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quickly, is at a crossroads, or is at an inflection point. In these situations, decisions are often made between strategic paths, such as whether to expand an existing initiative or develop a new one. Frequently, the organization needs a multi-year strategic financial plan to guide future growth and provide strategic insights. Another sign is that the organization needs to raise mission-aligned capital or secure a major grant. In these cases, the organization often needs to evaluate what type of capital to raise, how much to raise and how to structure the terms. Board members, investors, or lenders will typically require effective financial communication, scenario planning, and quantification of business plans at these junctures. The third sign to bring on a fractional CFO is that cash is tied up, either in inventory, operations or restricted grants, and needs to be unlocked. The organization may be struggling with cash flow management, potentially due to complex working capital cycl...
Broadcaster Turned Sales Coach Reveals Three Soft Skills Needed To Grow A Business Susan Young Photo: Institue for Leadership in Capital Projects Are you one of the more than 22 million self-employed professionals, consultants and executive coaches who make deals to land clients and contracts? Perhaps you are one of the more than 15 million marketing agency owners, sales professionals and related professionals who need to land high-paying accounts. If so, you’d better brush up on three soft skills necessary to bring in the business. “Curiosity, deep listening and storytelling amplify your business in our chaotic, noisy world,” says award-winning story and sales coach Susan Young. A former on-air radio news reporter and publicist, Young has interviewed everyone from homeless people to presidents. As a radio news reporter and anchor for 10 years, she says she lives famed TV broadcaster Diane Sawyer’s mantra: “Wake up curious.” “These soft skills bring clear and concise messaging ...
Americans Remember 9/11 Attack, First-responders' Bravery In Memorial Ceremonies Across US Americans across the country are marking the 23rd anniversary Wednesday of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack on the U.S. With memorial ceremonies in Lower Manhattan, Pennsylvania at the Pentagon and elsewhere. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11 when three hijacked planes struck their targets and a fourth was downed by crew and passengers near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The most deadly attack on U.S. Soil and the bravery of first-responders are being marked with ceremonies at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, where two planes individually struck the center's twin towers, toppling them and killing hundreds. The third struck the Pentagon, in suburban Virginia, just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital. Fresh off their debate Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the respective Democratic and Republican presidential...
History and culture can help us understand influences on behavior but they can easily be overstated; nothing accurately predicts complex human behavior in war. This historico-cultural context is a necessary starting point to help identify the point at which the Russians are more or less likely to quit. A great deal of scholarship about Russian history and culture focuses on several key factors that shape the country’s approach to conflict: trauma, nationalism, spirituality, and fatalism. All four of these factors are closely interwoven and effectively inseparable: Trauma feeds fatalism, fatalism and spirituality feed nationalism, nationalism reinforces fatalism, and so on. All these compelling factors emerge repeatedly in modern Russian propaganda, literature, video, and, perhaps most importantly, in the fleeting but often forthright insights from Russian civilians and soldiers. They culminate in what may best be described by the late scholar Evgeny Yasin as a “tragic passivity” tha...
5 Basic Manners Every Parent Should Teach Their Child Saying 'please' and 'thank you' is one of the most basic yet essential manners that every child should learn. These two phrases show appreciation and respect for others, and their use can go a long way in making a good impression. 1. Saying Please and Thank You Teach your child to keep their elbows off the table, not to talk with their mouth full, and to chew slowly and quietly. Also, teach them to wait for everyone to be served before starting to eat and to say 'excuse me' if they need to leave the table. 2. Using Good Table Manners Respecting elders is an important aspect of good manners. Teach your child to address older people with respect, such as using titles like 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' or 'Grandma' or 'Grandpa.' Also, teach them to listen to elders and show interest in their conversations. 3. Respecting Elders Teach your child to be polite to strangers, such as saying ...