This is the time of year every professional journal, magazine, and other media is full of articles on resolutions, predictions and tips on goal setting. Yawn - is there a new angle?

Within the communications sector, popular blogs and networks are full of articles on employee engagement, developing strong internal cultures and building networks. There is good information out there, if you are willing to wade through a whole lot of theory and professionals within the networks commenting on each others’ theories.

The problem is, most of the information is written by professionals working in the profession for other professionals in similar roles, and not of much use for the human resources manager, executive director, communications or marketing officer, or professional fundraiser looking for practical information.

Employee engagement is, and always will be a most important challenge for any kind of organization. Without staff who understand the point at which their personal goals, talents, abilities and purpose intersect with that of others, and the organization, no organization can hope to succeed. With all the chatter about the need for innovation, the big question should not be how, but why?

Most of the time, the temptation is to try to persuade - by sharing numbers, projections, and lately - threats - that jobs will be lost, etc. without the commitment and boot-pulling of staff. This doesn’t work. This is data. Data is logical. Human passion and drive is emotional. There is a hierarchy of needs and emotion at work that has nothing to do with organization structure.

Start with why? Think about why this is important. Put yourself into a staff member’s shoes. What’s in it for them? What hopes and fears do they have? Is there common ground between their’s and the organization’s? How can you help?

I realize this may seem oversimplified - but as with many things in life, simple works. Start there in 2009!

The crew over at the Hatcher Group selected my Facebook isn’t for kids post for the recent issue of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants - a bimonthly compendium of articles on a variety of topics, each issue hosted by a guest blogger (I had the opportunity to produce the October 1 issue when I chose to ask the question, what does it take to be a great leader?).

Take a peek - while the article was written with a nonprofit audience in mind, many of the same rules apply for other organizations. Social media is here to stay and it is changing the face of communications and marketing.

If you want to see how quickly a comment gets around the world, check out the exchange between international chairperson of the International Association of Business Communicators Barb Gibson and bloggers when she questioned blogging for pay as a marketing strategy.

Many organizations plan state of the organization presentations for the early part of the year. These are a great opportunity to share high level information with all-staff audiences — but don’t overlook that the greatest value is in the dialogue, and the follow up.

Especially in the current economic environment, we need to unbutton the formality and actively seek out conversation, input, and sharing. This is usually the opposite of what most executives expect, and are comfortable with.

More tips on this topic:

• From Melcrum, How Not to Conduct a Town Hall Meeting
• My November enews - Communicating in Hard Times (you might also want to read September and October 2007 articles in the newsletter archive)

Time ran an inspiring interview with Nelson Mandela, written by Richard Stengel, author of Mandela’s biography Long Walk to Freedom. You need to read the whole article to appreciate its context, but here’s a summary of his eight lessons in leadership.

1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it
2. Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind
3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
4. Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile
7. Nothing is black or white
8. Quitting is leading too

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has released a report on how to harness the power of innovation for philanthropic purposes. It looks at commonly-held concepts and practices more often used in the private sector and adapts it as “a commodity for social good.”

Much of the report talks about building and nurturing an Innovation Culture and the need for it to be systematic and outlines the five stages that are required:

• Setting the conditions required to support innovation
• Identifying the problem or opportunity about which you want to innovate
• Generating ideas to solve the problem or capture the opportunity
• Experimenting and piloting those ideas to test how well they work in practice
• Sharing the innovations with a broader set of stakeholders

Read the rest here.

Do you want to learn more about building a culture? Check out my new resource on Building a Better Fundraising Team.

This time of year is always hectic as we race to finish projects, meet deadlines and cross off all those items on our to-do (not to mention shopping) lists. Yet it’s also a time to reflect and to look ahead with optimism and fresh eyes towards the promise of a new year. In this spirit it’s time to unplug and enjoy the spirit of the season. Watch for updates to resume in January.

Thank you to the many loyal readers who have shared the Ready, Aim, Inspire! blog this year. Your feedback has been inspiring to me.

If you talk to most successful business leaders it doesn’t take long before you find two common traits: the value they place on relationships, and the desire to give back. This weekend I attended Red River College’s Alumni Dinner in Winnipeg, Manitoba, an event that is growing in attendance, sponsorship and diversity each year. Once again I was struck by the gratitude distinguished alumni, and executives at the top of their profession, feel towards the college, their closest family and friends, and the many individuals along the way that acted as mentors or gave them a leg up when they needed it. These are the people who now inspire others coming up behind them to give generously of their time, experience and financial resources.

Distinguished alumnus Paul Charette’s path began with a scholarship from a local women’s auxilliary and a strong push from his older sister to pursue higher education. Today, 40 years later, he is the chairman and CEO of one of the country’s largest construction companies and is one of Red River College’s most understated and dedicated supporters. At the event, he and his wife Gerri presented the college with a $300,000 contribution to bring the endowment fund they established one year ago to $1 million. In his humble manner he challenged others to do what they could. As many fundraisers will attest, these donors do not give for recognition or gain; they are truly grateful to be in a position to give back. College President Jeff Zabudsky recounted how Paul’s brief trip to Winnipeg quickly extended as he was thankful for the opportunity to connect with students and staff at a variety of college activities. Examples like this are what inspire me to support the fundraising profession and non-profit sector. It was a wonderful way to wrap of the week of National Philanthropy Day - people really can change the world with a giving heart.

Do a good deed today to honour lives lost and nations forever joined by the tragedy of September 11 and enter it on the My Good Deeds website. So far it has received 357,196 pledges. Today I volunteered my time with a non-profit organization, and made a first-time donation to a charity of my choice.

In the spirit of giving, I will also offer a free copy of Robin Hood Marketing, the book by Katya Andresen of Network for Good to a random subscriber to who is signed up for my monthly e-newsletter or to receive email updates from this blog.  Katya offers no nonsense marketing advice, stolen from the riches of the corporate marketing world to promote your just causes. She is on the mark.

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