junkyard wisdom Archives - Page 4 of 5

Book Release!

It’s book release week! Four years in the making, Junkyard Wisdom will be officially released on Saturday. Have you ordered yours yet?

If you’re willing to help me promote the book, here are three easy things you can do: Follow, Review, and Share.

You can Follow on Facebook and Twitter. You can also engage on those platforms — ask a question, invite others to follow, or post your thoughts. Keep it lively and fun!

If you like the book, you can write a Review on Amazon. The more reviews, the more credibility — which is especially important for …

Solutions of Privilege

Several years ago I wrote a post about the problems of privilege. These are problems that become evident when people complain about meaningless things — my new iPhone is now outdated, the waiter didn’t bring us water when we asked, or I can’t get the dog groomer appointment at a certain time. Problems like these can be irritating, but they don’t exist if you aren’t privileged enough to own an iPhone, dine at a restaurant, or pay somebody to wash your dog.

I call these issues “POP” for problems of privilege. I’m guilty of being so self-absorbed I get …

You Can Now Order My Book!

It’s here! Amazon listed my book and you can now preorder it here. You can also order the Kindle version here.

And get this — with almost no promotion we’re the #1 New Release in Christian Stewardship! Plus we’ve been in the top ten for Social Issues, and among the top 100 in Personal Growth.

Wow! I’m stunned by this response! All writers wonder if anybody is going to buy their book, but I had good reason to wonder. Let’s face it — I’m not a household name, do not have a big platform of followers, and a …

The Outsiders – NonProfit Management #4

This is the fourth and final post looking at how we can take the resource allocation checklist of The Outsiders by William Thorndike and translate it to the nonprofit world. The first three posts can be seen by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page.

8. Retain cash in the business only if you can generate returns above your goals.

A couple decades ago a large relief and development nonprofit invited leaders from smaller organizations to visit for a half day consultation. I was lucky enough to be invited. At one point the CEO said, “We’re fortunate …

The Outsiders – NonProfit Management #3

This is the third post looking at how we can take the resource allocation checklist of The Outsiders by William Thorndike and translate it to the nonprofit world. Below are the next three on the list. Click here and here to see the other posts.

5. Focus on after-tax returns.

Obviously nonprofits do not have to pay taxes. So what can nonprofits learn from this advice?

Some corporations allocate resources toward investments that make a high profit but leaves them exposed to high taxes, which reduces their overall return on investment. So the wise corporations might take a slightly smaller …

The Outsiders – NonProfit Management #2

This is the second post looking at how we can take the resource allocation checklist of The Outsiders by William Thorndike and translate it to the nonprofit world. Below are the next two on the list. Click here to see the first post.

3. Calculate what the return would be on all other opportunities and rank them according to the inherent risk.

Once you have defined what “profit” is for your nonprofit, then figured out a way to measure it, and finally decided what a minimal return on investment of your time, treasure and talent should be (all of which …

The Outsiders – NonProfit Management #1

As I wrote last week, one of the things I appreciated about The Outsiders by William Thorndike was the checklist of ten things every CEO should follow when deciding where to allocate resources. But several people who read my blog — many in some kind of ministry work — said the corporate language doesn’t easily transfer to the nonprofit world. So what can a nonprofit leader learn from the list?

Below are the the first two on the list with my own perspective on how nonprofit leaders must handle resource allocation.

1. The allocation process should be CEO led.

Resource …

Resource Allocation – A Review of “The Outsiders” by William Thorndike

If you are in leadership then you probably spend time thinking about resource allocation. To simplify that phrase, you probably have had to decide where to focus your energy, talent, and capital. This is true whether you run a Fortune 500 company or coach a little league team.

It’s one of the most important things a leader has to do. Taking the time to do it isn’t always easy — there are so many things to do that seem urgent. But reflecting on our priorities is a necessary habit we all need to develop.

I recently read The Outsiders: Eight …