|
Coming in SEPTEMBER
|
SEPTEMBER is
Hunger Action Month and
Read a New Book Month
1 Bring Manners to Work Day
1 Letter Writing Day
5 Intern'l Day of Charity (UN)
6 Fight Procrastination Day
7 Buy a Book Day
7 Beer Lover's Day
8 Intern'l Literacy Day (UN)
10 World Suicide Prevention Day
13 Positive Thinking Day
15 Intern'l Day of Democracy (UN)
15 Concussion Awareness Day
17 Locate an Old Friend Day
18 Respect Day
21 Intern'l Day of Peace (UN)
21 World Alzheimers Day
21 World Gratitude Day
24 Punctuation Day
26 Intern'l Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (UN)
27 World Tourism Day (UN)
27 Ancestor Appreciation Day
30 Intern'l Podcast Day
*
|
|
Shout Out!
|
A big thanks to some who made my life better in
August!
MaryJane Alanko
Nancy Barden
Erica Brown
Brian Edwards
Sandra Fast
Liz Garratt
Alana Gueutal
Jim Gwartney
Helena Hill
Julia Kopala
Lynn MacAskill
Kelly McClung
Joyce Pelletier
Paul Rechner
Carole Ross
Donna Stonehocker
Ralph Suppa
Jean Tait
Theresa Tsoukalas
Gord West
Family of Catherine Williams
Debra Wingrove
Rob Wood, Ginny Arnott-Wood, Emily Wood
"Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
|
|
In Memoriam
|
Wanda Wetterberg
In July my friend Wanda passed away. Her celebration of life was one of those events that just makes you shake your head at the enormous impact a single person can have on a person, a community, a world. Wanda was an "impact" person.
Over the last 18 years, Wanda and I were governance sparring partners. If one of us was confronted by a unique board problem, the other had probably seen it before. We took turns working behind each other in support and encouragement, sharing skills and knowledge, all with a view to helping boards and organizations. I cannot count how many, in addition to me, are better off because of Wanda.
I will miss her generousity, humour, and kindness. Rest in peace, Wanda.
|
|
Links/Websites
|
Excessive Wisecracks/Puns Might Mean Brain Damage (So interesting!) Click Here
The Life Destroying Magic of Tidying Up (Great spoof on Marie Kondo's book) Click Here
Enclosed Cat Patios (Interesting Edmonton-based business) Click Here
A Study on Well Being (Eudaemonic Happiness, derived from living with a sense of meaning and purpose, is connected to health) Click Here
Short Films on/with Canadians (From NFB, to help you celebrate Canada 150) Click Here
Late Night Eating May Increase Your Chance of Sunburn (Our skin pays attention to stuff like that) Click Here
LUE-42 Enterprises
(Mine)
|
|
Heard in the Boardroom
|
Data Governance (Management of availability, usability, integrity, and security of the data employed in an enterprise. Includes a governing body, a defined set of procedures, and a plan to execute those procedures. So there!)
Your next email should probably be a phone call (True!)
They deal at the "fruit" level, while we deal at the apples and oranges kind of fruit level (It actually made sense)
There is no room for passengers on a board (Testify!)
We're in a 10-year cycle with an 8-year memory (Been there...)
We should do a monkey survey (I wonder if that subscription is cheaper?)
|
|
Fun Things To Know
|
1. A strawberry isn't a berry but bananas, avocados, and watermelons are.
2. Ketchup used to be sold as
medicine.
3. Ripe cranberries will bounce like rubber balls.
4. An average ear of corn has an even number of rows, usually 16.
5. Humans share 50% of their DNA with bananas.
6. Vending machines are twice as likely to kill you as a shark is.
7. The probability of you drinking a glass of water that contains a molecule of water that also passed through a dinosaur is almost 100%.
8. Honey is made from nectar and bee vomit.
9. The twists in pretzels are made to look like arms crossed in prayer.
10. No matter what colour Froot Loop you eat, they all
|
|
Reader Notes
|
Thanks for another great newsletter...happy Girlfriend's Day! WS
Really appreciate the article on non-profits getting away from using cheques. RW
Contributors to this issue: Kim Duke, Helena Hill, Nataly Kogan, Laureen Regan, Don Shumansky, Misty Sklar, Wanda Stephens, Ralph Suppa, Karen Wood
|
|
Wish I'd said that...
|
"Happiness is a choice;
so is suffering."
-- Don Miguel Ruiz
(The Four Agreements)
"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides out manners."
-- Laurence Sterne
"All that we are is the result of what we have thought."
"There is a difference between interest and commitment.
When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient.
When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results."
-- Kenneth Blanchard
"There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality."
-- Seneca
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading".
-- Paul Horning
"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza".
-- Dave Barry
|
Finding the Humour
|
|
In the article "Funny Business" (uniquevenues.com, Fall 2017), Dave Treber shares some ideas of how to use humour to combat stress at work and at home.
Here are 4 steps to find humour in the every day.
1. Look for humour in unexpected places.
You can even find it in a board agenda or a budget meeting if you look for an opportunity.
2. Don't let people get to you. Even when things are going sideways, you can control how you react. It may be helpful to tell yourself you'll probably laugh about this later!
3. Community is key. Find a group of peers to share the laughs and humour; create inside jokes.
4. Take it home with you. Find ways to connect humour to your home life, like a dinner conversation about the funniest thing that happened that day.
Remember, it takes less energy to smile than to frown!
|
| Books by Moi |
| Understanding Bylaws: A Guide for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations ISBN 978-0-9866030-0-6 (NOTE: There is good stuff in here, but this book isn't aligned with the Federal NFP Corporations Act or the new BC Societies Act. Email me directly with your bylaws questions about NFPs registered federally or in BC) Exceptional Board Members, Exceptional Boards ISBN 978-0-9866030-1-3
|
| * |
| With fond acknowledgement to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy |
| Join Our List |
 |
Spread the Word!
|
To forward this to a friend click below
To use the content, please include this blurb: Linda Wood Edwards and LUE-42 Enterprises produces "Life, the Universe, and Everything" for her clients and subscribers. Visit www.lue42.com for more information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In a flash, August was gone! Seems to me it was only a week long, but looking back I can see there really were 31 days. I didn't get ripped off at all, and I managed to
live fully in most of the minutes of those days, too.
Festivals? We've got them! I was only in town for a few days of the
Fringe, but managed to catch five very different plays (out of >220 available). Theatre in Edmonton is an embarrassment of riches and I feel so privileged to live and work (and sometimes write) here. Going to plays really tugs at my heart, so I'd better hustle to finish my next play so I can be part of the fun again next year!
I also spent a beautiful Saturday downtown with friends watching the
Cariwest parade and party in the square. Great music, food, beauty, company, and all-around vibe.
I attended a
memorial service of a friend and I performed a service for a lovely family who lost their matriarch way too soon. It is such a privilege to share a family's stories!
I attended a big meeting in
Ontario at a lovely venue with
industry leaders who were truly engaged in the future of what they do. These are not easy conversations for most boards, and I am always thrilled when one is brave enough to ask (and answer)
difficult questions. The
wine education/tasting session was also excellent. Now I can use terms like "old world", "nose", and "tannins" in public with a straight face.
While out east I also got a few days with my brother and his
family. Good company, good food, and a few great hikes. Did you know that Hamilton is home to more than 100 waterfalls and cascades? Now you do. I think I saw most of them.
The hikes were really well timed because I've joined
#GreyCupFitUp, where the CFL community has committed to a 30 minute work out every day for the
100 days leading up to Grey Cup in Ottawa (November 26, 2017). The
Twitter community is a good motivator, and it's not too late to start. Check out @BrodieLawson and @DavisSanchez if you're interested.
|
|
| Hiking with Emily, Otis (4 legs), and Rob |
Of course, it wasn't all hikes and good decisions. I visited a brewery as well! Sampled a couple of craft beers and got my butt handed to me in a crokinole game with my brother. I'm sure I'll improve in the rematch.
|
|
| Crokinole at Shawn & Ed's (Lager Shed) Brewery |
I continue to work on my
social media
course and am excited about where I might end up in all of this. Specifically, how might this e-zine change, or will it even be there at all? Feel free to weigh in on that.
I honoured the
eclipse
in August and continue to observe its aftermath with interest. Things all around me seem to be shifting, I think in a positive way, despite all the sorrows on our planet right now.
This inspired me to re-read a book that was given to me in 2001:
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. In case you need a reminder of those principles:
Be impeccable with your word
Don't take anything personally
Don't make assumptions
Always do your best
If we can do those things, I like our chances on this pretty blue planet. Have a great month, all!
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
--
John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
/lmwe
|
|
The Answer
|
|
|
Q: IF WE GO BANKRUPT, IS IT THE CEO'S FAULT OR THE BOARD'S FAULT?
A: Both!
I spend a ton of time helping boards and Executive Directors differentiate between what is board business and what is operational. Often the answer is clear (to me, at least), yet when something goes really sideways the fingers start pointing.
That's why
I was so excited to read How to Succeed on a Nonprofit Board (Stanford Social Innovation Review, Aug 28 2017). In the article, Daniela Barone Soares and Jon Huggett challenge directors to "be curious" and to "dump assumptions."
They tell a story of a Not-for-Profit organization that had evidence government funds were drying up, but carried on under the assumption that because the money had been there before, it would be again. It wasn't. (Does this sound familiar?)
The CEO took responsibility for the crisis but raised the question about the board's role in all of it. You see, the board was full of successful business people and the treasurer was even a CFO. What gives?
Looking back from the brink of disaster, all parties agreed that the board "wasn't primed for effectiveness" and that the board did not understand its role. (Again, ringing any bells?)
The authors conclude (correctly) that many business people join NFP boards with two misconceptions: "1)
businesses are more efficient than nonprofits, and 2) nonprofits are more ethical than businesses." The upshot of this is that these directors may not be as observant or motivated when in a NFP director role. Indeed, they might even feel overqualified and therefore feel they are able to give less than their full attention. They might also think that NFPs don't require as much scrutiny.
Those of us working in this sector know that Not-for-Profits are complex organizations, and that complexity requires critical thinking and scrutiny. In short, it requires a board to be curious.
Soares and Huggett suggest that "great board members ask who, what, when, where, how, how much, and why?"
Specifically, they say great board members are:
- Curious about impact. Are we really helping? Are we doing the right thing?
- Curious about context. Who is the competition? How do we compare (in service of the client)?
- Curious about money, where it comes from, and where it goes. Who gives what, and why, and when?
- Curious about people. Who should I talk to in order to grasp every angle of this?
- Curious about the board, as a team. They seek out different views and watch how other board members approach issues.
They also go out of their comfort zones in order to learn about the organization
. Approaching your board role with curiosity results in both personal and professional rewards for the directors, and in better governance of the organization.
The authors conclude what we all know - that the best rewards of serving on a board come from being fully engaged. (PS:
The organization in the article survived but many relationships did not).
Is your board curious? Are you curious? It's probably time to ask some questions.
Here's the article: Click Here
/lmwe
|
|
Rethinking Tax Exempt Status
and Rewriting History
|
|
In North America, not-for-profits are exempt from paying income taxes (subject to meeting criteria, of course). People set up not-for-profits to meet a need in the community or to establish a community of people with similar interests. But what happens when the interests of a registered society (a "community") are in conflict with the interests of society as a whole? We tend to not think about these (see assumption above that non-profits are seen to be more "ethical").
I was jarred into reality with this New York Times op-ed piece by David J. Herzig and Samuel D. Brunsonaug (Aug 29/17) about whether racist groups should continue to be tax exempt. Specifically, they suggest they should not be and that racist groups should be culled from the tax exempt status starting with white supremacist organizations.
Read the article and decide for yourself. If you think tax exemption should be revoked, where would you draw the line? And who should decide?
Here's the article:
Click here
Along similar lines, I have been in some thoughtful yet difficult discussions recently about removing statues and monuments to the founders in our communities and countries. We are all founded and built by people. People are flawed. For all the good decisions that have been made, many horrific decisions were made along side them.
So
what do we do? Is it our role to rewrite history? At a minimum we need to
provide context
, but it would be impossible to provide context around every statue/monument on the continent (or in the world). So what do we do?
I think a good start is all the discourse. Getting us talking (assuming we are also listening) will be the best way forward on this topic. Good luck!
|
|
Because this made me laugh.
And laugh
|
|
When my friend stepped out of her kitchen briefly, her 3-year old decided to make her own snack. My friend returned to a little girl gulping water.
Is it wrong that I really want to try it now?
|
|
Dealing With
a Grouch
|
|
Kim Duke, Sales Diva recently blogged about dealing with grouchy clients (substitute: people), especially when there is a risk of you getting grouchy because of it. Here are Kim's secrets for managing grouches:
- Don't assume they are a jerk based on what others tell you.
- Listen.
- Don't get defensive.
- Don't over-promise and under-deliver.
- Do stay calm.
- Be very direct.
- Believe there is a fair solution.
|
| About LUE-42 Enterprises |
|
I help associations and boards with tasks that can't be done in-house due to lack of capacity, time, skill, or a combination. I spend most of my time with governance, facilitation/training, presenting, planning, bylaws, board development, interim management, and writing. I'm also a playwright, a funeral celebrant, and a big fan of the Canadian Football League. I am grateful for my good life. If I can help to improve your life, let me know.
|
|
|
|
|
