Solutions For Good

A few summers ago, I went to a popular, local “swim hole”. I had heard it was really fun, swimming in this huge quarry lake. There were 100 or so people swimming in the cold water that seemingly had no bottom. Others were swinging off ropes from rocky embankments into the water. People were having a great time. I love nature and love swimming so found it really cool in one respect. Though simultaneously my thought was, “Whoa, this is a liability nightmare. Who insures them?” Makes me sound like I’d be fun at parties, right?  I chalk that up to a few summers in high school and college working at a very well-run outdoor summer camp. Clearly, it had an impact! I joke but the dangers were real. Not too long after I was there a young woman, a competitive swimmer, drowned there. This was tragic and considering her swimming ability, exposed some real vulnerabilities. The right thing to do as a business is to plan before something goes wrong. Risk management is a timely topic ...

“It’s been the most humbling and sacrificial experience I have had”, says Kisha Webster, a former principal and consultant to school districts and principals. But she is not talking about this work, as she is on hiatus from it. She is referring to her current work as a Community and Education AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Open Works , the makers space in the Greenmount West neighborhood . What can we all learn from Kisha? A bunch. Kisha is also the President of the Greenmount West Community Association and with that has also taken on leadership of the newly founded Greenmount West Community Center. The Community Center was established in just two months in response to the neighborhood kids having nothing constructive to do. Open Works found children spending a hours of their time there, hanging out, just to be in a welcoming and positive environment. Kisha and her team saw a need and addressed it. Kisha says she originally thought that she could take on this work ...

I'm in line at Royal Farms and there are two girls, about 13-14 years old, in front of me. Their purchase is rung up and they start looking at one another and giggling nervously, digging deep in their pockets.They are $.38 short. The cashier is old enough to be their grandmother, and also old enough to be retired. She says "It's ok, you can pay me tomorrow." I’m thinking, “ Whoa, surprising, like a mom & pop shop!” I tell her that I will pay the change (like adults did for us as kids), so that her drawer won't be short. The girls are sweet, thank me and leave. The cashier keeps thanking me, as if I did a favor for her own kids, and tells me she usually brings in extra money to cover people who don’t have enough. She is old enough to be retired, working a low-wage job and still manages to look out for people. I posted this story a couple months ago on my personal Facebook page. It received many likes and shares. I was surprised about the effect i...

" We have very little in the budget for professional development", is a common statement. Conversely, we know that professional development helps with employee retention, motivation and employee and organizational success. So, how do we bridge that gap?  It may not be a click on the keyboard, but it does not have to be too hard or too expensive. There are various ways to work on professional development internally, but we will save that for another time. We will focus on external resources that are easy on the budget.   See below for an extensive list and treat yourself and your team! TIP :   KS Solutions provides customized, interactive professional development sessions and facilitation on a variety of topics.  We will work with your budget. Contact Kate. Do you have favorite places for professional development that are not mentioned here? Please share with others on  Facebook . In-Person Professional Development Sessions Marylan...

There is not a way around it -- events are a TON of work. So make sure it is worth the effort you and your team put into it and get these attendees engaged! Let’s jump ahead into the future. Everybody’s gone, your feet hurt, the staff is celebrating.  All went spect acularly well and you had a great turnout. But will you ever see those people again? Talk to them again? Will they volunteer? Donate? Often we put a great deal of time into the event without a plan for keeping our attendees engaged. Let's change that! Remember, engagement happens before, during and after the event. Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze! TIPS to Engage Attendees: Plan for post event follow-up before the event. This should be on your task list and timeline for the event.  And do as much prep prior as you can -- write emails, record videos, put together mailing lists, etc. Communicate immediately after the event (within 24 hours ideally) to attendees. Reach them whi...

In honor of Valentine's Day, let's talk LOVE .   The LOVE for meetings.  I'd say this is not usually the case. The look, walk and talk of someone, or even a whole team, dreading a meeting, is something we have all seen before, maybe even often.  But it does not have to be this way. Let's work on learning to LOVE meetings because we make them lovable and productive! Here are a few things that I have learned which help make meetings more effective and productive:  1. Start the meeting on time .  This sets the tone for professionalism and keeping on task. And it shows respect for one another's time. 2 . Only invite people to the meeting that need to be there. If Stacey just needs to know one thing or you just want to keep her in the loop, she doesn't need to be there for the full hour.  Let her know you are respecting her time and will fill her in on the pieces relevant to her work. 3. Opt for shorter meetings.  There is this...

Happy 2017!   “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” ~Muhamad Ali Being  more organized is one of the most common New Year’ resolutions. Is it on your list? Better organization refers to a desire for this at home, as well as at work.  Let’s talk work life. How can we be more organized in our own spaces to increase our productivity and decrease stress? There are several helpful articles below that may be beneficial to you and your team. Debi Clark, of Go To Girl Organizing Solutions , a local Baltimore business, says: " Sometimes we feel guilty organizing our offices because that’s time we could be spending on 'actual work', right?  Investing the time to organize your office will pay you back many times over in increased productivity and decreased stress levels."   "Everything has a place and there is a place for everything.  An organized office does not have to look like a Martha Stewart photo shoot. Being able to put your hands ...