Life

A Shared Dream

Leadership, Life

This post is simply to thank the great Martin Luther King Jr. for his vision and the courage to follow that vision.  From a communications standpoint, he was an amazing storyteller and leader.  While I’ll likely never write anything so powerful, I think we can all learn from his work. 

You can view full text of MLK’s amazing I Have a Dream Speech and his acceptance of the Nobel Prize here. 

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values
and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false
and the false with the true.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

MacGyver is a Nonprofit

Business Communications, Life, Public Relations

A World of Tools for MacGyverYes, that MacGyver, the one that can create a bomb out of a paper clip, some lint, and maybe a ketchup packet if he’s fortunate to have such luxuries around.  For anyone seeking a trip down memory lane, or context for some of my younger readers, be sure to check out the original geek adventure hero online and have some fun with the SNL spoofs too.

Aside from a good retro laugh, the real prompt for this post was chatting with my friend Arik Hanson who is working with a couple of Minnesota nonprofits in the digital space.  He commented on how dedicated the staff and leadership of these organizations are and how much of themselves they truly put into their work.  The comment Arik made that hit home with me is “this is their life; they don’t leave the job when they go home. It’s part of them.” 

I’ve been fortunate to work with so many outstanding people from a variety of nonprofits and it’s a spot on comment.  As you may know, I  work for a nonprofit so I am commenting as an “insider” but have also worked for a global PR agency, a Fortune 500 medical device company, and a small specialty pharmaceutical company.  I can tell you (relatively objectively) that nonprofit staff invests themselves in their work just as much as any corporate or agency pro…maybe more. 

However, I believe that many in the PR world view nonprofits as a second-tier job.  It doesn’t carry the status that some in our industry want on their resumes which is too bad because nonprofit pros are MacGyver-like problem solvers.   They’re working on addressing major community challenges with limited budgets, increasing demands for accountability, typically lean staffs, and doing it all for less pay and prestige.  So next time you’re at an industry get-together, keep an eye out for some of these smart MacGyvers in the room.  I bet you’ll meet some great new friends filled with passion and creativity.

Resources:

Noted below are some great contacts if you’re interested in learning more about smart nonprofit thinking and other communications pros working to help their communities and important causes.

  • Beth Kanter who has a great blog and a ton of ideas around nonprofit leadership
  • In Minneapolis, for my local contacts, be sure to check out Ashley Schweitzer who is a constant advocate for nonprofits
  • My inspiring pal up north, Danny Brown with his outstanding 12for12k social media/charity efforts
  • Or maybe Katya Andresen focusing on marketing for nonprofits on her blog

Inspiration

Business Communications, Life

Ok, maybe not the most original post ever but the end of ’09 does have me thinking. What is it that stirs that sense of hope in us each year that the coming year will be more promising than the last? We’ve all seen family, friends, maybe even ourselves and others in our community who are really struggling right now. Yet there is a sense of hope as we enter a new year. 

Who or what inspired you in 2009? And, what is it that you’re looking for in 2010 personally or professionally?

Learning About Living

Life

I recall a trip to a local restaurant with my parents from about 20 years ago.  Not because the food was great, not because of anything we talked about, but because of what I saw. 

I was a teen in a typically crabby teen mood. I’m not even sure why but I think it had something to do with taking a loss in one sport or another.  We’d simply gone out on a Sunday evening to grab a quick bite for dinner before the week started.  Then I saw a young boy, probably eight or nine years old, enter the restaurant and come over to the booth across from us.  He was so excited and filled with joy to be there. He also wore braces on his forearms that extended to crutches as he labored to climb into that booth. But he did it on his own, set his crutches down and went back to the excitement of the moment.

At that point I realized how fortunate I was.  I also realized how much I took for granted.  It’s a moment and a lesson that has stuck with me this long because of how inspirational I found someone so much younger, and seemingly braver than myself. It’s a moment that has stuck with me for so many years and I remember it so vividly. I saw a passion and love of life in him that was utterly amazing.

We are not promised tomorrow.  We are not promised an easy road.  We have been given today…what are you going to do today?

mountain sun

  Image courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net