Proving life really does come full circle, I have found an interesting parallel between games of childhood and boardrooms across the nations -- the game of Truth or Dare.

If you've played this game, you know that most of the time, given the choice, people pick Dare. This is because it is easier to risk embarrassment, and to gain admiration through an act of courage or daring, than it is to reveal one's personal feelings and Truths. In fact, our culture rewards daring (and stupid acts of daring) above truth, much of the time.

This revelation came about because I have been immersed lately in a lot of "deep thought" and tough conversations, due to a project I am working on with a client on internal culture as well as a presentation I recently delivered on the importance of building internal teams.

In a nutshell, if you are setting out to change your organization's culture, the most important thing you can do for your organization is to frankly agree to the rules you are going to live by, and have consequences for not doing so. If you approach this by asking what you are prepared to accept, and not accept, you will soon get to the hard truth. This will take your mission statement and list of values beyond a piece of paper and will instead tell your staff, volunteers, donors and the world, what you are all about. It becomes what you stand for and how you do things, and makes decision-making clearer and more decisive. Above all, it gets to the truth of your organization. And exposes the less than truthful very quickly, in other words, the disconnects between what your organization says it upholds, and what it actually does.

Don't get me wrong - a certain amount of daring is necessary too! But looking at ourselves in the proverbial mirror is the most difficult, enlightening, and transforming step we can take. So pick Truth!

p.s. another definition of culture - how people act and what they do when no one is looking.

Like making grand personal resolutions, good communications in organizations is something we strive for but don't always achieve.  Like anything that's worth doing, it's "obvious but not easy." Quitting smoking, eating better, or exercising more is about integrating new habits and not about knowing they're good for you. When I work with a client organization, I almost always find that they know what they want or need to do -- but for various reasons can't get there.  The same often applies to strategic planning and visioning exercises -- it is more energizing and fun to blue sky the future than it is to do the daily work that will support the end goal. If this rings true for you, dust off that plan, and talk with your team members about concrete steps you each can do, today, tomorrow and this month, to make progress. The more real you can make your strategy, the less it will feel like a special project that can be put on hold while the "real work" gets done. Watch for more on habits coming soon!

We all know the decision to make a financial contribution is more rooted in emotion than in hard, cold facts. Yet the message many nonprofits send to their prospective donors are exactly that. Bridging the gap between the business and process of fundraising, and dealing with the emotional appeal of your donors is so important! And research shows, if your listener does not trust you, your message has a snowball's chance to get through. Here's an excerpt from my most recent enewsletter titled Fundraising is a risky business.

This is a complex business, not solved with one magic pill or tactic. But there are some simple ways to bring emotion into your interactions, and encourage your prospects and donors to care and above all, act.

Guess what? They involve taking a few risks:

Give up – Let go of the misguided belief you can change the world by changing minds. Your mission is to provide opportunities to make a difference to those who believe in your cause enough to give to you. And while their belief may be partly based on rationale, their motivation is almost always emotional. The key is to focus your efforts on the people who are aligned with your organization’s values and work, and not to spend time trying to persuade people who just aren’t interested. Read the rest here.

Speaking of trust - it appears I wasn't the only one recently pondering this essential ingredient. See what Katya says about the triangle of trust.