Part 1 – Rigoletto I was sitting at the opera last night thinking about what I was seeing and how it provides evidence of what good leadership – or, more commonly, its opposite – looks like. So, I plan to write occasionally about the management lessons found in the...

I was asked by the Toronto Arts Foundation to deliver a short presentation on human resources for directors of small not-for-profit and charitable organizations. In January, I opened my news feed to see that the artistic director of a prominent Canadian theatre...

About 10 years ago, when I was directing a national fundraising campaign, I met with a prospective donor at a posh tennis club. The weather was warm, the sun was shining and the table set with crisp white linens. The conversation, however, was not nearly as sanitized...

It’s now post-holiday as I write this blog. Family get-togethers are history, treats all consumed and the New Year has arrived with the usual Toronto winter bluster. This is a great time to reflect and analyze what worked and didn’t work last year and perhaps...

I have been both directly and indirectly involved in Ontario's Not for Profit Sector for many years, and I have observed that one of the most enduring themes has not changed -  "we need more funding from the Province".  These requests are understandably driven by the...

When you find your organization is inundated with endless recruiting requisitions, interviews and resumes, you wonder if you can ever get out from under it. I remember that drowning feeling when the recruiting was unrelenting. When recruiting is a result of setting up...