Nonprofit leadership approaches will determine post-pandemic social impact. Here are four factors that likely hinder your decision-making emerging from COVID-19. — Nonprofit organizations have always been at the mercy of economic changes. Whether a recession, a natural disaster, or other disruptive events such as 9/11 or the COVID-19 pandemic, an organization’s revenue often rises and falls in parallel with what’s happening in the world. As disruptive events go, the COVID-19 pandemic…

We cannot use a legislative bandage to treat the symptoms of a society that has lost hope. — There is clearly something going on in our country that stimulates deep-rooted hate in many. I don’t believe its “evil” at work in the world, as some might suggest. I think it’s something more fundamental. So many Americans are living without adequate shelter, food, and work. With such daily pressures…

Change is much easier if others are with us on the journey. — The work I do in organization development and change causes me to think a lot about how and why culture changes. …

The hidden truths of entrepreneurial life that no one tells you — One of the hardest things for first-time entrepreneurs, especially those going in full-time, is getting used to the lifestyle. While working for yourself is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do, it’s quite different from working for someone else. …

The most common financial tools that investors use to evaluate your business — In Financial Ratio Analysis and the Startup, I shared some insights on Financial Ratio Analysis and how investors and lenders may use financial ratios to determine whether to invest or lend to an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs should also understand how to use financial ratios in the regular course of business operations.

Why retreating into the past for answers often fails to provide a way forward. — I’ve been reading meditations from Mark Nepo’s (2000) The Book of Awakening every morning for several years. A few weeks ago, the reading from September 27 in the book struck a chord with me relative to the challenges of fear and panic in entrepreneurship. …

Identify the media most apt to build the highest level of trust with target customers — Trust is one of the great cornerstones of life. The most successful relationships, whether personal or business, are built on trust. Trust is a critical factor in the consumption of news and information, too. Over the years, many readers, listeners, and ultimately viewers placed trust in their preferred media channel…

Innovation, not invention, is what creates opportunity. — Entrepreneurship in the United States is lagging. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that between 1994 and 2015, the number of new jobs created by start-ups has decreased by more than one million (Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff, 2016). Insufficient financial resources, risk aversion, and perhaps the “lack…