leadership

Publish your numbers when electing nonprofit officers

By Ann Macfarlane / August 4, 2016 / Comments Off on Publish your numbers when electing nonprofit officers
Three buttons with the word "VOTE" on them. The designs incorporate the American flag's stars and stripes patterns, ideal for recording votes in meeting minutes.

When it comes time for electing nonprofit officers, far too often we see announcements like this: “The election for president was held and Director Black was elected to the office.” This is a mistake! When you hold an election for office, BE SURE to include the numbers of votes cast for each individual in your…

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Emotional intelligence for wise meetings

By Ann Macfarlane / June 29, 2016 /
emotional intelligence on whiteboard

Using emotional intelligence will allow any leader to run better meetings. A successful leader has to be aware of his own emotions and those of others, and has to be able to deal with emotion constructively. Unfortunately many of us are prone to react impulsively in tough situations, unless we have done the hard work…

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The flickering lights men live by in the dark

By Ann Macfarlane / November 24, 2015 / Comments Off on The flickering lights men live by in the dark
photo of two oil lamps

My mother was sustained through the troubled years of World War II in part by the poems of David Morton. After the violence in Paris, I found myself returning to his poem, “Pieties.”      The flickering lights men live by in the dark:      Pity, and love, and learning, hardly won…      These…

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“The Intern” and my love story

By Ann Macfarlane / November 24, 2015 /
photo of two people

My oldest son took me to see the movie “The Intern” and I loved every bit of it. Afterwards, I realized that the arc of the story line followed my own love story. In my twenties, I was a “bright young thing” enjoying a great career with the State Department. Everything looked great on the…

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