls to nonprofit leaders, who must execute their missions today and tomorrow despite unnervingly uncertain futures. To better prepare for surviving unpredictable, unthinkable events or futures far from today’s reality, watch this webinar to learn about the art of scenario planning. Leave the webinar with a basic … Continued
Learn How to Learn This Week (and Beyond)
By Melanie Lockwood Herman At NRMC, a typical week involves client presentations, custom webinars, and team huddles to discuss upcoming deadlines and deliverables. However, amid the rush of meetings and presentations, everyone on the NRMC team carves out time and looks or natural learning opportunities. This time we devote to learning is vital to our … 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
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
Round and Round: The Leadership Learning Loop
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This past weekend I listened to a compelling interview with Katlin Smith on the NPR program “How I Built This,” hosted by Guy Raz. Smith founded Simple Mills while working as a management consultant at Deloitte and attending the first year of an MBA program. Per the company’s website, “Simple Mills … Continued
The Naked Truth: Trust Unites
“The process of building trust takes risk. We start by taking small risks, and if we feel safe, we take bigger risks. Sometimes there are missteps. Then we try again. Until, eventually, we feel we can be completely ourselves.” – Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reflecting on … Continued
What We’re Learning from our Favorite Recent Reads
Join this webinar to learn interesting insights, thought-provoking ah-ha moments, and tangible takeaways from our favorite ‘reads’ from the past year. Learn lessons from philosophers across the ages, modern-day leadership gurus, and even a rocket scientist. Leave this webinar with newfound inspiration to lead the risk team in your organization.
Ready… Set… Learn! Get Ready NOW for What’s NEXT!
“You must dig the well before you’re thirsty and become curious now—not when a crisis inevitably presents itself.” – Ozan Varol, Think Like a Rocket Scientist This week the NRMC team is putting the finishing touches on a new business continuity web application that we hope will motivate and support teams trying to get ready … Continued
Three Risk Trends to Keep in Mind as you Enlist Volunteers
By Christy Grano In my work with nonprofit teams, I am repeatedly impressed with the array of terrific volunteer programs that support nonprofit missions; that positive impression swells when I observe smart risk management practices in volunteer recruitment and supervision. I experienced first hand the positive message that a clear, compelling volunteer training transmits to … 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
If Ruminating on Risk Inspires Worry, You’re Doing it Wrong
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During a recent risk workshop, one of our participants commented, “Thinking about all of the potential risks facing my organization makes me really worried!” Her remark reminded me of the distinction between what many leaders believe is the narrow purpose of risk management and its true aim. The narrow view of risk management’s … Continued
Out of Focus: How Being Less Focused (and More Aware) Pays Off
By Glenn Mott Mindfulness, like it’s complement gratitude, has been much hyped—with good reason. Our underlying mindset and conditioning are nearly invisible to most of us; by itself, the conscious mind is insufficient to get at the deeper mindset. Nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness (aka mindfulness meditation) has been shown to change attitudes, emotional responses, and habitual … Continued
Running Successful Risk Workshops
Attend this webinar to learn top tips for an engaging risk workshop, based on 20 years of conducting hundreds of NRMC workshops and trainings. Whether your workshops sessions are dazzling or dragging, we hope this webinar will provide everything you need so that your attendees will walk away feeling informed and refreshed.restricted
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
Resolve to be Resolute
Eat healthy, exercise more, save money-sound resolutions, all. How many of us will still be at it after January? Surveys suggest that somewhere on the order of 80 percent of resolutions fail. This may explain why 30–day challenges have become popular, and in many cases have replaced the yearlong commitment of a New Year’s resolution. A quick … Continued
Risk Management Activity Planning: How to Get Unstuck after a Risk Assessment
Risk assessment can sometimes be overwhelming, resulting in a lengthy, daunting list of risks that need to be managed. Prioritizing the list of risks is another challenge, often resulting in arbitrary numerical scores. Attend this webinar to simplify your approach to risk assessment, and to focus your energy on implementing risk management activities instead of … Continued
Uncertainty: A New Formula for Crisis
by Glenn Mott There is a widely held and often repeated chestnut of Far Eastern wisdom that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two seemingly opposite but complimentary characters. Maybe you’ve heard this one? It’s a gnomic gem that is particularly popular among executives and motivational speakers. The adage came into wide circulation … Continued
Unravel Risk Myths and Mysteries
By Melanie Lockwood Herman A recent conversation reminded me of the tendency to cling to myths and misconceptions about safety and the wide world of risk. Some of the risk-related myths I’ve heard from time to time include: The world is becoming more dangerous: Media reports of violence, tragic accidents, and familiar and less-known health risks … Continued
Person of Interest: Soliciting Insights from Staff In-the-Know
By Erin Gloeckner “It’s better to be interested than interesting.” – Oprah Winfrey Are you a fan of true crime TV? In a crime drama, “person of interest” refers to an individual who possesses information that is potentially relevant to an investigation. While some persons of interest might come forward themselves, they are often identified … Continued
For the Love of Learning
Learning Lessons from NRMC’s Executive Director NRMC’s Melanie Lockwood Herman was recently inspired to see a consulting client devote a full day for all-staff training on topics ranging from diversity and inclusion to managing up. Melanie is an advocate for lifelong learning and professional development. Look back at some of Melanie’s articles on the topic … Continued
Infographic: Five Favorite Reads for Risk Professionals
AHT Insurance Partners with NRMC as Corporate Sustainer The NRMC team proudly announces that AHT Insurance has joined our family of Corporate Sustainers. We are grateful for the AHT team’s commitment to provide year-round support for NRMC’s mission. AHT previously sponsored our annual conference, the Risk Summit, and will now continue to do so, while supporting NRMC’s … Continued
Distraction & Decision Fatigue are Brain Drain for Risk Champions
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “The actual information that reaches the brain via our senses is not the rich and detailed stream of sights, sounds and sensations that we so often take for granted; in truth, the raw data our senses provide is more like a muddy trickle, and our brain does some quite incredible work … Continued
If I Only Had a Brain: Neuroscience and Risk Management
Cajoling colleagues into supporting risk management initiatives isn’t easy. Did you know that: the “laggy, lazy and distracted” brains of your staff and volunteers are hard-wired with roadblocks to risk-aware thinking and decision-making? various thinking patterns—including both intuitive shortcuts and analytical long-routes—send teams into dangerous territory, depending on the risk issue facing your team? NRMC … Continued
How Neuroscience and Risk Management Link to Fear and Memory
“To our brains, daily life is like tightrope-walking over a vast pit full of furious honey badgers and broken glass; one wrong move and you’ll end up as a gruesome mess in temporary but exquisite pain.” – Dean Burnett, Idiot Brain: What Your Head is Really Up To By Melanie Lockwood Herman To prep for … Continued
What Star Trek Taught Me about Risk Leadership
By Erin Gloeckner There’s not exactly a Starfleet Academy for nonprofit risk professionals, like in the beloved television and film series, Star Trek. Nonprofit risk professionals are often designated by surprise, and are expected to learn on the job, wear new hats (e.g., insurance program manager, safety committee leader, etc.), or seek out professional certifications … 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
Managing Interns & Risk: Let’s Dive In(ternships)
By Christine Smith Now that summer is officially in full swing, you may be spending part of the summer at the pool, beach, or a waterpark. I’ve opted to spend my summer interning with the NRMC! In the past month, I have started to realize why employers often prefer prospective candidates with internship experience. Thus … 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
Foster Dissent, Quiet Consensus
April 27, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve been a fan of dissent–over comfortable consensus–for some time. While finishing Adam Grant’s book, Originals, I discovered some new insights into why and how consensus and groupthink pair up to kill innovation. Grant describes how Polaroid made strides in electronic imaging in the early 1980s, and finished … Continued
Ready, Mindset, Go!
April 6, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman During two Risk Assessments / ERM engagements for complex nonprofit organizations, our team has shared the idea of a ‘risk aware mindset’ with our clients. What are we referring to? In general, we’re talking about a leadership team that is: Eager to learn, and learn some more Comfortable … Continued
Closing Time: Effective Exit Interviews
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end…” – Closing Time, Semisonic Upon learning that an employee or volunteer will be leaving your nonprofit, you might schedule a time for the departing team member to turn in their keys, return equipment, and receive a briefing on post employment benefits. Departing … 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
Rebellion: How to Change Your Approach to Learning
August 12, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin The desire to learn on the job is shared by employees from all generations, backgrounds and tenures. Yet promises made to new hires about “learning opportunities” are infrequently supported … Continued
Break Free: The Big Payoff from Kicking the Habit
April 1, 2015 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Leaders are guided and inspired by the missions and values of the organizations they serve when they are called on to balance risk and reward in programming. And when it comes to the toughest choices, most leaders go with their gut. But what if your gut is leading … Continued
Enough is Enough: Banish Meeting Madness
By Emily Stumhofer We all go to meetings, sometimes even multiple meetings in the same day. A recent Bain & Company study reports that managers spend 15 percent of their time in meetings, and executives spend two full days per week in meetings. And according to a report on the “state of the modern meeting” … Continued
Lessons Learned: Sharing Staff Screening Setbacks
By Erin Gloeckner A few years ago I had an opportunity to expand my role by co-managing the hiring process for two openings on the NRMC team. Looking back on it, I was pretty darn lucky to experience such ideal results from my first foray into hiring. Not every hire turns out so well, and … Continued
Coffee, Confusion and Continuous Improvement
By Melanie Lockwood Herman The book Born Standing Up, by Steve Martin, is a close-up look at the career of a performer who seemed to skyrocket to success as a standup comedian and then movie-star. As readers of Martin’s book quickly realize, his fast-track to success was only an illusion. Martin began honing his craft at … Continued
Curiosity Trumps Competence
“I now consider potential to be the most important predictor of success at all levels, from junior manager to the C-Suite and the board.” — Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, “21st Century Talent Spotting,” Harvard Business Review, June 2014 By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading a fascinating article about the benefit of emphasizing potential over … Continued
History’s Mysteries… Unearth to Understand
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Although no new episodes are being produced, re-runs of the long-running program “History’s Mysteries” appear from time to time on the History Channel. The program capably debunks the idea that history is boring and offers compelling evidence of the expression “truth is stranger than fiction.” Recently, while watching an episode of … Continued
An Ounce of Experience is Worth a Pound of Speculation Maybe
By Melanie Lockwood Herman During last week’s Risk Management & Finance Summit for Nonprofits in Philadelphia, attendees heard a variety of messages about ways to consider and manage risk they encounter in their nonprofit organizations. Various themes were explored in plenary and workshop formats. One of the most powerful themes expressed in different ways from … Continued
Dread Knots
By Melanie Lockwood Herman In his provocative book, The Courage to Lead, R. Brian Stanfield writes: “To be human is to be filled with dread.” By “dread” Stanfield is referring to “a great fear or apprehension.” He reminds his reader that both the fear of dying and the fear of something terrible happening without warning … Continued
That Time of Year
By Melanie Lockwood Herman It’s “that time of year.” You know what I’m talking about. It’s the time of year when it is often hard to find an empty parking spot near the door of the neighborhood fitness center. Church attendance is up and restaurant menus are offering an impressive number of “light and fit” … Continued
We’re All Human
By Melanie Lockwood Herman When nonprofit leaders approach NRMC for advice about strengthening their risk management practices, most imagine that what they need is a new “system,” a toolkit, workshop, a list of definitive do’s and don’ts, or a checklist. NRMC resources include all of the above. But what we often discover in our risk … Continued
Training Wheels
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Last week I wrote about the connection between riding a vintage motorcycle in less than perfect weather conditions and the fact that things worth doing aren’t always easy to do. The feedback from readers led me to reflect on my first ride on a motorcycle: at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic … Continued
When One Door Closes
By Melanie Lockwood Herman After many years as a nonprofit leader and more transitions than I care to count, I’ve collected a handful of tips that help me close doors safely and walk with greater confidence across new thresholds. Resolve to see transitions as opportunities. The end of any relationship is an opportunity for your … Continued