A reader from New Zealand sent me a great quote this week in response to my Be Ruthless but Have a Heart post. She wrote: I once heard Stephen Tindall, philanthropic founder of The Warehouse retail chain (New Zealand's equivalent to Wal-Mart), put this very eloquently:"We've got to have a cool head, a hard nose, and a warm heart."

I think there is one more characteristic great leaders must have, and in many ways, it makes up for any deficiency in the others.  Visionary, inspiring leaders of organizations have courage. This is what gives them the determination to keep going when the faint of heart give up, and the daring to be different. If Walt Disney listened to others, and followed the safe examples of the time, Disneyworld would have looked very different, and likely would not be the enduring success it is today. What's more, the Disney empire is what others now try to emulate.

Having a great story to tell, and sticking out from the herd is the key to success. Where many individuals, and organizations, falter is not having the guts to stand out, stray from the majority, be distinct, and stay on the path. They need courage, but don't always know where to find it. I offer these classic words of wisdom:

Oz made the Lion drink some bad-tasting green medicine, saying, "You know of course, that courage is always inside of one. This is courage, but it cannot really be called courage until you have swallowed it."

This is for Jeff Brooks, who is hosting the Carnival this week.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals is seeking nonprofit organizations to participate in its survey which closes soon.

Canadian nonprofits are urgently needed -- there was not enough data collected in past years to publish viable findings. Please participate so that Canadian information is available.

Rosetta asks: what's one thing nonprofits could do to improve the sector? My answer is, be ruthless about money and operate with heart. Sound provocative? It's meant to get your attention. I think more nonprofits could benefit greatly from an immersion in business thinking. After many years working with both sectors, I offer the following observations.

Nonprofits exist to ask for money, so they can do good. Businesses exist to make money, while they do the good that their customers want. See where I'm going?

The most basic transaction is at play: people willingly, sometimes even obsessively, provide money in exchange for something they desire. Where this parallel implodes is that businesses make no secret that they are selling a product or service. Their organizational structure, performance expectations of staff, and all processes that get customers in the door, paying and satisfied support this common goal. If they don't, the business fails.

Nonprofit leaders have the same skills and resources available to them as their private sector counterparts. In fact, a recent study by the Nonprofit Quarterly showed that nonprofit leaders outperformed for-profit leaders in 14 out of 17 leadership qualities, including persuasiveness, encouraging participation and sharing credit to name a few. Business sector leaders were better at coping with stress, push and pressure and maintaining energy. This doesn't surprise me - as the report comments, nonprofit executives rely more on personal vs. hierarchical power. A telling finding: nonprofit leaders tend to rate themselves lower.

If more nonprofits harnessed the great leadership qualities their staff possess, while adopting the established best practices of business, imagine what could be achieved. I'll be offering a free teleseminar on this very topic in a few weeks time. Watch for registration details on this site, or get on my enewsletter list to get your invitation first.

Watson Wyatt Worldwide's recent study of internal communications trends in the corporate sector piqued my interest for two reasons: one, I am incessantly curious and can't resist some good number twisting, and two, these trends can often be equally reported in the nonprofit sector. This report measured the change in communications trends compared to 2004.

Among the top five positive trends are the use of web technology for training and development, and a large increase in the use of internal communications to communicate organizational change. Bravo corporate America.

What disturbed and surprised me is the decrease in these areas:

• 32 per cent report a decrease in using a new communications initiative to support change
• 28 per cent report a decrease in giving employees input on how work gets done
• 46 per cent report they don't provide a systematic orientation for new hires
• and a shocking 62 per cent don't explain the reason behind major decisions

The moral of the story: if you plan on using internal communications to communicate change (as I hope you do), get buy in, etc. you also need to get input and listen to your staff, involve them in change, equip them with the knowledge and tools they need, and explain decisions and actions in ways that are meaningful to them. People today expect this. My six year old is more accomplished at consultation and negotiation than I was at 30. Staff vote with their feet, and there are always greener pastures so take the best of the trends and run with them, but make sure you are also doing what others aren't. Your staff will be happier and your organization will be more successful.

As a communications professional, the one that has changed the world as we knew it is the internet. The onslaught, or epiphany, depending how you look at it, has turned the public relations and media industry on its proverbial ear. This is why I especially enjoyed this week's Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants as bloggers covered the topic of social media. Check it out.

Hard to believe that when I started writing, I pecked my articles on a 20 pound cast iron typewriter. In my 20-something year career, I have been through the introduction of the computer, cell phone, fax machine and internet. Now I can work from almost anywhere, and get information in an instant. Even my old favourite Olivetti has gone digital. This is a new era and it will require a new way of thinking and communicating. Get online and get on board!