We're getting all of our ducks in a row for the Council on Foundations Leadership Summit week after next. We just found out our booth number -- 637 -- and have decided to hold a drawing for an iPod Touch in return for filling out a brief survey.

Even if you're not interested in winning the iPod, please stop by to say hello and to learn more about how we're helping foundations, associations, government agencies, and charities execute strategy with the Balanced Scorecard.

You can also pick up a copy of our shiny new brochure, or some ever helpful Ascendant SMG sticky notes. We look forward to seeing you in DC!

I was skimming Newt Gingrich's new book, REAL CHANGE, and was reminded about General Eisenhower's amazing success in executing strategy. In World War II, Eisenhower coordinated the largest military undertaking ever, the invasion of Normandy. He not only managed huge sea, air, and land forces, but also managed unpredictable weather as well as the political forces of Roosevelt, Churchill and de Gaulle. When asked about his success, Eisenhower said "Whenever I run into a problem I can't solve, I always make it bigger.

It seems to be the age old question: How can I get the best out of my board without being subject to their disruptive whims?

Communications is often cited as the key success factor or failure point in working with the board. I contend that the most essential form of communication is around the strategy and progress against that strategy. The Balanced Scorecard Management System can create that communication platform for the Board and the Executive Director and provide the structure, format and content for a strategy review.

We're very excited to be a sponsor of the upcoming Council on Foundations "Philantrophy's Vision: A Leadership Summit" in Washington, DC, on May 4-7th. The speaker list at the event is very compelling, ranging from Bill Moyers to Newt Gingrich, and we're excited to part of the over 3,000 people participating.

The Non-Profit Times recently blogged about "Entrepreneurial Nonprofits" and it got me thinking: People running a non-profit and starting a company really share a lot of the same challenges (although they perhaps have some different reading material.)