The breakfast meeting on May 17, 2023 focused on the anatomy of a cyber breach. Presenters Villy Savino and Larry Bazrod, both from CoreNet Global, described a cyber-attack at their organization and the lessons learned. With discussions from the group, we had the following take-aways:

• Every organization is at risk, even if the organization has mainly public information, there are still personal data, such as employee or membership information that may need to be protected.
• It is important to have a communication and response plan if a cyber-attack occurs involving all stake holders. Communicate to your insurer and legal counsel first. Be aware of different laws if your organization operates in different states or countries.
• Most attacks happen through a “weak link”, unsecured or easy access through an employee or vendor. It is important to establish workplace norms regarding security. Educate employees and vendors. 
• A cyber-attack can happen again. Be vigilant and keep monitoring your network and keep educating your employees.

Bring Diversity to Your Recruitment Plan: Nonprofit Member Discussion 

The initial discussion centered on understanding the importance of diversity recruitment strategies in organizations. The speakers presented tools and methodologies for DE&I, including: reviewing job descriptions for inclusive language, reviewing imagery on Careers sites, external partnerships, professional diversity networks, and employee resource groups. Using these tools helps achieve the goal of building a diverse slate of candidates.

We discussed the role that unconscious bias plays in the recruitment process. Unconscious bias does not mean discrimination but can lead to discrimination and other outcomes we don’t want. We learned about the methods of reducing bias when hiring. We also talked about the approach to recruitment screening tools and what questions should be asked when using these tools, with the mindset of eliminating unqualified candidates and not losing any valuable ones at the same time.

Carolyn Lanham, CAE, Chief Operating Officer of the American Society of Addiction Medicine led a discussion with colleagues on the topic of change management. The conversation kicked off with describing the difference between change and transition.  

Change is situational. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external and transition is internal. When we talk about change, we focus on the outcome. Transition is different. The starting point is not the outcome but instead the ending that will have to take place to leave the old behind.

Nothing undermines organizational change as the failure to think through who will have to let go of what when the change occurs and to be ready for those changes and losses. This requires engaging with all stakeholders, anticipating needs, and planning for different scenarios. It is necessary to keep a continual pulse on transition issues and adjust/adapt to unforeseen circumstances.  

The group agreed that overcommunication is vital to lead everyone to the shared vision for the change. It requires targeted messaging to address the unique needs of each person/group and to be done through various channels, continually reinforcing the “why.” At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that the old way is or will be no longer. There may be some sense of loss. After all, change is an emotional process.

One thing is for certain, change is constant. Successful management of transitions is the key for transformation.