Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
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 Wired to Create, that psychological plasticity enables us to engage flexibly with the unfamiliar. Although many observers believe that risk management can–or should–replace uncertainty with certainty, bringing a creative eye and respect for the natural power of uncertainty is a far better and more reasonable approach.
In a recent Affiliate Member webinar focused on international staff safety, Joe Gleason, Director of Risk Management at AHT and I discussed the importance of encouraging every staff member to ‘trust your gut’ when it comes to declining a travel assignment based on the employee’s intuitive concern about his or her personal safety. We encouraged webinar listeners to ensure that employee concerns about physical safety and well-being are honored, and never denigrated or punished. This week I returned to Wired to Create in the hopes of finding additional insights on creativity. I was quickly drawn to the chapter on intuition. The book’s authors, Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire write that, “Gut feelings and inner knowledge–those unconscious nudges that propel us to action or bring about sudden shifts in perspective–are a guiding force in our lives.” Later in the chapter they add that, “Insights are like gifts from the unconscious mind.” The authors dispel the false notion that intuition is antithetical to reasoning in their statement that “intuition is a form of thinking.” Rather than an escape from logical or linear thinking, drawing on one’s intuition brings color and richness to our thought processes.
The authors of Wired to Create suggest that a catalyst may be needed for ‘moments of creative inspiration and insight.’ I’ve often wondered whether my creative side is buried deep under my compulsive inclination to be logical and linear. I find the process of being creative slow, difficult, and even exhausting–as if I’m up against a force field of resistance. During an interview, my favorite science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury explained that, “The intellect is a great danger to creativity… because you begin to rationalize and make up reasons for things, instead of staying with your own basic truth–who you are, what you are, what you want to be.” If you’re a Risk Champion like me–on a quest to catalyze your intuition–don’t let your intellect stop you from trying out these tips.
Apple’s Steve Jobs, who many consider a visionary, called intuition “more powerful than intellect.” Risk Champions need to leverage both qualities to propel their nonprofit’s mission forward, but as many of us are intellect-hardwired, we must purposefully explore and enhance our intuitive and imaginative capabilities. As you reach the end of this article, take a moment to reflect on one tip that resonated with you. How do you plan to apply that tip in your professional or personal life during the next month? Better yet, get out of your comfort zone and brainstorm your own creative approach to re-infusing your life with imagination and intuition. “The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears.” – Dan Stevens
Melanie Lockwood Herman is Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Melanie’s intuition and creativity shine through in her culinary skills, her approach to parenting, and her infinite thirst for risk management wisdom. Melanie welcomes you to share your resolutions based on this article at 703.777.3504 or Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!