Blog

The Problem With Velcro

The problem with Velcro is—it sticks. Recently, I have been exploring why it is so easy to focus on the challenges or negative elements in our work and leadership and much harder to focus on the positive “good news” elements of what we do. What I’ve discovered is that it is actually how our brain […]

As Clear As Mud: How to Share Expectations for Ground-Breaking Work

So, you’ve explained, you’ve re-explained, and you feel great about the expectations you’ve laid out. “I was very clear!” You remind yourself. Then, it’s results time, and you’re left confused, frustrated, maybe even angry because the work did not take on the path that you EXPRESSLY asked for. The path and result that you had pictured […]

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Testimonials

"“They don’t tell you what you want to hear. They tell you what you need to hear. That makes a huge difference. We needed to understand our weaknesses in order to make the organization work right, and I was overwhelmed by how they really got it and they helped us to get it too. They were able to do it in a way that really made me want to understand the goals we needed to focus on. I believe Lumen was absolutely the best we could have found.”"

Barbara Sellinger
Cresthaven Academy

"“I’ve been in nonprofits for 30+ years and have used the services of many consultants, but I have never been so comfortable with their commitment to helping us. It was as if the Lumen team shared our need to have a successful outcome and they were committed to the notion that they would indeed bring value to what we were doing.“ "

Caroline Novak
Alabama School Readiness Alliance

"“The Lumen team did a really good job sharing the hard truths with us. Their findings were different from what we were expecting, but they used the information to push us farther than we originally planned. They were candid and didn’t hide anything from us. We’re now on the path to developing products that are very different from what we’ve done before but are hopefully much more useful for the people we serve.” "

Drew Jacobs
National Alliance of Public Charter Schools

"“The management of a federal CSP grant is a really niche area that requires a tremendous depth of expertise and technical know-how. You need to have a microscopic attention to detail when it comes to compliance and reporting timeliness. The Lumen team is excellent at all of the above." "

Tyler Barnett
New Schools for Alabama

"“In my coaching, we make really strong, specific plans for next steps and then we follow up on them in our next conversation. We try to keep those next steps really manageable. When I’m busy, I can’t layer a ton of personal growth on top of my other responsibilities, so we make plans for growth that are baked into the work I’m already doing. That has been really helpful for me.” "

Kristen Forbriger
City Fund