Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission.
Fr. Henri Nouwen

The Reid Group approach to fundraising is donor-centered, respectful, relational, invitational and focused on results. Our approach is grounded in the belief that all we have received is gift and our responsibility is to share our gifts for the building up of the community.

In other words, we believe that there is a very important spiritual dimension to fundraising work. Working from that perspective, we focus on building relationships. We cultivate an interest in the potential donor as a person rather than simply looking at donors as $ signs. We invite donors to relate to their resources in a new way, to move from being a consumer to considering the positive impact a financial gift could have on the life of the community or organization.

In order to extend that invitation authentically, we have to truly believe that we are offering the donor a valuable opportunity. Many people approach fundraising with an apologetic attitude, feeling that it is selfish to be asking for one’s own needs to be met. For some it feels like “begging.” Worthwhile fundraising efforts offer to potential donors the opportunity to participate in a broader mission, values and vision. Donors are offered the opportunity to impact, save, and change lives to promote the common good.

We consider being a giving person an essential life value, and that there are graces that one receives from the act of giving. There is the grace of joy one experiences by seeing the good that results from the gift. There is the grace of personal fulfillment in realizing that we do not exist on this earth to serve ourselves. In these ways, the giver is enriched at least as much as the organization receiving the gift.

There are three critical spiritual resources for the faithful fundraiser:

• First is the gift of faith—faith in the value of the cause, and faith that the effort will be successful.
• Secondly, grounding the work in prayer—prayer to change our own mind and heart, and prayer to respectfully meet and engage the person with financial resources.
• Thirdly, the attitude of gratitude—gratitude for all the gifts that we have received and gratitude for the opportunity we have to share our gifts and to provide others with that same opportunity.

For some, fundraising is the least spiritual work they can think of. At The Reid Group we have found that, done well, it can be one of the most spiritually rewarding experiences both fundraisers and donors can have.

Tom Reid, Senior Consultant, Mediator, Coach
The Reid Group

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
Martin Luther King

I find it quite entertaining that mediation has finally made it to the world of television. The new USA Network television series Fairly Legal, centers on a female character, Kate Reed, who changes professions from lawyer to mediator. In the first hour of the series, she mediates three major conflicts in the matter of minutes with grace, wit and in high heels like any good super hero!

Although much of her technique is questionable and humorous, she has a central message that is clear. The law creates winners and losers. Mediation looks for the win-win in every conflict and pursues that goal until all can say yes. As Kate Reed will doubtlessly communicate through coming episodes, when we meet each other as fellow human beings, remaining curious and open to deeper understanding, we can respectfully negotiate a fair and equitable solution in the most difficult of situations. We can build bridges that lead to peace instead of walls that divide.

Peace is possible when you are willing to do the work of addressing the conflict. But most of us avoid conflict like the plague. Of the five distinct conflict modes described in the Thomas-Killman Conflict instrument, Avoiding is often the overwhelming natural preference for adults that we work with.

And why are peaceful interactions important to your organization, your life and your community? Here are three reasons to consider:

#1.  We live in an increasingly diverse world where an inability to deal well with differences can lead to conflict. Conflict is not good for teams or organizations and conflict unaddressed can lead to violence so easily and with such devastation. Just look at recent headlines for the proof.

#2.  Conflict creates the physical reaction of stress. When we are in situations where opinions vary, the stakes are high and decisions must be made, our stress hormones are on code red and systemic inflammation increases. If the conflict is habitual, you can develop multiple chronic inflammatory diseases. Conflict is not good for the body.

#3.  All successful organizations rely on loyal and satisfied staff and the respect of the communities they serve. We all want to be known as fair and generous citizens who can handle differences in productive and mutually acceptable ways. But sometimes we need help.

Mediation provides a neutral third party to facilitate the way forward. The mediator has the goal of creating greater peace amidst strife and of exploring possibilities for greater satisfaction in any situation. Mediation calls the best out of people through respectful conversation in the midst of difficult realities and often deep hurt and pain.

What makes mediation so powerful is that the parties involved are the decision makers. No law; no external force and no mediator determines the outcome. Those involved in the conflict find the way forward together. And each time we arrive at resolution or agreement, the world is a bit safer and more embedded in peace.

Our hope in The Reid Group is that through our lives and our work the world will know a little greater peace. We offer our support to you as you navigate the challenges to being a peacemaker in your home, work and world.

Carol Guenther
Senior Consultant, Mediator

When you think of the term “dispute resolution,” what comes to mind?

Many of us would assume that a lawyer is needed to resolve a dispute that the parties can’t resolve on their own.  Yet we also know that it can be a very expensive process and one not guaranteed to get us what we want.

We’re predisposed in this country to consult an attorney when a dispute arises, perhaps because of the history and tradition of the profession. A lawyer will represent a client on one side of the dispute and engage the other side in an adversarial process that results in success for only one of the disputants, if that.

Many people, if not most, are inclined to avoid issues that involve strong emotions, and that includes conflict situations. When that aversion is coupled with a reluctance to incur the expense of a lawyer, many people are at a loss for a way to move forward.

Mediation is an answer to that quandary, offering another option for resolving disputes.  A mediator acts as a neutral third party working for a fair and equitable solution to the dispute itself, not as an advocate for one party or the other. A mediator/facilitator is one who asks and answers questions, sometimes acts as a referee, and helps the parties to work through their issues to achieve a win-win agreement.

The job of the mediator is not to achieve a “win” for one side or the other but to help the parties find solutions that each finds acceptable. To do this, an effective mediator will:

Create a safe environment. Everyone involved in the mediation needs to feel able to speak without fear of judgment or recrimination.

Help all the parties find their voice. In any dispute, there is often one party that dominates the discussion, shutting out other voices. The mediator/facilitator will restore balance to the discussion by laying the ground rules for respectful and constructive conversation.

Encourage the parties to engage each other from the perspective of “interest” rather than “position.” It is one thing to say, “It’s my position that you’re only entitled to 1/3 of the family business” and quite another to say, “It is my interest to receive my fair share of the business.” The “position” can be rigid and focused on winning. The “interest” is more open to discussion and alternative ways to achieve an outcome that is fair and equitable for both parties.

Hold the belief that engaging conflict constructively leads to superior problem-solving. Effective mediation doesn’t reach a solution that avoids conflict—it finds a way to use the conflict constructively to stimulate discussion and new ideas.

If you are experiencing a conflict that needs resolution and you don’t want an adversarial, expensive process, try mediation. Drop me an e-mail or give us a call at The Reid Group, 206-432-3565.  We’ll schedule a session for you to explain the process and answer your questions.

Tom Reid, Senior Consultant, Mediator
The Reid Group

The past two years have challenged many of us to pay attention in new ways to what matters most for our organizations.  For many, the challenges are more difficult to clearly identify and thus require new learning and ways of doing things.  And the challenges call us to new kinds of leadership.

The contributions of Ron Heifetz and his colleagues in the area of adaptive leadership offer leaders and organizations a practical and applied approach to leadership for improbable times.  At its core, adaptive leadership is about paying attention to and creating what matters most.  Sounds simple enough.  However, paying attention to what matters most isn’t as easy as it sounds.  In fact, it is a bold and radical leadership act because it most often challenges conventional assumptions about leadership.  Moreover, it is sure to expose vulnerabilities in the system and in those leading and influencing the system.

Adaptive leadership holds the development and exercise of leadership as an art and practice.  It is a systems view of leadership concerned with developing cultures of leadership within organizations.  Adaptive leadership is grounded in the belief that exercising the leadership required to change (and thrive) means guiding people and organizations through adaptive challenges – the ones that question long held beliefs and that demand new ways of doing things.  Widespread leadership capacity, not authority, is often the key to whether or not an organization can close the gap between where it is and where it aspires to be.

Many assert that leadership is fundamentally about achieving results.  Yet the dynamic and unpredictable landscape facing organizations today suggests that achieving results, particularly on a mere quarter-to-quarter basis, is no longer enough.  Today, growing the capacity to thrive in any economic environment is the real work of leadership.  Those who can see and respond to adaptive challenges will be the organizations (and countries) that thrive in the future.

Adaptive Leadership operates on three core beliefs:

• Leadership can be learned.  It is about understanding, behaviors and actions.  It is not an inherent set of traits such as charisma.

• The adaptability of organizations depends on having widespread leadership that can come from anywhere within an organization, not just from those in top positions of authority.

• Because adaptive change generates resistance, exercising leadership can be both difficult and dangerous.

The focus of adaptive leadership is on:

• building ongoing capacity for change
• developing a shared understanding of what exercising leadership entails, which beliefs and behaviors are essential and which must change or be jettisoned
• support for smart risk-taking to build the capacity to adapt and create the desired future (choice v. circumstance)
• recognizing what the organization and its people must give up in order to move forward

Enhancing an organization’s collective capacity to pay attention to and create what matters most is work of adaptive leadership.  Adaptive leadership offers an approach to leadership that can embrace the complexity of systemic, adaptive work and enhance the practice of creating new realities.  It is an offer worth considering, especially when one may be leading with no more than a question in hand.

Steve Titus, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

A critical challenge facing every organization today is choosing the right leaders for key positions. To find the right leader for each position requires a lot of hard work and a search process that yields three different kinds of “fit:”

• The fit between the candidate and the organization
• The fit between the candidate and the position
• The fit between the candidate and the work culture of the organization

To ensure a successful search, here are some tips:

Tip # 1: Establish a Search Committee made up of people with a variety of perspectives to evaluate the candidates. The Committee will be responsible for recommending a preferred candidate to the organization’s leadership, giving their reasons why this individual is the best person for the position.

Tip #2: Clarify expectations for the position. Include a clear statement of the qualities and qualifications as well as the major job responsibilities.

Tip #3: Present the organization’s story and its mission, values and history in a compelling and engaging way. Consider going beyond print to the use of other presentation resources such as video that can help candidates get a feel for the heart and soul of the organization and why someone would want to be join them.

Tip #4: Cast a wide net for potential candidates, both internally and externally. Use ads in appropriate publications and your organization’s social media and word of mouth networks as well as a direct invitation to internal candidates.

Tip #5: Assess the qualifications and “fit” of the candidates in light of the job description and desired qualifications and qualities stated earlier. Only those with all the required qualifications and most of the preferred qualifications should be considered as finalists for on-site interviews. Phone interviews of the strongest candidates and reference checks can help determine which candidates would be the most appropriate for on-site interviews.

Tip #6: Conduct on-site interviews that provide the opportunity for the candidates and the organization to mutually assess each other. Consider using behavioral interviewing where the principle is “the best predictor of future action is past behavior.” All interview questions are based on past performance rather than conjecture.

Tip #7: Develop an orientation process to help support the new leader in their first year and beyond.

The Reid Group helps organizations conduct successful searches for key leadership positions. For more information on our leadership search process, send us an e-mail at search@thereidgroup.biz , or go to our the Leadership Search section on our website.

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

“Life is change.  Change is growth.  Growth is painful.”

This was a favorite saying of my Mom’s, and her words have been ringing in my ears recently as we in The Reid Group work with religious communities seeking to plan for their futures, and with Catholic dioceses committed to the successful merging of parish and school communities.

Life is change.  As much as the status quo is familiar, it is not often a place where individuals or groups can stay for a long time.  The external environment is constantly changing while the internal dynamics of relationships and challenges also make change inevitable.  The key is to make that change constructive.

Change is growth.  There is no magic formula that automatically transforms change into growth.  We call the process of change, transition, and the magic of changing well for individuals, religious communities, parishes or schools involves lots of work and is accomplished through five crucial steps:

Remember and celebrate the past. 
For any new reality to take hold, there must first be a conscious, intentional honoring of the past—the milestones, traditions and important relationships that have shaped the individual, community or parish.  Storytelling and rituals of all kinds can be helpful in this stage.

Honor the present.
Any change takes place at a particular moment in time.  In order to maximize the present moment, leaders in religious communities, parishes, schools and dioceses must have the courage to identify the strengths in the organization as well as the key struggles it faces.  The path to growth and new life is found through the maximizing of strengths and honest confrontation of struggles.  This new path builds a bridge to a meaningful and exciting future.

Acknowledge hurts and losses.
The most meaningful transition processes are those in which leaders attend to past and present  hurts, help people grieve their losses, and facilitate moments of healing and new life.  These healing times are growth opportunities.  Just as in faith we say that death can lead to new life, so too can hurts lead to new growth.

Respect and learn from what is remaining or deepening.
The scariest time for merging communities is when they think that everything is changing and little or nothing is staying the same.  In fact, this is rarely the case.  For a religious community, most of its members will remain the same even though its ministries, living quarters or worship space may change.  For parishes and schools, a familiar building may change or a favorite pew or classroom might be lost but one’s faith in God and the commitment to live out that faith remains the same or can even deepen through the change process.

Live out new hopes and dreams.
As Scripture says, without vision the people perish.  In this stage, it is imperative for leaders and members to identify key hopes and dreams and combine them with plans for action to move from an uncertain present to a more life-giving future.

Growth is painful.  While my Mom states one reality that most growth experiences involve pain, there is also truth that they can also include some joy, especially when work is accomplished in all five steps mentioned above.  While I have listed these five steps in a particular order, in reality they may be experienced by different communities in very different sequences.  The order is not crucial, each step is.  All the steps matter, and organizations need to pay attention to them all to ensure a positive experience of change and transition.

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

“Scenario planning” is a creative approach to planning that produces excellent results for organizations as they plan for their future. This approach involves organizational leaders in a dynamic process of exploring proactive movement forward during uncertain and changing times.

The scenario planning process moves the organization through a series of steps from considering all their POSSIBLE futures to a shorter list of PROBABLE futures to their chosen or PREFERRED future:

From Possible futures . . .
Step 1: Each participant in the planning process is invited to brainstorm (every idea is a good idea) some “what-if” scenarios about the future of the organization. These what-ifs can range from maintaining the status quo to closing the organization or any other possible future that reflects the hopes and dreams of the planners.

Step 2: In small groups of four or five each individual shares his/her “what-ifs” with a brief rationale about the merits of each. (As each idea is brought forward, its proponent receives a round of applause to affirm that every idea is a good idea.)

Step 3: Each small group chooses no more than three priority scenarios and prepares a one-paragraph rationale to be shared with the larger group.

Step 4: The small groups present their scenarios to the larger group which welcomes all the scenarios as gifts for further consideration. Any duplicate scenarios are combined.

. . . to Probable futures . . .
Step 5: The large group discusses each possible future identified above is, and identifies pros and cons as well as intended and unintended consequences.

Step 6: Participants are invited to establish a priority of possible scenarios. One way to do this is to give each participant 25 “dollars” to spend on 10-15 possible futures, with no more than $10 spent on any one scenario.

Step 7: The results of the prioritizing exercise are tabulated and the top four to six scenarios are named as Probable futures.

. . . toward a Preferred future.
Step 8: Two-person teams are selected to be advocates for each probable scenario. The teams prepare a 10-15 minute presentation on why their scenario offers the more life-giving future for the organization, and they respond to questions or concerns raised by the larger group.

Step 9: The larger group enters into a period of individual and communal reflection focused on the organization’s needs and the scenarios presented.

Step 10: The participants select their Preferred future and identify the goals, objectives and action steps that will be a central part of a detailed and comprehensive transition plan to help the organization move consciously and confidently into its Preferred future.

The Reid Group has assisted many organizations choose their Preferred future through scenario planning. For a more detailed description of the process, see The Art of Change: Faith, Vision and Prophetic Planning by John Reid and Maureen Gallagher.

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

 Some people view planning as a boring or tedious process but at The Reid Group we believe that effective planning is vital for both leaders and organizations, and can be a creative and positive experience.

Organizational planning helps establish a preferred or favored direction for an organization in the face of many possible and probable directions. The proper end of a planning process is the state where clarity exists around answers to some key questions:

• What are we about?
• Where are we heading?
• Why are we doing what we are doing?
• How will we achieve our goals?
• Who will be involved?
• When will all the work take place?

The Reid Group approach to organizational planning has four major elements:

• Directional Planning (Mission, Value and Vision Statements)
• Strategic Planning (Goals and Priorities and Issues)
• Operational Planning (Objectives and Action Steps)
• Administrative Planning (Monitoring and Evaluating

In this article, we will focus on the three components of Directional Planning:

Mission statement
Why does the organization exist? What is its identity and purpose? What makes it unique or distinctive? A mission statement should be 30 words or less, memorizable by a 12-year-old (no jargon), and able to be recited from memory.

A mission statement can be drafted using this formula:

3 action verbs + core values + tribe (the people you serve)

For example: The Reid Group helps leaders and organizations transform challenges into opportunities to create a better world. Our creative, comprehensive and excellent services build teams, promote honest communication, and strengthen collaboration.
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Value statements
Values are important for a planning process because they provide guiding principles of conduct and name what an organization is willing to stand up for. These statements reflect the core values or key beliefs of the organization. They are often implicit within organizations, but are most helpful when made explicit. Values also help measure the correctness of a given plan. Will living out these values help us live out our mission and live into our vision?

One way to develop a set of value statements is to gather 10-15 people and start by asking them to brainstorm ten to twelve values the organization expresses in its internal and external work. These values can then be prioritized to a final list of six to eight organizational values. The top two or three value statements may be so important they could actually be incorporated into the organization’s new mission statement.

Vision statement
What will the organization look like once its mission is fully realized? A vision statement is longer than a mission statement (100-200 words or more), usually more poetic, and written in the present tense as if the vision has been accomplished.

These statements are most useful when they are the product of the collective wisdom of a group of people, rather than just a few individuals.

To create a vision statement, imagine it is five years from now and reflect on the life of the organization in that period. Begin your statement with “The last five years have been great because…” Identify at least four “becauses.” These “because” statements then become the foundation for a new organizational vision statement.

Far from being a boring exercise, a good planning process will build on the current strengths of the organization, clarify where it is going as it moves forward into the future and help all to speak confidently with one voice about their mission, values and vision. 

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Workplace disputes are inevitable. Regrettably, many such conflicts end up in the courts for resolution. In addition to consuming incredible amounts of money, time and energy, lawsuits often ruin long-standing relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and shareholders.

It is common in most workplaces to find reluctance to confront a colleague about behavior that’s distracting, unprofessional, or just plain rude. But avoiding the problem can affect morale and productivity. Unresolved or mismanaged conflict is costly. Studies show that 24-60% of management time and energy is spent dealing with anger. There is no doubt that this leads to increased stress among employees, hampered performance and absenteeism, which, in the ends reflects in decreased productivity.

While it might be tempting to think that an employee’s skills and motivation are the main reasons for performance problems, researchers now estimate that strained relationships between employees have the most significant part of reason (65%).* Researchers agree that the reasons conflicts might appear into an organization are various. But a survey of thousands of US managers involved in some sort of workplace dispute documented the disturbing results on productivity:

• 48% decreased their work effort
• 47% decreased their time at work
• 38% decreased their work quality
• 66% said their performance declined
• 80% lost work time worrying about the incident
• 63% lost time avoiding the offender
• 78% said their commitment to the organization declined

Leaders in the workplace need to acknowledge not only the inevitability of conflict, but also its importance in the organization. When viewed as an opportunity for growth, disagreements in perspective, strategy, knowledge and competency can become crucibles in which creative solutions are developed and wise trade-offs among competing objectives are made. We believe that instead of trying simply to reduce disagreements, senior executives need to embrace conflict and, just as important, institutionalize mechanisms for managing it within their organization.

Our experience with groups across the country shows that periodic, facilitated conversations among work teams by a neutral third party can prevent existing differences from developing into conflict, while at the same time, helping to manage underlying conflicts that are often long-standing between individuals and departments. The discipline of clear, respectful communication is a cornerstone of this work, as well as a developed understanding of how change and the rate of change can contribute to workplace stress and conflict.

Our work in the area of workplace dispute resolution has produced proven results. As mediators committed to just, respectful and productive workplaces, we work in partnership with HR and organizational leaders to help create systems that openly name and embrace conflict in order to improve the quality of product and performance for all involved.

*”How Toxic Colleagues Corrode Performance,” Harvard Business Review (April 2009)
by Christine Porath and Christine Pearson

Carol Guenther, Senior Consultant and Mediator
The Reid Group

The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
Frederick Buechner

When we talk with potential clients about their particular challenges and how we can help them transform those challenges, some of them will ask out loud what many of them are thinking: Why should we choose you? What sets you apart from all the other consultants out there?

Recently, The Reid Group team spent some time thinking about those questions. What follows is our sense of both why we do what we do and what distinguishes our approach from that of other consulting firms.

The deepest desire of both individuals and organizations is for meaning and purpose. For the individual, we understand this as living out one’s calling. For an organization, this is the pursuit of a corporate mission. We believe this too is a calling.

In the best of situations, these callings reinforce one another. The individual’s vocation contributes to and carries out the mission of the institution. The purpose of the institution is enhanced and promoted by the dedication of the individual.

At The Reid Group, we are dedicated to helping both individuals and organizations achieve this best-case scenario. This commitment sets our priorities, determines our approach, and shapes the way we act.

Our framework is comprehensive. We bring our expertise in the areas of Planning, Leadership Development, Leadership Search, Mediation and Fund Development to bear on the challenges you face. Whether we are working with you or with your organization and its members, we focus on the need for clear direction and strategy, effective sustained leadership, the skill to manage conflict and the capacity to fund the enterprise.

While we operate out of this holistic framework, we do not believe that “one size fits all.” We work with you to analyze your unique situation and to address your specific needs. We measure our success by the degree to which you achieve the results you desire.

In working with us, you and your organization will become more conscious of and committed to living out your calling, operating at your fullest capacity and contributing to a good beyond yourselves.

Every individual and organization must be adept at interpreting the changing environment and making the adjustments needed to stay on goal. We understand that despite every best effort, no one can avoid setbacks and failures. The key is to remain flexible, to recover your balance, to sustain energy and to maintain commitment.

Integration, adaptability and resilience are the marks of the effective individual and the successful organization. Each of these is a combination of knowledge, attitude and skill. You can acquire knowledge, develop attitudes, and perfect skills. The Reid Group is committed to helping you do all three.

Lucien Roy, Consultant
The Reid Group