Leading Organizations That Matter

This week, I discuss the connection and differences between having a sense of balance versus integration in your life.And no plates were harmed in the production of this episode.

I'm pleased to interview three guests today from The Ignatian Spirituality Project, an organization that surely "matters". It's a conversation about hope and healing... and second chances and redemption. I hope you'll find this to be inspiring.For more information, see here.

Ask your staff this one question. You'll learn something and they will appreciate being asked.

Here I discuss a valuable insight gleaned from Navy Seals training. And from my mentor.

In this week's episode, I describe the art of management as too many new and inexperienced leaders tend to focus on the science. 

You remember those early days of Covid - back then, we didn't know what we didn't know. It's not too early to begin thinking about lessons learned and so today, I discuss the restaurant industry and how some of them demonstrated critical leadership skills. And some did not.

On my podcast, I often cover topics associated with meaning, purpose, impact, and personal values… though I have not as of yet discussed issues pertaining to faith. I'm happy to change that with today's interview. Matthew Potter is a co-founder of the Pray.com platform which contains over 1,700 years of content consumption. We discuss his fascinating path to the point of developing the app and several of the cultural trends that have supported its incredible success and impact. Podcast listeners can receive a full year of free access by going to Pray.com/Matt. With gratitude to Matthew and the Pray.com team!

In this episode, I speak with change and leadership expert, Jim Carlough, on the topics of change management versus managing change, the six characteristics of effective leaders, building strong and effective teams, and the common mistakes that leaders make. 

This week, I had a chance to chat with Professor Erin Sullivan (Harvard Medical School and Suffolk University) about physician and provider burnout, a problem that is getting worse and negatively impacting all of us. How did this happen and what can we do about it?

Strategic planning exercises offer a unique opportunity to gather feedback from employees. In this week's episode, I discuss recent trends in this regard.

Have you ever been in a meeting and someone (or perhaps you yourself) said "I wish we had more accountability here." In this week's episode, I suggest a strategy for moving in this direction.

Peter Drucker said: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." I actually see it a bit differently.

Some organizations and their leaders struggle to make and execute on critical decisions. In this week's episode, I discuss why this might be the case.

According to surgeon, author, and thought leader, Atul Gawande: "Everyone deserves a coach."In this week's episode, I explore whether Dr. Gawande is right.Noted professor, facilitator, and executive coach, Ted Witherell, and I discuss this topic and ponder some deep questions such as: (1) Are you worthy of an investment? and (2) How do you process inspiration?For more information about Ted, please see here.

It's time for a change in your organization... but how do you get started? In this brief episode, I offer some advice on how to begin the process. I refer to my "Four Values" methodology in this episode. Link here.

Do you and your organization possess the necessary capabilities in order to manage a change agenda? In this brief episode, I suggest an equally important question: does it possess the commitment?

This week, I speak with leader, consultant, and professor Gina Mazza about a topic that is anything but the new, new thing: Servant Leadership. It's a leadership style and set of values that does, however, seem to be making a comeback.In this episode, Gina I I discuss what servant leadership is and why it's gaining more attention.

Hospice Nurse Penny is on a mission to demystify death, help all of us to become more comfortable with the dying process, and alleviate something she herself has experienced: death anxiety.Moving from bedside hospice nursing to social media platforms, Nurse Penny uses education, humor, and direct talk to accomplish her mission.In this episode we discuss all of these matters, the hospice industry, and her own personal journey to this point.Link: Hospice Nurse Penny

In this week's episode, I speak with Attorney Robert Griffin, a renowned expert on non-profit organizations. Our topic relates to what causes such organizations to go sideways from a legal and governance perspective, the causes of decline and trouble, the marks of good governance, and the many lessons learned from his forty years of policy-making, legal practice, and contributing over 170 cumulative years of service to non-profit boards.This episode is a great resource for leaders and board members of non-profits who are committed to the mission of their organizations... and keeping them on track.Link: Massachusetts Attorney General Guide for Board Members of Charitable Organizations

“Don't waste your suffering.” — Deborah GrassmanIn this week's episode, I speak with the founder of Opus Peace, an organization that was founded based on the important life lessons gained from working with 10,000 dying veterans. Deborah Grassman and I speak on the topics of childhood scripting, unprocessed trauma, personal pain, and peace and healing. This is a powerful topic and I hope you'll find it to be moving, motivating, provocative, and perhaps even the beginning of a path to peace.Links: Opus Peace websiteOnline coursesFebruary 2, 2025 event

Dr. Annie Brewster is a both a physician and a patient and in this week's episode, we explore the incredible (and I dare say surprising) healing power of storytelling. We cover Dr. Brewster's personal experiences and the ensuing work that she and her colleagues have done to empower, inspire, and... to heal. Her work is meaningful and will, I hope, help you to consider your own personal journey as well.We also touch on issues related to physician burnout, the lack of integration within our current health care system, and ways that this work might benefit our listeners and their organizations.Dr. Brewster founded the Health Story Collaborative, linked here. On this website, you can also find information about her outstanding book, entitled: "The Healing Power of Storytelling".

It's not every day that the owner of a multi-billion dollar global for profit entity decides to convert to his company to non-profit status. In what can only be described as a  profound "put your money where your mouth is" statement, Bayada Home Health Care did just that. In this week's interview, I discuss this conversion - along with some broader health care industry topics - with company CEO, David Baiada. I hope you find this to be as interesting and inspiring as I did.

Profitability is good and essential, but the significant increase in the number of for profit hospice organizations has had an impact and much of that is not so good. In this episode, I speak with Diana Franchitto, President and CEO of HopeHealth, which is a leading non-profit hospice and palliative care organization. We discuss this trend and answer the question: does this matter? Spoiler alert - it does.Additionally, we discuss how to choose the best hospice for your loved one, a decision that often must be made during a very intense and challenging time.Links:45. Woody Hungarter: Preserving the Legacy27. Six Reasons For-Profit Medicine is Bad for Your Health!Hospice: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Suddenly, AI seems to be everywhere. In this week's episode, I interview renowned expert, Dmitri Tcherevik, an innovator, leader, and educator, to learn more, especially as it pertains to mission driven non-profits. Dmitri helps to explore whether leaders should consider AI to be a great opportunity, a mere curiosity, or even possibly a threat. We discuss implications for students and industry and offer thoughts on how best to stay on top of this emerging and impactful development.One more thing... you do realize that once the machines become self aware, it will be the end of civilization? I'm joking. Mostly joking.

I'm sure everyone can think of good "less is more" examples. In this week's episode, I comment on this from the perspective of leading organizations in crisis and/or needing to undertake a significant change agenda. I cite two examples where this was exactly the right path forward.

Woody Hungarter is very uniquely qualified to speak to the daunting task of strengthening and preserving the legacy of historically significant mission driven organizations. He served as CEO of the VNA of Philadelphia, a pioneering 138 year old nonprofit, and now as CEO of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, which is a manifestation of the landmark Karen Ann Quinlan case of the 1970s and 1980s. In this episode, Woody discusses the challenges - and some suggested strategies - associated with the task of preserving the legacy of an organization well into the future.

In this episode, I discuss the mergers and acquisitions of mission driven non-profits with industry expert, Mark Kulik, of The Braff Group. We review the whys and hows for those leaders charged with the mission, impact, and legacy of such organizations as they consider the consolidations taking place within the industry. I am hoping that this will provide an orientation and primer for those who want to learn more about this topic.In the episode, Mark refers to an early podcast episode which is linked here.

This week, I speak with long-time colleague, Lisa DiTullio, principal of Project Chalk Talk, about managing change and how best to ensure your own - and your company's - competency and capacity for managing change.Lisa and I were colleagues during the high profile turnaround at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, an organization that transformed from state supervised receivership to the number one health plan in the United States, an experience that impact both of us greatly.If you are in the midst of (or contemplating) change, this episode should prove most helpful.

I am pleased to present an interview with Dr. Andrew Gerber, President of Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut. Dr. Gerber is a clinician, leader, educator, and widely respected voice on issues pertaining to mental health care. In this interview, we discuss the current behavioral health "crisis" and the various issues impacting hospitals, physicians, patients, and... all of us. Consider this to be an excellent primer on the current state of the behavioral health industry.

With appreciation to David Storto, long-time health care industry leader, in this episode we explore the topic of Medicare Advantage. We look at Medicare Advantage from the perspective of taxpayers, enrollees, and health care providers. As we discuss, there are some very important pros and cons to this governmental health care program… ones that impact patients, providers, and ultimately… all of us. If you're interested in getting in touch with David, feel free to send him a message at storto907@gmail.com.

When the focus of a strategic planning initiative is to develop a "product", then that's an opportunity lost. Here, I suggest another way of thinking about strategic planning.

"We are in a constant state of turnaround!"Yeah, I don't buy it...

If you are thinking about developing a merger, acquisition, joint venture, or strategic partnership strategy, I hope you'll find this episode helpful. Here, I outline a systematic four-step process by which successful organizations can proceed.

Does the mission, vision, and values statement on the laminated sheets in your conference rooms accurately reflect your organization's culture?

Making difficult decisions is the job of leaders. In this week's episode, I describe the three reasons that decisions can be difficult and suggest that understanding this can be helpful to not only making the decision but also to how you communicate it down the line.

I use the term "mission driven organization" a lot. And when asked, I'm always happy to define what I mean by that. But... I've learned through the years that my definition is not the one that matters.

I often find interesting (and unexpected) inspiration and lessons from the most unlikely of places. In this week's episode, I draw from the world of art, specifically music-making and film directing.

All leaders want to be proactive, not reactive. But here's the thing: Just because you want to be proactive, be considered by others to be proactive, and do proactive seeming things, that does not mean that it's true. In this week's episode, I point out a simple way to frame up a discussion that can help leaders make sure that everyone is on the same page for critical organizational decision making.

Optimism is a good thing, right? Absolutely! But... and this starts innocently enough... a sincere desire to be (and seem) optimistic can, over time, give way to something that is... not so good.

You have blind spots. I have blind spots. And they can impact our approach and our success. Remember, blind spots are only problematic when we ignore them.

I've seen it happen and often to tragic effect. Boards will hire a leader to bring about substantive change... only to find out later that the process of creating that change caused more friction and tension than anticipated. This week's brief episode is a reflection on how best to prevent this sort of unpleasant surprise from happening. Thanks for listening.

Some of us kittens look into a mirror and see a mighty lion staring back at us. Some of us lions see little kittens. Honest and clear-headed self evaluation is important... but alas this is a podcast about leading mission driven organizations and I'm no pop psychologist. Nevertheless, I believe that the parallels to leadership are worth thinking about. In this week's episode, I describe how gaining external feedback can be helpful.

In my book, Saving Organizations That Matter, I describe the importance of "storytelling the mission", that is, describing the work of an organization and its mission in a compelling and even emotionally stirring manner. In this week's episode, I describe three quick tips for improving your ability to storytell the mission.Thanks for listening. And please consider leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice. It helps others find us here. Thanks!

For-profits... non-profits... what's the difference? In this episode, I provide six reasons that the movement toward for-profit health care has had some negative impacts on all of us. I suspect this is going to be a bit controversial but... I've seen what I've seen.

For many nonprofit organizations, merger and acquisition strategies are viewed as desperation moves, as a proverbial Hail Mary scenario. This is... quite different... from their for profit counterparts who see M&A options as a way of cashing out of the business or as a means to grow and increase shareholder value. In this week's episode, I argue that many nonprofit mergers fail because they were set up to do just that from the start.Thanks for listening!And please consider telling your friends and colleagues about this podcast. Also, positive reviews on your podcast platform help a lot. Thanks.

You're preparing your strategic plan and hoping to reflect your organization's top tier priority around DEI and anti-racism... so, you make it one of your named top tier priorities or "strategic pillars". Hm... not so fast. This week's episode offers an alternate approach and, as I state, I have come to believe that this is a best practice.

If you are the leader of an organization, what do you see when you "look in the mirror"? In this episode, I discuss that awkward situation when you realize that everyone else sees something different.

We all have differing levels of tolerance for uncertainty. Organizations are the same. Unfortunately, however, some leadership teams and boards of directors are SO uncomfortable with uncertainty that they will make rash and unhelpful decisions. I discuss this topic today and offer three potential remedies.

You don't expect surprises (or at least, pleasant ones) when you conduct a strategic planning exercise. However, in my experience... recent planning projects have resulted in some important and quite helpful "ah ha" moments for boards, leaders, and staff.

Strategic planning is important and I've certainly spent a lot of time talking, writing, and podcasting about that. Today, I address the topic of strategic DOING. 

Many years ago, my son and I were hiking in the Grand Canyon when we learned a valuable lesson about hiking, life, and for me... years later... strategic planning.I'm serious.