Brad Rourke

Brad Rourke’s Blog

  • On My Radar: Captain Still Hostage * Kim Jong Il Back * Yahoo Over Facebook? * New DOJ Ethics Chief * Pinko Nation

    * Captain A Hostage * Kim Jong Il Back * Yahoo Over Facebook? * New DOJ Ethics Chief * Pinko Nation __________ These are the stories I am most interested in this morning: Hijacked Maersk ship: Crew safe but captain offered himself as hostage; U.S. warships on scene. Captain still held. Hillary Clinton condemns “scourge…

  • Nonprofit Challenges: Too Inward

    I am doing a three-part video series on challenges and pitfalls that face nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations. The first pitfall is “inwardness,” as I discuss here: This is not a new idea. Indeed, one of the drivers of the whole strategic planning movement of the late 1960’s was the notion that businesses needed to…

  • On My Radar (Wed 4/8/09)

    * US Power Grid Infiltrated * Fred Hits 1M Subs * Hiding Earmarks * Fewer Hurricanes In 2009 * Kumar To White House __________ These are the stories I am most interested in today: The U.S. power grid has been extensively mapped and compromised with leave-behind software. Says Dennis Blair, national intelligence director:  “A number…

  • The Barber Shop Is Closed

    As I left Dayton last week after a series of meetings at the Kettering Foundation, I walked by this sign: “The Barber Shop Is Closed.” It was taped to a covered-over window just inside security at Dayton airport. Tip’s was gone. I’d always wondered about Tip’s. It was a large barbershop with two chairs, behind…

  • Strategy Vs. Tactics

    I was reminded of the howls from some pundits after a McCain-Obama debate in which the subject of “strategy” came up. The refrain from the left was: “This guy doesn’t even know the difference between ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics.’” The truth is, people have been arguing about the difference between strategy and tactics for centuries and…

  • Choosing Between The Inbox And The Stream

    Like it or not, the stream has entered the workplace. While this may fill some with anxiety, and others with derision, on balance it is a good thing. Since its use exploded in the late 1990’s, the email Inbox had dominated and controlled most professional people’s lives. It is a never-ending to-do list, created by…

  • Do Nothing

    I’ve been posting to this blog daily for some time now. I am doing it to keep a rhythm, but sometimes it’s rough finding material. Yesterday I saw a perfect item for days when the Muse isn’t striking. It’s from Seth Godin: I had, as I do every year, [an April Fool’s] post written and…

  • The Downturn Hits Nonprofit Fundraising

    As my friends know, I only work with organizations that hold a public trust — typically non profit organizations. Many colleagues have been talking to me about how concerned they are about the latest downturn. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is reporting on one of the more solid pieces of evidence that the economic downturn is…