A Small Nonprofit’s Journey from Startup to Sustainable Part 2: Designing Culture By Esther Mendlowitz In my all-time favorite management book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, venture capitalist Ben Horowitz writes, “Ask ten founders about company culture and what it means and you’ll get ten different answers.” Some say culture is about perks, recognition programs and office space. Others say it’s about values and behaviors. One thing … [Read more...] about The Quest for Organizational Health
Managing Your Nonprofit
5 Factors that Determine Your Congregation’s Readiness for Change
By Rabbi Esther L. Lederman One of my favorite cartoons shows a speaker standing in front of a group of people. In the first frame, he asks the group, “Who wants change?” They all raise their hands. In the second frame, he inquires “Who wants to change?” This time, not a single hand is raised. This cartoon captures an essential truth of being human: We all want change, but we usually want someone else to do it. This is true not just in our … [Read more...] about 5 Factors that Determine Your Congregation’s Readiness for Change
10 Moves that Make the Passover Seder a Perfect Workshop
By Adena Philips Do you remember that company retreat you went on three years ago? Can you recall the exercises you participated in and what you learned from them? If you’re struggling to conjure an answer, you’re not alone. The annual meeting or offsite is an invaluable way for organizations and teams to come together and reflect on where they’ve come and where they are going - but it can be challenging to make it engaging and … [Read more...] about 10 Moves that Make the Passover Seder a Perfect Workshop
The Quest Toward Organizational Health
A small nonprofit’s journey from start-up to sustainable By Esther Mendlowitz I’ll never forget the day in December 2015 when our CEO casually walked by my desk and said, “We’re talking tonight?” “No,” I said, bemused, seeing nothing on my calendar. He nodded his head, indicating “Yes,” and walked away. That was an atypical exchange, so I knew something was brewing. Evening came around, the phone rang, and the next thing I knew I was being … [Read more...] about The Quest Toward Organizational Health
Creating a PERMA Organizational Environment
By David Raphael “Sapiens rule the world, because we are the only animal that can cooperate flexibly in large numbers. The real difference between us and chimpanzees is the mysterious glue that enables millions of humans to cooperate effectively.” (Yuval Harari) As Jewish community professionals and leaders we are, to paraphrase Harari, in the business of enabling and empowering people to cooperate effectively. We spend our days engaging and … [Read more...] about Creating a PERMA Organizational Environment
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