The Glass is Always Full: Lessons for Managerial Excellence in the Human Services is a creative approach to helping students understand some of the most common dilemmas faced in nonprofit agencies and organizations. It is a unique book that conveys the challenges in human service agencies via two stories of nonprofit organizations. One is constantly dealing with one crisis after another and is usually in a reactive mode. The second story tells of an organization that is run as a learning organization and thus is more effective in running efficiently, as it is in a constant state of evaluating and learning from its mistakes. At the end of each chapter are reflective questions and finally after both stories are two theoretical models that help explain what is happening in these organizations.
Steve Burghardt, PhD, is professor of social work at the Hunter College School of Social Work and partner of the Leadership Transformation Group, is a recognized expert on community organizing, democratic leadership, and popular education. He has taught, trained, consulted, and organized with both grass roots community groups and large scale public agencies on new models of practice throughout his career. The author of seven other books and numerous articles, he has won numerous awards for his teaching on community organizing through popular education, political economy of social welfare, and theories of social change.
Foreword Introduction Acknowledgments Part 1. The Depletion of Value 1. A Boring Assignment 2. Half-Empty? Half-Full? 3. Jack-of-All-Trades 4. Running to Catch Up 5. The Extra Mile 6. Clipping Coupons 7. The Assembly Line 8. Splashed Water 9. Good Grooming 10. Salt and Pepper in the Pot 11. Good News, Bad News Part 2. Creating Abundance 12. Popsicle Sticks 13. Seeking Illumination 14. Casing a Lure 15. Mr. Trumbull's Motto 16. The Second Golden Rule 17. Clean As You Go 18. Carry Your Vision in Your Pocket 19. Politeness Doesn't Cost a Cent 20. Two Truths 21. Take the Cover off the Book 22. Build Your Community and They Will Come . . . Again 23. The Crossroads Learning Guide: Reflective Questions for Discussion and Classroom Integration Part 3. A Leadership Model of Personal and Organizational Transformation Starting Before the Beginning 24. If the Work Is Sacred, Then So Are You The Commitment to Being Meditation Exercises 25. The Transformative Model The Commitment to Doing 26. Carry Your Vision as a Tool Carry Your Vision as a Tool Exercises 27. Practicing Patience and Politeness Practicing Patience and Politeness Exercises 28. Embracing Diversity Embracing Diversity Exercises 29. Clean As You Go Clean As You Go Exercises 30. Building Community Building Community Exercises References and Books of Note Index About the Authors
