In the last two last weeks I had the opportunity to present a paper at two conferences. The first was the Network of Social Work Management Conference in Los Angeles (the organization that provides the Management Certificate we award). The week after that I attended a conference on Innovation in Social Work on Banbridge Island, just outside of Seattle.
Here is a thumbnail:
The Nonprofit Sector Is Close To Becoming A "Boiled Frog."
A Tale of The Black Swan
A
Black Swan Event
is one of immense impact, which everyone thought could never happen, and after it happens, everyone says it was inevitable.
The "black swan" is similar to the "boiled frog" metaphor.
The boiling frog is an
anecdote
describing a
frog
slowly being
boiled alive
. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is a
metaphor
for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of threats that occur gradually
.
This metaphor is not actually true for the frog but is true for organizations. Consider the failure of the American Steel industry in Pittsburgh and the Automobile Industry in Detroit just to give some contemporary examples. The fault lies everywhere - at the organizational level, the state level, and the national level. For purposes here we will focus on the organizational and community level.
Nonprofit organizations have a number of serious problems which have persisted for years:
- Flawed Governance
- Flawed Program Analysis and Renewal - Legacy Programs and Founder Syndrome
- A Culture where Passion trumps Professional Development: Executives who are largely untrained initially and generally eschew ongoing developmental efforts; Training and conferencing budgets are often the first to be cut.
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Flawed Financial Model - Inattention to where money is being made and lost: Trapped in the doom loop in which the workforce is poorly paid and then exploited (cajoled into working extra hours for free); Acceptance of "below cost" contracts and no overhead grants; Over commitment to "big event" fundraising schemes which frequently cost more than they raise, when staff time is taken into account.
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Flawed Infrastructure Development
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Lack of Strategic Plans and Planning
Why do these problems exist in so many community benefit organizations? They exist largely because the sector has limited leadership and training programs and grossly inefficient talent management initiatives.
Our School of Social Work is making a very significant, though overall insufficient antidote to that problem through our Management program. The Network for Social Work Management is working on a national level to find a place for social work managers to gather, exchange, and network.
Innovation and Invention in Social Work:
What Gets in the Way and What Might Help
Innovation and Invention means doing work in new and different ways - faster, better, cheaper. It means constantly being more efficient (doing things right) and more effective (doing the right thing). Certainly, when compared to other systems (say electronics, or medicine and dentistry) we seem to be "innovation challenged." Before he died in 1993, my father, Elmer Tropman, a United Way Executive, lamented the similarities he saw in problems and practices between the 1930s (when he began) and the 1990s. I share his view from the perspective of my own career.
What Gets in the Way of Innovation? We might still have "problems" but do we have "better problems?" There are many complex factors. Some of the important ones might be as follows:
- Wicked Problems: The problems we work with are very complex and multilevel
- Mindload: Underfunding, understaffing presses us to 'think more' and to clutter our minds; our daily routines drive out innovation
- Limited or no staff or budget for innovation: There are neither people nor funds for experimentation
- Emotion often trumps evidence: Founders syndrome and Legacy problems
- Each agency tub is on its own bottom: Lack of communication and partnerships
What might help?
- Partialize the problems and focus on a doable piece
- Set aside time for meditation and "half baked idea" meetings
- Staffing and Budgeting for Innovation- develop a position of 'idea-prenure', Chief Idea Officer, or Chief Strategy Officer; have a small budget for innovation; as part of an employee's performance review, call for ways to improve the job, not just do the job
- Address Structural and Cultural Lag- limit founders tenure; use the MacMillian Matrix to trim unproductive legacy problems
- Develop a "Better Business Bureau" to facilitate agency coordination
Please feel free to reach out with questions or comments.
Director, Leadership in Community Benefit Organizations
Professor of Social Work
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Recap of The Women's Campaign School at Yale
By Jessica Smith
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)
I was remind of this several times throughout my week at the Women's Campaign School at Yale. It was one of the most intense weeks of my life, going from 7:30am to around midnight each night, but I learned so much. The school does an amazing job of balancing self-reflection (why you're running, what makes you a great candidate, assessing strengths and weakness) with tangible information on how to run and win a campaign. We learned about calculating vote and win numbers, defining targets, creating budgets and fundraising plans, polling, tools for public speaking and presentations, creating a media and communication plan, and much more (see my top 5 take aways below). The people who gave these presentations were exceptional leaders in the field. We heard from women who were currently in office, as well as leading political consultants, top executives, and even Elizabeth Warren's public speaking coach! It was so encouraging to be around them. Each night, after we had been in class all day, we got together in small groups to put the skills we had just learned to use. We analyzed and created campaign plans for one of the most heated races in the country right now- the New Hampshire Senate race between Senator Kelly Ayotte and Governor Maggie Hassen. The last day we had to present our plans to a panel of judges.
The week was jam packed, but it was one of the most worthwhile things I have ever done. It was encouraging, inspiring, and I learned so much. I always say I participate in trainings and seminara like this to test if I really want to continue to pursue a career in public service, but I think this may have been the week that put me over the edge. I'm hooked and I don't think there is any looking back! I still have a lot to learn, but fortunately for me, many of our speakers happen to be from DC, so I plan on reaching out and continuing to keep up with those relationships.
My top 5 take aways:
*Elections are all about math, margin, and message. Math is hard, excel is easy.
*Keep your passion close. Don't let the reason you're running get lost in the campaign craziness.
*Be yourself. You don't have to fit in a pre-made box (I met so many unique women- Muslim Republicans, pro-life Democrats, Libertarians, Vegetarians, and everything in between!)
*Lipstick masks exhaustion. If you're feeling (and looking) tired, just throw some lipstick on!
*Be persistent. When asking for funds, volunteers, and support make direct asks...several times.
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Developing the Leader in You! Learning & Professional Development Academic Calendar 2016-2017
Learning & Professional Development (LPD) provides professional development opportunities for University of Michigan faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the Ann Arbor community.
The new LPD website is now updated for the 2016-17 academic year, and now offers more than 100 programs and courses designed to help you become more successful in your job!
Click here to watch a free video as an example of past sessions, and see if you would like to sign up for more courses.
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Leadership and Management Events
Translating Your Leadership Skills
Tuesday, July 19, 12 - 1 PM, room 3752
This workshop will help you explore ways to translate your leadership skills on a resume, in an interview, or as you are networking. Hear how the Network for Social Work Management competencies can support you in articulating your skills as they relate to management and leadership areas of experience.
Lunch will be provided.
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Additional Upcoming Events
Presentation: Understanding Licensure with Michelle Woods
Monday, July 18, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room B684
Michelle Woods, Director of Career Services, will discuss the general rules for social work licensure and discuss what exams are utilized during the licensure process. Participants will learn about the licensure rules for Mi and other key states.
Workshop: LPD Working Effectively With Faculty
Wednesday, July 13, 8:30AM - 12PM & 1:00PM - 4:30PM, Michigan Union
Working with faculty members takes special insights, approaches, ingenuity...and patience. Through years of tenured psychology professor, researcher, consultant, and presenter for universities, Dr. Christy has created the first ever book and comprehensive approach for building strong staff-faculty relationships.
AM Cost: $179
PM Cost: $179
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7 Things You Must Do Before Starting Your Own Business
Nely Galán The Well via Levo
How do you know when you're finally "qualified" to quit your job and go out on your own? Nely Galán speaks from her personal experience and shares 7 things
she wish she knew during her journey to entrepreneurship.
- Identify your market
- Splurge on formal training
- Save a year of your income
- Create your big Llfe vision
- Spell out a strategy
- Go big with your pitch
- Seize opportunity where you see it
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6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Mentor
Asana, The Well
"There's a lot of discussion and healthy debate around the formalization of mentorship. It's certainly something we enjoy discussing at Asana, where one of our core values is "investing in ourselves, each other, and our efficiency." We believe that through continuous mentorship, you're not just developing personally and professionally; you are also contributing to the success of your company. It's a win-win-win.
This all starts with acknowledging that you'd like help with your career. Once you're there, the next step is to identify the individuals whose advice you think would be valuable. This could be someone on a different team at work, a peer who has experience in an area you'd like to explore, a higher-up whose work you admire, or someone from a different company or industry entirely. Just like any other relationship, the mentee-mentor partnership requires attention and work - and as you invest, it will evolve with time."
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Your Perfect Guide to Becoming an Email-Writing Guru
Avery Blank, Levo
Email is a double-edged sword. It's fast and convenient, but your words are permanent and could potentially come back to haunt you. Here are 6 things you need to know about writing emails in a professional settin
g.
1. Be Comprehensive, yet direct
2. Be accurate and specific
3. Be free of grammatical errors
4. Use the proper tone
5. Focus on the recipient
6. Consider context and world events
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4 Lessons I Learned From Quitting My Job With No Back-Up Plan
Kat Boogaard, The Muse
"Looking back, jumping ship from my full-time position with no firm back-up plan in place probably wasn't the smartest thing. And, I'm definitely not trying to encourage you to march into your own boss' office tomorrow and use that exact same tactic-unless you're prepared for a lot of shameless crying into an open carton of those delicious (and somewhat addicting) frosted animal crackers.
However, I do think taking that terrifying leap of faith was one of the most enlightening career experiences I've had so far. Call it stupid, impulsive, or brave-at the very least, it was educational. Here are a few of the (many, many, many) things I learned."
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Still looking for good courses for Fall?
Check out our
course guide
for leadership and management courses
that might be of interest!
We also developed a
Google Sheet
to communicate with your peers about courses they have taken outside of the SSW. For any courses you have taken, fill out what you thought about the CONTENT and the WORK LOAD and to those interested, take a look at what other students have said!
Here is a new opportunity for a potential
graduate-level Certificate in Entrepreneurship
.
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Professional Memberships & Networks
Network for Social Work Management
Independent Sector
Young Leaders Society - United Way of Washtenaw
County
Young Nonprofit Professionals of Washtenaw County
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Network with University of Michigan Business Cards
Leave a lasting impression and contact information for that next great opportunity.
U-M students can order business cards at
$13 for 100 cards through the
School of Social Work Student Union
!
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Contact Us
| John Tropman, Director |
SSWB 3734 |
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(734) 763.6275 |
| Rachael Wiener |
SSWB 3751 |
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(734) 764.4903 |
If you would like to submit items for the Leadership in Community Benefit Organizations' Newsletter (events, op-eds, resources, etc.), please email Rachael.
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