Getting More From Less: Managing Tips From a Charity Executive

Corporate leaders can learn a great deal from nonprofit organizations about managing, particularly in lean times, says Nancy Lublin, chief executive of Do Something, a New York charity that seeks to encourage young people to volunteer. Her new book, Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, poses questions to executives of all kinds to get them thinking about how they can inspire staff members, connect with customers, forge partnerships, get more from their boards, and take other steps to improve their organizations. Following are some of the questions she poses:

• “Does your staff wear their company swag? On free time? Are they jogging in the park wearing your company T-shirt?” Employees who exhibit that kind of passion, even more than those who possess a perfect résumé, can help a company succeed, Ms. Lublin says.
• “What negative ambassadors do you have out there? Do you have vendors or partners or former employees who don’t like you? Have you reached out to them? Or, are you hoping that if you close your eyes, they will magically disappear?”
• “What happens when an internship ends at your company? Assuming that you don’t hire that kid, do you ever see him or her again? Is there any formal relationship that remains?” Charities such as Teach for America have benefited hugely from their strong network of alumni, and companies can, too, Ms. Lublin says.
• “If your CEO had the chance to appear on Oprah, what would he or she talk about with Oprah? (Hint: Oprah doesn’t really care about last quarter’s earnings or that you’ve moved production offshore.)”
• “Have you ever rotated jobs in your company? Or shadowed other people for a day? New ideas are often born in foreign circumstances.”
• “If your brand were a car, what kind of car would it be? What color? Old, used, new? What price point? Would everyone in your company have a similar answer?”
• “Have you ever considered welcoming clients or patrons to your home turf for an insider’s view?”
• “Where do you have board meetings? Are you in a nondescript office? Or are you ‘in the field,’ near your product or service?”

Excerpted with permission from Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, by Nancy Lublin, Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA). Copyright 2010.