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The Creative Role That One CDFI Plays in Impact Investing

Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of the Community Development Financial Institution Nonprofit Finance Fund, manages $80 million of impact investments. He is also the author of Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

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Helpful Information About Becoming A Better Business Leader

So, what do you need to know to be a great leader? Are you blind to these things, or are you aware of what it takes? Leaders need to be open, humble and honest. This article will show you some things that you may not have yet started to do.

Make things easy to understand for everyone. Keep your eye on the things that are most important. Then you can set more priorities after that. The work needs to be as simplified as possible. Allow you and your team positive thinking time.

Door Policy

Communicate the vision of the team. Let your company’s mission statement guide you by incorporating it into your routine. You need to articulate the broad vision while also demonstrating the key roles each member can play. This helps provide direction and also helps you build relationships.

Do not assume that workers are able to read your mind. Clearly communicate expectations if you want tasks to be carried out correctly. Maintain and open-door policy. Also, an open door policy ensures staff members can also voice their concerns and also ask for advice.

You must inspire creativity in your team. When you take risks and use creative thinking, you are more likely to succeed. Explore different possibilities and be constantly curious. You should believe in new ideas, even if they don’t appear to fit right now. Help your team use their ideas to complete the project.

Honesty is important for a leader. Effective leaders are trustworthy. As you are proving and developing yourself as a bright leader, remain honest and transparent with those around you. When people know that they can trust you, you will gain respect.

A good leader is someone who thinks about the future. You should be able to anticipate what will happen next and be ready for it. Of course, you cannot always know what will happen, but it is important to hone this skill over time. Keep asking yourself where you’d like to be in a year or so, and make plans for that.

Any good leader has to focus on times to come. Discerning what lies ahead and planning appropriately is always key. While you can’t make predictions, you can build up the skills for it. Constantly reevaluate your goals and know where you are headed next.

You must act ethically when dealing with customers and employees. Good ethics will help you in any area. When people know that you always act in their best interests, they remain loyal to you. Discipline employees who fail to follow the principles you have set up because one bad employee can ruin an entire company.

Set team goals high but make sure they are not impossible to reach. Don’t set the team up to fail. That will just make you a terrible leader.

Let others know about possible problems. While covering up problems in business used to be typical, nowadays a leader will be open about them. Why is that? Today, it’s all about communication. There will be someone talking about the problem whether you wish for them to or not. A good leader is in control at all times. This is the path great leaders take.

Use these tips in order to strengthen your leadership skills. When you choose to become a leader, you open up a new world of possibilities. Realize these things and keep pushing while having the confidence you need to have success at leading.

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Local Assistance from the Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration has many local offices and resource partners that counsel, mentor and train small business owners and entrepreneurs.

These nearby offices and online assistance can help your business start up, succeed and grow. This short video provides a good introduction to services near you.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

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SBA – Small Business Investment Companies

The Small Business Administration has inititiated the Small Business Investment Companies program to help in developing privately owned and managed investment companies which will be licensed and regulated by the Small Business Administration to provide equity capital, long term loans, and advisory services to small business requiring such services.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

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What You Need To Know About Benefits.Gov

The United States Federal Government launched the Benefits.gov Website in 2002 in the hopes of providing every American with easy and convenient online access to government benefits and programs.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

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Small Business Administration Resources for Veterans

The Small Business Administration offers various resources for veterans interested in starting, financing or growing their businesses.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

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Small Business Administration Backgound

The Small Business Administration was established in 1953. Since that time the agency has dispensed millions of dollars in loans and loan guarantees, contracts, consulting assistance and other programs for small business across the United States.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

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Check Out This Article On Leadership That Offers Many Great Tips

Leadership is guiding a team to success. Some people are more natural leaders than others, but all leadership skills can be learned. In order to learn more about enhancing your leadership skills, you must continue reading.

All good leaders look towards the future and focus on it. Look ahead and plan accordingly. While you can’t always tell what is going to happen, this is a skill that develops better over time. Always know where you’d like to be in the future and work towards that.

When you’re a good leader, you should quickly see the talent potential in other people. When looking for those who will help you on the job, you want to build a team of talented individuals. This principle extends to hiring contractors or service providers in your personal life.

Your team’s vision should be communicated. Use your values to drive your team’s experience. You must help team members figure our their roles and be able to see the much bigger picture. It is a great way to offer direction and build a healthy professional relationship.

In order to be an effective leader you need to have integrity. Ensure that your decisions won’t keep you up at night. If you have an inkling that you will not be happy with the decision you are about to make, stop there. Some people might have different morals from yours, but you must follow your own conscience.

Let others know about possible problems. Good leaders don’t want to hide problems with their business. Why the change? It’s largely because information spreads like wildfire regardless. No one can hide a problem forever, eventually it will be exposed. You should control whatever the message is instead of always being forced to react. Leaders that do well follow this kind of a path.

Always remain approachable. Intimidation is not a good characteristic in a leader. Some think leading with fear is the only way. This is not a wise choice and you will not earn the respect of others. Be sure to let coworkers understand that you’re always there to talk to.

Your employees are not mind readers. Clearly communicate expectations if you want tasks to be carried out correctly. Maintain and open-door policy. This will help foster a willingness in employees to come back to ask questions when necessary.

Prior to chatting with the team, make sure you’re prepared. Think of questions they may ask you. Think about how you will answer them. By always having the answers to their questions, you will build confidence among your team. Also, you’ll be saving time.

Make sure people are motivated to perform well. Of course, they do get paid, but a small incentive can go a long way. Rewarding a hard-working employee is important. Leaders that do well don’t pinch their pennies when good things happen.

After absorbing this information, you should better understand how to be a great leader. This article has hopefully given you an idea of how to nurture your abilities. The world will always be in need of leaders, so be the best you can be.

It is important for a leader to be honest. Good leaders should be trustworthy. While you build your skills in leadership, try to keep a precedent of trustworthiness and honesty. It is only when people are positive that they can trust you that they will look up to you as a real leader.

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CDBG for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages

The Community Development Block Grant for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages is a program of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),

HUD is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the US federal government, which work is focused in the development of strong, sustainable, inclusive communities, as well as quality affordable homes for the all the citizens of America.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

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How To Be A Great Leader Under Any Circumstances

A leader who is respected is one that will go far; caring for the team will ensure this. A great leader is one who inspires those around him to be great leaders too. Delegation is key, and this article is going to provide you with a few more things that you should know.

A great way to increase your leadership skill is by being decisive. As the leader, you are likely to have to make many decisions. If the people on your team offer different opinions on a matter, it is your job to make the right decision.

Be open about any issues that arise in a timely manner. Great leaders used to cover up problems; that isn’t the case anymore. You may be wondering why. Communication is key nowadays. Problems will be noticed no matter if you try to hide them. So be the person that controls the message. Don’t be the one reacting to it. Great leaders follow that path.

Recognizing talents in others is a sign of a good leader. When looking for those who will help you on the job, you want to build a team of talented individuals. This helps when you are looking for any kind of work to be done for you or your business.

Tenacity is key when you are striving to be a great leader. When things don’t go as planned, the team will turn to you. If you focus on fixing the issue, the obstacles will be surmounted. When you are persistent, the group will be motivated to continue on.

You need to come up with goals for your company. Working towards goals and helping others have goals is what leaders do. Don’t simply post them and watch them vanish during the year. Always focus on these goals during meetings and demand accountability for their success from yourself and your team.

Your decisions are crucial. Their opinions of you can be affected by hiring, firing, promoting, and assigning certain people. If you favor any one employee, others will see that and morale will be reduced.

Be strong and decisive as a leader. As the leader, you will probably make the decisions. If your subordinates offer a wide range of potential solutions to an issue, you must select the one that offers the most benefits to the largest group.

Be a good listener. Being a good leader is about listening. Make sure you are listening to your employees. If they gripe or praise you, then listen up. Figure out what every employee is saying about what the product is like and how people are using it. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll take away from listening.

If you want to be a quality leader, you have to be able to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. Too much confidence is only going to set you up for failure as a leader. Instead, focus on strengthening any areas you feel weak in.

As a leader, you should be working towards building a team that is strong and cohesive. Always be open to your team members regarding questions and concerns. Know that when there’s a strong team, your employees will be much more productive with the day-to-day needs because they know people have their backs.

Whenever you can, be open with your team about potential problems. Hiding problems in a business used to be the norm; now, the best leaders are more open. What’s the reason for that? Communication is essential in today’s environment. The truth will come out either way. Why not control the message that comes out, instead of reacting? This is the attitude shared by effective leaders.

No one wants to be seen as an incompetent leader. Know what to avoid and be understanding of what makes a great leader for others. Drive and determination will get you there. The choice is yours; you need to choose wisely.