Not long ago, I wrote a colleague, the former chief exec of a client organisation, asking for his recommendation. We have a sound, genial professional and personal relationship, and we have communicated regularly by phone and email since parting ways a few months ago. Although we didn't get the happy ending we strove for throughout our last adventure, I was proud of the exceptional effort and dedication we had given.
I'd spent four years nurturing the growth of his organisation, first on a pro bono basis, and when the small but feisty nonprofit hit a sizable financial and regulatory speed bump in late 2009 and the crisis took on life-or-death dimensions in early 2010, I stepped in as full-time formal consultant to him and the wounded organisation. I liked these people, I liked their organisation, and I wanted success for them.
