Gary Hubbell Consulting

I came alongside Denise when she was feeling frazzled and frustrated. With a hint of cynicism, her boss tossed out a hackneyed phrase: “Success breeds success.: Unless, she thought to herself, you’re plagued by internal barriers. She felt her own were all too real (and I know they likely resonate with you): ❌ Weak plans ❌ Disengaged CEO and/or board ❌ Development is siloed and without influence Results suffer. The vicious cycle repeats. The options? 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲. I told Denise that her development program’s impact EXTERNALLY requires her to grow her influence INTERNALLY. She gulped hard and said, “Sure…but we’re trapped by old habits and hierarchy.” Thinking aloud she went on to share, “Donors aren’t dummies. They see our organizational inconsistent behavior and get scared—so they disengage.” I suggested that a little ‘creative transgression’ might be needed and then I looked her in the eyes and asked, “What if YOUR training and experience makes YOU the perfect person to intervene?” “How?” she asked. What I went on to tell her is what I now want to share with you. I’ve captured the best of my experienced-based advice and now want to help YOU: ✅ Repurpose weak plans for better traction ✅ Reposition your ideas to create CEO pull ✅ Reframe your mindset to elevate your influence & impact Let’s end the year by fueling your next breakthrough? Join me for my last free virtual webinar of 2024. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧: 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨. 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚. Tuesday, December 17 12:00 – 1:20 p.m. Eastern (80 minutes long to smash your default 1 hour schedule setting!) Free to attend; registration required here. I trust you know about me that I’m deeply committed to making a meaningful impact in philanthropy and organizational development. My approach is more about guiding you to (re)discover your own strengths so you can lead in more natural and fulfilling ways AND get the recognition you deserve for real impact. Wanna be part of this next session? I hope so. Join me. Warmly, Gary P.S. You don’t need to wait for permission to lead this change. You already have what it takes to make it happen. Join me on December 17. Please register now. https://lnkd.in/grpRJ-UV

"The story emerges in the telling and the quality of our listening encourages the speaker to surprise themselves with the barely conscious knowledge that comes to the surface." --Jim Ewing Braving Uncertainty: Maps for the Journey

Simply stated, my work is to 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. It is the balanced intention to honor the best of the past, stay fully present to this moment (perhaps my spiritual quest?), and invite those who show up to imagine the best of what might be ahead. Where those intentions overlap holds the seeds of possibility. Whether the lens through which we explore those seeds is philanthropy, the human dynamics of teaming, growth and development of the organization, redirecting the generative role of the board, and/or the individual’s potential for impact, my stance seems to be the same. Spot the glowing embers of possibility; blow on them as long as I can; and protect the early sparks of imagination and “combustion.” The embers exist at the center of this Venn diagram.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭: I'm looking for real life strategic plan goals or statements that strike you as weak, uninspiring, vague, or counterproductive. No need to out your organization but I would like to know what sub-sector you're in (e.g., health, education, etc.). I'm building some teaching points. Copy and paste it below in the comments, please. Bonus points if you tell me WHY you think it's lame. Thanks.

Making my contribution to National Philanthropy Day November 12. I'll be keynoting the AFP Southern Minnesota Chapter with a luncheon speech, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. I'll lead the morning workshop for professional fundraisers and nonprofit leaders on the essential practices of the responsive nonprofit. Then on to the afternoon session for nonprofit staff and board members on the root conditions of stellar board service. Excited to be back in Rochester. https://lnkd.in/gtPXvgV5

We talk about 'complexity' so much that it's taken for granted...and tacitly dismissed. Yawn. But organizational issues today are very real and, well, complex. How so? Peter Senge (in 5th Discipline) says issues are complex in three ways. See if these sound familiar in your setting: 1. 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 - cause & effect are interdependent and far apart in space and time. 2. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 - actors involved have different perspectives and interests. 3. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 - the future state of the issue is fundamentally unfamiliar and undetermined. When you accept the reality that one or more of these dimensions of complexity is true in your situation you'll need to acknowledge that doing more of the same thing won't resolve the issue. Your choice is whether to deny or block the issue...OR...to embrace it, to 'dance' with it. Once you make that important mindset reframe you open yourself to greater risk tolerance, a wider range of allowable experiments, shorter cycles of action with built-in pauses for reflection AND (here's the important part) for inviting others to join you in the dance. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 these essential 21st century competencies.

Want to learn how to 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗱? In my free webinar on October 9, I’ll show you how to drive meaningful change in your organization, even if you don’t have formal authority. You’ll learn how to leverage your adaptability and influence internal decisions. Comment “NOISE” below for the registration link. 

You may be experiencing a widely shared block to your highest and best leadership contribution through your philanthropy program? The pattern I see is pervasive. You’re asked to raise enormous amounts of private funding, yet your organization acts like very little of your professional knowledge has any bearing on internal plans, decisions, and communications. “𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘨𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺!” My next webinar gets at this situation head on: “𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗱.” This 80-minute free webinar will be held on October 9 from 12:00 - 1:20 p.m. Eastern. This session’s three learning modules will equip you with practical tools to have greater internal leadership impact, even when your hands feel tied: 1️⃣    𝗡𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗡𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 Featured tool: Inventory of change agent skill sets (You’ll discover the hidden skills that let you influence without authority.) 2️⃣   𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀’𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘀—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝘁 Featured tool: The mindset shift jump starter (You’ll learn how to flip the narrative and drive meaningful conversations.) 3️⃣    𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 Featured tool: Key questions that unblock perspective (You’ll walk away with the right questions that open minds and create buy-in that fosters an even more robust development program.) If you’re ready to lead bigger change—without needing a title or permission—this is your chance. Drop “𝗡𝗢𝗜𝗦𝗘” in the comments, and I’ll send you the registration link and more information.

I love using the business model canvas (from Strategyzer, https://lnkd.in/eSk_ykAw). The biggest benefit I think it brings when working with clients is that it surfaces nearly all the questions you need to ask about setting direction. I’ve used it in multiple sectors for about a decade and it’s pretty sweet. From simple settings to complex and fast-moving, it’s a real versatile tool. I use it with the client staff to dig deep into assumptions and detail. Later, a high-level version can be used to convey the plan and tell the story—to boards, et. al. There’s a myriad number of planning tools that work fine. This is just one of my favorites. What’s yours?

One question I asked 20 people across 7 different clients: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 12 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴?” Their responses made me smile—and reflect on why I do what I do. Their key transformations sought and what they valued most was my ability to: 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Reduce confusion and clear up ambiguity in operations, making it easier to stay focused and effective. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Highlight and resolve competing efforts that derail progress and pull the team in different directions. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀: Find ways to resolve or positively use internal and external conflicts to keep momentum. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Rediscover hidden strengths and unlock new possibilities with adaptive strategies. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Strengthen connections with leadership, board members, and partners, and get everyone on the same page about the organization’s value. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿: Improve decision-making, even when you don’t have all the info or when things feel uncertain. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: Whether it's fundraising and/or organizational growth, the goal is clear—tangible, measurable results. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: Practical strategies that are grounded in reality, with insights that lead to lasting, actionable outcomes. These aren’t just responses; they’re proof of the values I bring to every project. I don’t just show up to fix problems—I help you see what’s possible, expand shared ownership of the vision, and move forward together with clarity and confidence. So, what are you facing right now that could benefit from this kind of partnership?