One of the realities of those who have serious mental health needs, drug addiction needs, health needs and an array of other issues is that they are largely dependent on our systems of care for support and guidance. I know from a variety of sources of feedback that it is difficult to gain the support […]

Recently, I was in a discussion with our Vice President of Student Services. We were working through how we might better serve our school district clients. He expressed his frustration that it is difficult to even gain access to our clients to have meaningful discussions. When we do there is this sense of needing to […]

In the journey of any non-profit difficult issues can happen. Whether it be a drastic change in revenue, a technological crisis, terminations, changes in program demands, changes in leadership, etc. Particularly when things happen that are unethical or worse it is often difficult to know how to process the issues with staff. Sometimes it is […]

I was in a casual meeting today speaking to someone for the first time about all the varied aspects of Lakeside. We discussed the thousands of students to whom we provide academic and clinical services. We talked about our training to 5,800 professionals. We referenced the hundreds of staff that have come together to help […]

In Philadelphia, there is huge momentum and excitement about the Phillies! After over a decade of not being in contention, the Phillies are in the World Series! The entire city and region is celebrating and there is an outrageous sense of anticipation! One fan recently said, ”It has become real when you feel it!” This […]

Our non-profit organizations are usually programmatically driven. We tend to emphasize what our programs are achieving but often the infrastructure to support those programs is inadequate and struggles to keep up. This is particularly true when the programs are growing.  Throughout our history at Lakeside, we have had different phases of growth where we went […]

I was recently working on some training for our leadership staff at Lakeside. In working through the varied aspects of creating environments that were resonant and emotionally intelligent I reflected on what leadership means to those who are working in organizations that care for others. In fact, it means a great deal to all workers […]

In the world of hiring we recognize there are many challenges that face non-profit organizations. We typically cannot compete with the higher salaries that are available for similar positions, particularly in leadership. At Lakeside, we have attempted to develop our leadership from within but in some situations that is just not possible, forcing us to […]

A non-profit leader who has any level of compassion would admit that one of the hardest parts of leadership is when there is personal or organizational conflict. It is predictable that not everyone can agree on any one issue. There are different perspectives, changing issues, decisions that are controversial, and personal opinions that can be […]