May 21st, 2013 – A columnist for The Seattle Times recently suggested that drawing conclusions about a nonprofit organization based on a single overhead percentage is about as useful and fair as interpreting one’s own health based on a composite cholesterol score.

While society has wised up to understanding that it’s the numbers behind the composite cholesterol reading that are the real indicators of overall health, the same can’t be said about wising up to the fact that a nonprofit’s true efficiency can’t be sized up by one number.

May 21st, 2013 – Pat’s company has grown an average of 10 percent a year for six years – a truly great entrepreneurial story. Pat started the company from her living room with two friends after a client recommended she work for him, full-time, as an independent contractor. Essentially, he would provide financial backing and offer encouragement and stability, while she pursued other clients and grew the company.

Today Pat’s company is in two cities. It’s thriving. Turnover, however, is a problem. Turnover is the purview of Chris, one of the original “living room” founders, who is now president.

May 21st, 2013 - According to current research, about 30 percent of a person’s leadership ability is genetic, and the rest is learned – but not necessarily in school. Stem cells are waiting to be developed. Much of that which is learned comes through life experiences. The contributions of life cannot be overlooked. Challenges, hardships, work experiences, education, colleagues, direct and indirect role models and personal outlook contribute to our ability to lead.

May 21st, 2013 – Just when it appeared that the Federal government was getting out of the home mortgage bailout business, it looks like it may be pulled back in.

With most of the major lenders now in a position to pay back the massive government bailouts of 2008 and 2009 and have enough money to keep operating, it appears that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which has taken a more prominent position over the past five years providing insurance for high loan-to-value mortgages, could need a massive infusion of federal monies to keep it solvent.