From the archives, three great nuggets from Tom about facing your/your organization’s reality in order to move forward.
- RES IPSA LOQUITUR. THE THING SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. This is some kind of Latin legal term. Loosely translated by me, it also means IT IS WHAT IT IS.
- You’d like to have endowment to cover your entire operating budget. It ain’t going to happen. Ever.
Instead, use a Leadership Circle membership goal as it relates to the Opportunity to Save, Change and Impact Lives, “When we have 30 members in our Leadership Society (@$10,000+ per year) it allows us to innovate new programs and provide core support to existing impact. It also allows us to move quickly when needed – To save and change more lives.”
- You have a member of your staff or team that needs to get off the bus (they aren’t coachable and aren’t going to change.) It’s as much in their interest as yours. IT IS WHAT IT IS until you decide to make a change. (See Nick’s recent post on the ‘No Eeyore’ Rule.)
- You’d like to have endowment to cover your entire operating budget. It ain’t going to happen. Ever.
- FACE THE BRUTAL FACTS. My friend Jeff Bernel, who headed up the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, told this to me very directly one day at lunch. I’ve never forgotten it.
- You need more money. You expect that to happen by doing the same thing you’ve been doing. It won’t.
- DO THE MATH. Do the ‘BLUE’ Math around your Impact. Do the ‘RED’ Math around your Staff, People and Operations. And Do the ‘GREEN’ Math around your Income, Funding Plan, Giving Pyramid, etc.
You need to know where you stand now and what you need in the future. For example:
- Your Tuition is T. The Cost of Education is C. T – C = G. The GAP. Know it. Sell it.
- DO THE MATH!!
