Giving Way - Page 5 of 10 - Practical Inspiration for Nonprofit Leaders

You can’t outsource responsibility

Posted on November 10, 2017November 10, 2017 by Todd J. Sukol

By Todd J. Sukol It behooves all leaders, and certainly those who are new in their role or are in a new position or organization, to inventory their performance regularly with regard to taking responsibility. Whether you are in charge of an organization, a department, a team or a project, one of the most important…

A Yom Kippur Message for the Whole Year: Easy Does It

Posted on November 3, 2017July 13, 2020 by Todd J. Sukol

I’m sharing a slightly modified version of a Yom Kippur thought sent out to Koby Mandell Foundation board members by my dear friend and mentor of many years, Rabbi Seth Mandell. The humility and practicality of it made me smile, and made me feel a little better. Although Yom Kippur is a distant memory at…

Listening for a phrase: Rosh Hashanah 5778

Posted on September 20, 2017November 10, 2017 by Todd J. Sukol

By Todd J. Sukol As the sun sets on 5777 and final preparations for Rosh Hashanah 5778 are tended to, our attention turns in earnest to the inner work of the coming days and the outlook for the coming year. It is so tempting to use this time of reflection to make a new laundry…

In Praise of the Bicycle Workday

Posted on September 15, 2017November 10, 2017 by Todd J. Sukol

By Todd J. Sukol I recently found this piece of writing in my journal from 2010. At the time I had just started Do More Mission and was experimenting with working all over DC metro from my bicycle. Laptop and cell phone in tow, I worked my way around various parts of the city, Rock…

Between Inspiration and Perspiration

February 9, 2021

Thomas Edison, whose remarkable mind turned discoveries into groundbreaking technologies, famously said that “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” Indeed, many of the world’s spiritual traditions warn that, as the New Testament puts it in the book of James, “..faith without works is dead.”

From my own Jewish tradition, it is often noted that this week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, is curiously placed in the context of the Biblical narrative. This reading comes immediately after the climactic, supernatural revelation by God to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. And yet, Mishpatim seems to be concerned with a plethora of legalistic details rather than lofty, spiritual matters. What do we learn from this juxtaposition of ecstatic communion and detailed regulation?

Perhaps this is the Jewish tradition reminding us that in order to have lasting impact, even the loftiest vision must immediately be turned into well-defined plans of action. To be sure, robotic activity without purpose is meaningless and pointless. But Inspiration without action is equally incomplete. Don’t just tell me what you imagine, in other words. Tell me what we need to do to get there.

As an emerging nonprofit leader, you can add great value by turning yourself into a bridge that connects the world of vision to the world of action. Take the time when inspiration strikes to stop and say, “so what? What can we do with this?” Make plans. Make them specific and attainable. Your plans will never be perfect, so let go of perfectionism and make them decisively. You are creating a pathway through with motivation will express itself.

And when day-to-day work starts to become a tedious grind, as it frequently does, take the time to step back and remind your team (starting with yourself) what it is all for. Becoming an effective leader means becoming a bridge – a two way bridge — that provides a constant connection between granular action with ultimate purpose.

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