Christian Leadership Alliance
CLA President and CEO Tami Heim recently interviewed Atul Tandon, CEO of Opportunity International. Tandon has a background marked by building, scaling and turning around some of the world’s best-known for-profit and nonprofit enterprises. Over a 35-year career, his work has impacted financial services and consumer banking, the social sector, nonprofit management and governance, the … Continue reading Inspiring Generosity
I’m convinced – strategy is getting a bad rap. At best, some of us make a strategic plan only to put it in a file drawer where it dies a slow, painful death. And at worst, we are told it’s not all that important, so we skip on to bigger, greener pastures freed from the … Continue reading Why Strategy Matters
What’s the secret to getting major gifts for your ministry? It might not be what you think? My Giving Journey I grew up as a pastor’s kid. There were six kids, and I was fifth out of six. My dad always pastored small churches so it meant that the offerings were small and that we … Continue reading Growing Generous Givers
As I prepared to write this article about strategy, I couldn’t help but think about God’s ultimate strategy – restoration. God’s goal for all time has been to bring you and me home to him. We had a great start with God. Read the beginning of our story: Genesis 1:26-28 reads “Then God said, ‘Let … Continue reading The Ultimate Strategy
On June 28, 2017 Christian Leadership Alliance lost a dear friend and admired colleague as Dr. Kent R. Wilson, after an extended battle with cancer, went home to be with our Lord. Kent was a faithful leader who influenced many lives. His wisdom, kindness and Christ-like approach to steward leadership exemplified CLA’s mission to equip … Continue reading Salute to a Steward Leader
Have you ever found yourself reading or listening to an audio version of a book when out of nowhere a sentence or phrase causes you to stop in your tracks because of its profound impact? This happened to me almost three years ago, and to this day influences my leadership practice and approach to strategy. … Continue reading Strategic Succession
Strategy implies that we know what we are doing. And I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. Most of the time, I don’t really understand what’s going on exactly. What I mean is that I find kingdom strategy a bit more like a connect-the- dots game than a management system. I know it … Continue reading Go and Ask
Remember Circuit City? “Where service is state of the art”? Dark, cavernous consumer electronics stores with red carpet and nearly-impossibly- knowledgeable salespeople? Ring a bell? Not if you’re under 30, because Circuit City — one of Jim Collins’ “great” companies in his bestseller Good To Great (Harper Collins, 2001) — declared bankruptcy in 2008. That’s … Continue reading Innovate To Great
If you’re a “leader” now, I’ll bet you were a great “doer” in the past. Your inclination to take charge and get busy distinguished you from the other doers and won you the opportunity to lead. Unfortunately, the do-it- yourself attitude that made you a great doer can make you a lousy leader because they … Continue reading A Strategic Shift
A nonprofit organization’s budget tells a story of its health, priorities and personality. The budget should align with its strategy, and the strategy should align with its mission. In other words, the organization’s budget should serve as a game plan to accomplish the mission. Budgeting, if done correctly, has the power to enhance teamwork and … Continue reading Strategic Budgeting
