Entries by

Peggy

Hi Kathleen, I wanted to reach out after attending you and your sister’s workshop today at the Mental Health KC Conference. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all of you. Thank you . . . for being vulnerable. for being brave and sharing your story. for your insights so that we can recognize…

How to corral conflicting visions – with care

How to corral conflicting visions – with care Kansas City was lucky. A coalition of more than 100 area social service agencies, behavioral health centers, institutions and more joined forces to address the societal ramifications of trauma and toxic stress. But, as is typically the case when large groups join forces, the collective felt messy.…

Moving a mental health team from sinking to soaring

Moving a mental health team from sinking to soaring When Tim DeWeese took over as director of a large county mental health department, he inherited an organization in shambles. “Broken,” he said. “That’s the one word I’d use to describe us.” The department was operating without a common mission, which, no surprise, lead to a disengaged…

TeamTech knows the key to melding missions: Listening 

TeamTech knows the key to melding missions: Listening  When several non-profits realized their missions had grown incredibly similar – while funding had grown sparser – they initiated talks of merging. The non-profits all, in one way or another, provided medical care for patients who fell through the cracks. The safety net of the safety net…

How to get a group unstuck – and moving forward together 

How to get a group unstuck – and moving forward together An unhealthy board. A budget in the red. And absolutely no plan past putting out the fire-of-the-day. That’s how Melissa Reed describes the state of Prairie Paws Animal Shelter (PPAS) when she took over as Executive Director in 2014. The rural animal shelter, based…

TeamTech helps a state rethink resource allocation 

TeamTech helps a state rethink resource allocation  The Challenge Maximizing resources while improving services is the greatest challenge faced by state and local governments alike. Among the myriad of services provided by local government in Kansas, incarceration of juvenile and adult offenders is arguably one of the costliest.  Healthcare costs for prisoners, particularly costs of…

Teaching leaders how to talk with people, not at them 

Teaching leaders how to talk with people, not at them  Ann Howie, formerly with American Century Investments   The Challenge Communication issues are on everyone’s top ten list. Why? Because managers have expanded their “communication loop” as involvement has grown. The new audience is more diverse and demanding. Managers and project leaders can spend up…

Process and protocol help turn an organization around

Process and protocol help turn an organization around The Challenge A not-for-profit agency, with more than $50 million in annual revenue, had grown exponentially overnight with the receipt of a state contract to provide adoption services for the children in state custody. Managing the many systems that needed to efficiently coordinate at this rate of…

Mentoring leaders helps strengthen large organization

Mentoring leaders helps strengthen large organization The Challenge A large state social service agency, with more than 6,000 employees and an operating budget of $1.8 billion, was challenged to streamline its operations. The FY03 state budget crisis intensified the challenge presented to the agency and its leadership. These challenges created the need for deeper integration…

Top-to-bottom audit – and creativity – help state save millions

Top-to-bottom audit – and creativity – help state save millions The Challenge The primary responsibility of the governor is to manage the public’s resources wisely. This is a challenge even in the best of times, but in the face of a serious budget shortfall, only the most innovative thinking will lead to a state government…