The Promise of Delayed Gratification

If you’ve never watched a video of someone doing Walter Mischel’s marshmallow experiment, now would be a great time.  If nothing else, watching children with marshmallows would be a welcome break from the all-consuming pandemic coverage.

On the serious side, though, Mischel’s experiment taught us about the relationship between delaying gratification – doing some hard work now to reap a reward down the road.  

In 2008, many nonprofits chased any dollars they could, often diverting them far from their mission, for the immediate gratification of Read more

Controlling Our Futures

As I have listened this week to painful reports from executive directors and board presidents on layoffs, furloughs, skeletal staff, and mothballing organizations for unknown periods of time, much of my limited energy has gone to shaking my head in dismay.  My dismay is two-fold.  I am beyond sad that too many people are losing their livelihoods, as well as the source of their professional passion, and I am disheartened by how few learned the lessons from “the last time.” 

Yes, I am uncomfortable at this Read more

March 27th, 2020 0 Comment