248. How consistent will this be with
other initiatives that are
going on in the organization?
8. Improve Your Meetings
At
their worst, meetings are where you spend minutes and waste hours. Talk
to anyone who works for a large organization (or
a small one, for that
matter) and you will hear about how much time is spent—and often wasted
—in interminable meetings.
By asking these questions—starting with, “Is
there an alternative to
having a meeting?”—you will increase the effectiveness and productivity of
the meetings you participate in.
249. What is the purpose of this meeting?
250. What do we hope to achieve?
251. Who else will be there or should be there?
252. How long does this need to be? Why?
253. Can we do this in 30 minutes? (rather than an hour.)
254. Is there an alternative to having a meeting?
255. What decisions do we need to make?
256. Do we know enough to make a decision?
257. What decisions have we made?
258. How do we feel this meeting went?
259. Was this a good use of our time?
260. Did we accomplish what we had hoped?
261. In
retrospect, should we have held this meeting?
9. Ask for a Gift
We estimate there are more than 30 million men and women in the United
States who serve on boards of nonprofit organizations. You may be one.
These directors and trustees carry as one of
their major responsibilities
the raising of funds for their organization. Here are a few power questions
that you may use with someone you are calling on for a gift. What will flow
is a stream of conversation that will help you get inside the heart and spirit
of the person.
