Jim Morris

Consultant

Jim brings rich experience with organizational development, leadership development and collaboration across nearly four decades, including 30 years as a consultant. His consulting practice focuses on leadership development and durable collaboration / merger.

He’s convinced that capacity building depends on growing strong capable leaders and finding ways for groups to tap into their collective capacity. He believes that organizations can build capacity in three ways:

• Buy it through increased fundraising to invest in capacity
• Build it by growing leadership capabilities within the organization
• Borrow it through collaboration with other organizations with overlapping missions

“The lens I use in all my work as a consultant and an organizational leader is community,” he says. “How can we make this workplace more of a community? How do we engage our community to fulfill our mission? How do we make our community more inclusive?”

When organizations reach out to the community and find ways to build strong coalitions across the boundaries that usually divide, great things happen. He first learned the power of coalitions when serving as board chair for Basic Rights Oregon in the contentious anti-gay ballot initiatives. The group joined together with communities of color, the faith community, and business groups. Everyone had a stake in building strong, healthy communities, looking beyond their individual interests.

“When I take on a new project with a new client, I always start with two questions: Can I see myself as a part of this team? Is this a ‘we’ relationship?” Jim says. “I have to be able to think of my relationship to my client as ‘we.’ If I can embrace the mission, I will be one of the best consultants you have ever worked with.”