Category: Leadership
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Activism revisited
I became a civic activist in my early 30s, about the same time I became a father. Like the planning for other aspects of my life, I try to approach it with a clear 5 step process: vision, mission, goals, strategy and plan B. Now is a good time to review, clarify and focus on…
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Minimum expectations for board members
In casual conversation today I mentioned to a business attorney that a board level project was on hold until I completed minimal due diligence checks on the company in discussion. He asked what I meant. I explained that a CPA is expected to verify certain information about a new business client. He seemed more confused.…
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Thoughts about ongoing education
There are more than 700,000 postsecondary degrees, certifications and other credentials available to students in the U.S. who may be seeking to gain more valuable training (Your Money Briefing, October 15, 2021). I’ve lost track of how many of these I’ve taken, but ”dozens” is the most accurate description that I can come up with…
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Compensation for nonprofit board members
ESG activists like myself have long pushed for improvement in leadership of nonprofit organizations. For reasons expounded by authors elsewhere and not retreated in this blog post, we recognize that one way to move toward this goal is to diversify the makeup of nonprofit boards. Nonprofit boards tend to be made up of upper middle…
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My request for local representation as SBA reconvenes the Council on Underserved Communities
Purpose: This post is created to provide more information surrounding my application to serve on the Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities in July 2021. Background: About the SBA Council on Underserved Communities: https://www.sba.gov/node/15667 Press release of SBA announcement (June 22, 2021) to reconvene the Council: https://www.sba.gov/article/2021/jun/22/sba-reconvenes-council-underserved-communities My story: I started my career in…
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Ignorance among professionals is a growing problem
Is it just me? I’m increasingly shocked with the collective level of ignorance surrounding us. In my work, naturally, I see it most often among people who call themselves tax and financial professionals. The details of behavior described as the Dunning-Kruger effect make the problem worse. Back in the 1980s and early 90s when professional…
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Of the seven Covey habits, which are your strongest and weakest?
My strongest habit is “think win/win”. In fact, that’s the basis of my business model and every client engagement. It’s also the reason that I object so strongly to the traditional sales psychology that too often creates a winner and a loser. I’m hugely committed to earning my place by creating financial results for others.…
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Small Business Crisis Management Plan B
The new ’employee retention credit’ is a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of qualified wages up to a maximum wage of $10,000 per employee. Wages paid starting March 13, 2020 through December 31, 2020 are eligible, even retroactively. The best way to take advantage is to integrate this cash flow benefit directly with your…