Hartford Business Journal

14 Hartford Business Journal • December 10, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Are you contributing to a positive climate? By Chris Duffy W hen I arrived in Hartford, I had no intention of staying. It wasn't personal. I just saw the city as my next career location, a stop along the way. I wondered whether I, a young, bi-racial gay man, would feel like I could belong in the sixth oldest state by median age in the country where 67 percent of the population is white. I saw Connecticut as a "bedroom com- munity" state, progressive but quietly so. A few months after moving here, a dear mentor suggested I join a profes- sional association. I found Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepre- neurs, better known as HYPE. I loved HYPE and how participating made me feel. That led to a variety of meaning- ful connections and the discovery that I could not only belong, but that I could have an impact on this commu- nity whose climate I discovered was inclusive and welcoming. This climate created space for me to make connections, which turned into leadership opportunities that turned into a robust community I am now blessed to have. I served on several boards of directors, am now doing adjunct teaching at a local college and am engaged in other ways as well. There is lots of evidence that my initial negative perception of Hartford is a common one. Why would younger people move here? And why would they decide to stay? I know plenty of well-intentioned people who, in keeping with the bedroom-community moniker, come into Hartford or venture out of their suburb only out of necessity. They don't realize that the area today is not the same as it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. And their words, facial expressions, or even energy have an impact on the prevailing culture. Make no mistake, directly or indi- rectly, their outdated and inaccurate views convey a negative impression on those young people the region needs to attract and retain. But if you want to help lower the barriers that discourage the economic growth and vitality the region seeks, if you truly want to keep our emerging leaders here so that our region and our organizations benefit from their talent and energy, you need to under- stand that every one of us, yourself included, can impact the climate for those around us. Daniel Goleman's research, reported in the Harvard Business Review, shows that visionary and coaching leadership styles have a significant positive impact on climate. Sean O'Connor, a leadership development researcher from Sydney, Australia, who has studied social networks, sys- tems and group dynamics, reminds us that the quality of our conversations determines the quality of our relation- ships, and the quality of our relation- ships determines the quality of the systems and organizations where we live and work. Creating positive climate requires active engagement. So, let's ask the people around us: What about this region or this company do you love? Dislike? How can we make it better? And let's offer others meaningful con- nections since we, as social animals, crave belonging. I'm hopeful about our region's future. Every time I meet a student leader or young professional at- tending a leadership program, I'm inspired. These emerging leaders recognize that we have many needs in Greater Hartford, along with a plethora of talented people to tackle those challenges. Often, these young leaders help us realize that we who are more established leaders have more to give. Ten years have passed since I relocated here, believing it was a temporary stop on my career jour- ney. I changed my mind and stayed because of the positive climate I experienced, but I know that others may not have enjoyed the same wel- coming and inclusive environment that I discovered. So I ask you: What are you doing to create the kind of climate that will en- sure other young professionals can fit in, feel that they belong and can decide to stay to make a difference? Chris Duffy is principal of Amplify Leadership Partners and a member of the board of directors of Leadership Greater Hartford. RULE OF LAW CT nonprofits at a major crossroads By John Horak W ith the election in the rear-view mirror, and the 2019 legislative session on the horizon, the state's privately governed social-service organizations are at a fork in the road. They have a choice: 1. Accept the dismal financial reality in which they operate; or 2. Find a new way to advance proposed governmental/ labor reforms that would improve their reality, the social safety net, and the state budget. We should urge the non- profits to make choice No. 2, but when doing so recognize that they are David relative to the government/labor union Goliath standing between them and the reforms. Even worse, in our narrative, Da- vid's sling is empty — meaning that nonprofits have been peddling as fast as they can, but their reform efforts have stalled for lack of the resources to take on Goliath. They need outside financial and leadership assistance to move the ball forward. We should find a way to provide the assistance. Here's the backstory: Connecticut has, and pays for, two social-service "safety nets." It only needs one. State government, through the departments of Disability Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families, and others, provides social services at a high cost, and the inde- pendent nonprofits provide the same services at lower cost and equal quality. The reforms in question are based on the principle that taxpayer dollars should be allocated for maximum effi- ciency. This means that the high-cost governmental agencies would get out of the services business and put the services out to competitive bid- ding among the nonprofits. The state would buy social services from the nonprofits under a bona fide bidding/ contract system much like it buys goods and other types of services. This is where Goliath steps back into the story. The government agencies and labor unions have resisted and will resist any reforms that diminish their number and power — and they have so much power over the nonprofits' finances, boards, licensure, budgets and admin- istration that the nonprofits cannot push too hard for reform because, as the saying goes, you can't bite the hand that feeds and regulates you. The power over the nonprofits is breathtaking. It emerges from a combination of things, including the nonprofits' near total reliance on funding from the governmen- tal agencies in question; contract provisions that allow the agencies to reduce funding mid-contract; and a requirement that the nonprofits transfer any operating surpluses back to the state. The power also arises from the state's authority to license, regulate and audit nonprofit operations (audits can be punitive), and labor union operatives know the nonprofit pressure points. You bite Goliath's hand at your peril. It breaks my heart to see how our nonprofit social-services "industry" has been mistreated and brought to this unfortunate fork in the road. I hope that they make choice No. 2, and my recommendation is that they do so in the form of a very specific busi- ness/reform plan with hard projec- tions of expense, goals and personnel needs, and that they then shop the plan to two sources to seek support: the state's many grant-making chari- table foundations, and the members of our business community. The grant-making foundations should support their nonprofit sector brethren to help keep the nonprofit sector vibrant generally, and because it would improve the depth and breadth of the safety net. The busi- ness sector should throw in its sup- port, if for no other reason than to improve the state's budget (and tax) outlook; and perhaps it could provide some corporate talent and leader- ship from outside the sector that can bite the hand in question without concern about repercussions. This would be a multimillion- dollar effort that might take years to bear fruit, but it is an alternative worth discussing given the bleak- ness of choice No. 1 and the fact that the reforms in question are exactly what we need to help get the state's finances back in order. John M. Horak is the director of TANGO Nonprofit Education and Consulting. His opinions are his own. Opinion & Commentary Chris Duffy John Horak

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