Practical Inspiration for Nonprofit Leaders
I believe that to succeed in our sector we need to bring our whole selves to the job. In this section of the Giving Way blog I share short reflections on timeless wisdom I have encountered over the years. These morsels, many of which are drawn from Jewish tradition and other faith and philosophical traditions, help me move toward becoming the kind of professional – and human being – I want to be. I hope you find meaning in them as well. I welcome any insights you would like to share back with me as well.
Warmly,
Todd J. Sukol
I stumbled upon a precious lesson in a gritty industrial town in Northern New Jersey. It happened many years ago, in a plastic bag factory, to be precise. I was visiting the owner, a donor to the organization for which I was executive director at the time. After handing me a check for our humanitarian…
Build your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. This two part formula will take you a long way toward becoming the best professional you can be. (Yes, I did say weaknesses, not challenges. More on that here.) Our innate abilities express themselves through hard-won skills. A college roommate of mine was a classical guitar major. An…
In a special space in my home, I keep a small collection of polished rocks. There are no more than eight or 10 of them. One is a crystal. Each landed in my hands from one source or another many years ago. One, the crystal actually, was given to me by a deeply spiritual and…
After a moving season of introspection, renewal and recommitment afforded by the Hebrew month of Elul and the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it has been a great joy to sit for the past week in my Sukkah. I have felt a sense of closeness and celebration. Not to mention the…