CARYN BOSSON CONSULTING

"Poor listening is the common cold of leadership," says emotional intelligence author Daniel Goleman. Sadly, it's all too easy for leaders to come down with a bad case of inattention. Studies have shown that those with less power in a hierarchy are better listeners. That makes sense: when we have less power we'd better pay attention to what those with more power might be saying to us. But, as our positional power increases, we can become more interested in what we have to say

Sure, to be an effective working team, nonprofit board chairs and executive directors need to understand their roles, responsibilities, job descriptions and traditional boundaries. But some of the most effective nonprofits have a board chair-chief executive relationship that goes way beyond neatly striped lanes. While we think of younger, less sophisticated organizations as having board leaders involved in the day-to-day staff operations, a study of 16 nonprofit board chairs

Nonprofits organize society to make the world a better place, but it's our individual, everyday actions that can be the most powerful force for good. When we connect with the children in our life, the results are more powerful than any program. In the aftermath of this month's horrific school shooting in Florida, my editorial which appeared in the Ventura County Star, tells how Connecting with kids can make a big difference. #Communication #Inclusion

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool Than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” If you are a nonprofit board member, you should never think this thought. Never ever ever. You were selected to be on a board because you are not a fool. And your job in nonprofit governance is to ask the hard questions, the stupid questions, any questions. The fate of your organization depends on it. In fact, the mantra for nonprofit board members should be just the opposite: “Bette

My hometown of Ojai is only accessible by four two-lane roads, any or all of which can be cut off at any time. During the Thomas Fire, this vulnerability became glaringly evident. On the third night, the fire had nearly ringed the town and Santa Ana winds were predicted to fan the flames over the mountainsides, potentially trapping people in the valley below. Watching from my evacuation motel, it didn’t look too hopeful for my beloved community. So it felt miraculous to wake