Reading List: January-February 2017

Here is a sampling of articles and posts I have recently read, each of which sparked a moment of thought-provoking consideration. None of these are overly-long, hopefully one or more will be useful to you.

Empathy

Six Habits of Highly Empathic People
Main point: Empathy is a habit that we can cultivate, nurture and grow. This article gives you some ways to practice and improve.

Five Ways Museums Can Increase Empathy in the World
Main point: Empathy can be taught. Contact with people who are different from us in a safe, empathetic way is a first step toward reducing prejudice. Museums are safe and informal learning platforms, uniquely equipped to encourage visitors to imagine, explore, and experience our rich human heritage and our natural world firsthand. They have the capability to bring together arts, technology, sciences, and literature to show how all living things are interconnected.

Teams and Team-Building

Great Teams Are About Personalities, Not Just Skills
Main point: Psychological factors are the main determinants of whether people work together well. Creating a team based only on skill level while ignoring personality and roles rarely leads to success. This article provides one lens through which to view the various psychological roles that people might play when collaborating.

Belbin Team Roles
Main point: Another take on the roles that people assume when working together. One intriguing takeaway is that one individual might play multiple roles on a particular team, at particular moments.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: Do You Have It?
Main point: Emotional intelligence is a powerful predictor of success, but measuring it can be hard. This article uses a very practical approach, by listing out some characteristic behaviors of people who *lack* emotional intelligence. Recognize anyone?

Emotional Intelligence Has 12 Competencies: Which Do You Need to Work On?
Main point: Many people define emotional intelligence too narrowly, focusing on things like sociability, sensitivity and likeability. The authors argue that emotional intelligence is made up of 4 domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Nested within each domain are twelve competencies. Understanding which competencies are your strengths and which could stand for some improvement will increase your overall emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence Competencies 
Main point: A list of the 12 competencies referred to above, fleshed out just a bit more.

Nonprofit Trends and Forecasts

40 Nonprofit Trends for 2017
Main point: A list of predicted trends in the nonprofit sector for the coming year, broken into 5 categories: Big Ideas; Fundraising and Marketing; Tech, Online and Digital; Giving Trends and Donor Relations; and Leadership. I don't necessarily agree with everything listed here, but it's certainly thought-provoking


Philanthropy Forecast, 2017: Trends and Issues to Watch
Main point: Inside Philanthropy shares its "second annual tour of how philanthropy may affect America and the world in the year ahead". For example, in my little corner of the nonprofit world, they predict that wealthy art collectors will continue to establish their own museums, arguing that "top existing museums have far more art than they can exhibit and no one wants their precious pieces sitting in storage". Intriguing, and an uncomfortable vision for collecting institutions.