Wants, Needs and Deliverables

A question was posed recently about what nonprofit Board members need or won't do without. There are so many appropriate responses to such a question. As I reflected upon the key points I might share, it become evident that people are people who have wants of organizations (or the people leading/staffing them).

Consider the following in light of shaping a nonprofit Board members' experience or that of a volunteer, a coworker or someone for whom you have management responsibility ... Give to others, demand for self and deliver among colleagues:

• Clarity of role, responsibilities and expectations.
• Context on issues and impacts.
• Efficient use of time.
• Effective leveraging of talents.

So, now, dig deep and think about what you can do to deliver on the wants & needs of any person who gives of themselves to advance an organization's intent.

Culture shift is possible

There is a reason some words take on a buzz. Words like 'empowerment' and 'collaboration.' It's because at a core level, people want the good feelings that go along with what those words have come to mean and to represent. People want respect. Workers want to believe that their colleagues and their bosses believe they have something of value to contribute. Plus, as human beings, we want connections. We've come to believe that things work better when the people are working together. After all, two heads are better than one. There has, too, been a recurring, expressed desire for more entrepreneurial cultures in organizations of all types, sizes and sectors. A cry for innovation. A call for new thinking. And, in some cases a caution for the responsibility that goes along with all such good things.

In late March, Monitor released an excellent framework that speaks to the opportunities of infusing an entrepreneurial culture and the bold, courageous moves required by leadership to help it take hold and be sustained. It asserts that companies "do have the power to break down the cultural and organizational barriers to entrepreneurship" and it identifies three inter-connected enablers required to move it forward along with the five levers for making it work.

For me, examining their findings, my eyes were opened to why I am consistently drawn to organizations in transition and those trying to break beyond business as usual. The consideration for executive leadership, aligned incentives, clear direction, celebration of things good and things learned, and the overwhelming power of one's space ring true. As do the enabling connections between intention, action and impression.

Power Relationships Shape Success

Understanding organizations is about understanding people -- and all the complexities and context that go along with their individual survival and group dependencies. A recent Harvard Business Review blog posting walks through the value of wise leaders and those who cultivate such knowledge, it further points to the absolute necessity of understanding the power relationships among the people and the ideals that drive an organization's behaviors and actions. Those power relationships are critical and something that people often fail to examine with a true eye toward learning and growth. They tend rather to view them from the surface in order to assess how they might manipulate or use them to advantage. Give away those tendencies, dive deeper into the organization toward the interdependencies of the various levels and the dynamics of how the broader good (through the individual contributor) might be advanced. You might discover ways to grow and succeed unlike any you've known before. Seek to understand how best to grow the people and you might become more insightful about how to grow the organization.

Find your transformation agents within

Sometimes organizational transformation has to be signaled, driven and reinforced from within the very culture it seeks to influence. Consultants can be helpful for framing processes and facilitating examinations. Yet, the consultant can only survey the scene, it is the people inside of the organization who have to solve the problem(s) by living forward the transformation long after the consultant leaves.

So, before jumping to a consultant as part of your effective transformational strategy, look inward for ambassadors and agents. (You might even find someone not only capable of helping you move forward but also eager to make that contribution.) And, if your search from the top to the bottom of your org chart reveals a willingness for change but a lack of understanding for how to make it possible, then consider how you'll get better results if your consultant of choice works from a platform of employee engagement.

Four cornerstones to progress

When you're ready to move, manage the details and focus on engaging people in a sound process.

1. Start with clarity on what needs to be accomplished.
2. Spark curiosity to inspire possibilities.
3. Garner commitment to the determined direction.
4. And, drive communication clearly and consistently through implementation.

Four cornerstones for strategic thinking and practical planning that gets the intended results.

The discipline of transformation

Organizational transformation is tough stuff for most people. It takes a discipline that has become more and more scarce (perhaps reflecting how discipline in its more traditional forms has been fading in our Western society). Leaders must take a hard look inside themselves to be clear on how capable they are to lead the charge, maintain momentum and continually reframe progress as positive and possible. They must consider what attracts them about the culture and what they are willing to adapt when the cultural norms begin to exert their powerful influence for status quo.

For once the transformation process begins, they must focus and be disciplined in both their communications and in their actions. People are watching -- often often waiting to circle the wagons with business as usual. The leader who remains focused on the end game, reinforces aligned actions and corrects out-of-step behaviors makes it possible for people to believe in the possibilities of the new way. It also helps preserve those good things about the corporate culture that brought the good people there in the first place.

A New Order

Executives have a responsibility to simplify. They achieve it by making clear decisions, providing consistent context and articulating strategic themes.

Managers have a responsibility to focus. They achieve it by deliberating resources, deflecting distractions and articulating strategic direction.

Supervisors have a responsibility to clarify. They achieve it by discerning priorities, securing intentions and articulating strategic connections.

Staffs have a responsibility to deliver. They achieve it by seeking clarification, framing issues and taking strategic actions.

Dig for Reality

Surface issues come with surface solutions. You pave over the underlying issue and you leave it to wreak havoc another day. Effective professionals don't take the pass. They ask the "why" question over and again to root out the underlying issue. They dig a bit deeper to determine if a system is awry or merely a process has gone sour. And, then they work it. They identify the root cause and make a practical assessment if it is something that can be yanked out or something that is going to take a bit more of a strategic de-rooting. But, they don't stop at the surface. Dig.

Strategists Must Be Grounded

The problem with a strategist not grounded by some aspect of implementation is that they reinvent good ideas time and again without recognizing the micro-steps of progress being made or the energy required to advance the new way of thinking. And, for whatever reason, they tend to re-engage at the moment when those deep in implementation are overwhelmed.

So, for those strategists who go from idea to idea, think about that which you do and the impact of your next new idea ... and, for people working them strategists, don't accept the folly -- you have the right to put the brakes on that new initiative and/or question its priority in light of the other initiatives intended to be implemented!

Simple Tools for Stronger Teams

Don't run from simple tools or simple models when working to build a team. The danger is not in the use of simple models, it is in the simplistic interpretation of the resulting insights. Simple models in the hands of strong facilitators and insightful translators can be profound and powerful. They can cut through the "consultant speak" accusations and get people thinking in a fresh way. They can surprise doubters with the richness of the results and win over worriers with their ease. In times of trouble, when people feel conflicted, complexity only gives rise to doubt and skepticism. Give stressed-out people well-designed simplicity and give them the space and freedom to break barriers, bond with colleagues and explore new frontiers. They become powerful allies in whatever you seek to accomplish.

The Race From Accountability

Why is it that people work so hard to avoid being accountable? If you become accountable for something, you get the opportunity to celebrate its achievement. When you step up and offer a solution, you get to savor the moment of possibility. The point at which you say, "I will," you gain stature. Sure, there's the risk ... the possibility of failure. Yet, without that turning point toward commitment, you languish.

A Manager's Duty

A manager's primary duty is to help his/her employees succeed. Positioning them for success. Providing them with appropriate resources to complete assignments and tasks. Prioritizing work to promote quality completion and to help avoid burn-out. Asking questions to ensure clarity. Pushing them to build skills and expand their thinking. And, sometimes, counseling them out of their position to something that is a better fit.

Some managers become focused on their ascention and they lose sight of the need to help their people succeed as part of that process. Some forget what it takes to actually do the tasks involved and forget that their role is to prioritize not add-on. Some just keep doing what they were doing before they became a manager and are unable to realize the human relationships for which they are now responsible.

And, some excel. Find those people in your organization and appreciate them. Find them in others and learn from them. All in all, observe and learn ... they may be doing the same of you.

Strategic Planning or Plain Planning?

Strategic planning is something special. It engages people. It introduces different ways of thinking. It relies upon the exchange of ideas and information. Planning, on the other hand, is routine. It works within confines and focuses on the process. It is just plain planning.

For your next planning pursuit, be clear on whether the intention is for it to be strategic and introduce new thinking or plainly practical to move something forward. Both deliver value, they are just designed for different purposes. So know your purpose and label accordingly.

Generally speaking, consider the following distinctions ...

If it's strategic, the expectation is for new information, the space allows for creative thinking and the method fosters dialogue and communication among people.

If it's plain, the expectation is for sequencing, the space shapes defined progress from here to there and the method drives to charts and timelines.

The Executive Priority is Priorities

Executives in an organization have a responsibility to set and maintain priorities. They determine direction based on their position and ability to see across functional silos. They collect inputs, knowledge and feedback to discern strategies and establish goals for tangible progress. And, to advance those basic responsibilities they must determine priorities for the people who will implement and execute.

And, by setting and maintaining priorities they don't keep piling one thing upon the other. Once you've piled two things atop each other, let alone five to ten, you diminish productivity. Those of you who follow me know that against what I might at time profess, I believe people are fundamentally good. That means I believe that fundamentally people want to do a good job -- perhaps not the same good job as you want them to do, but that's the subject for another post.

I've seen it inside and I've seen it from the outside consulting in, when people feel overwhelmed or overloaded, you lose them (and not because they want to get lost). You reduce their abilities to stay focused and to find their way to fulfilling the corporate need. So, here's something to consider. The higher up the organizational chart you are, the more restraint you have to show in creating "fast track projects" or proclaiming that you need the analysis and recommendation on a major organizational undertaking "by the end of the month." Do it and remove something. Consider that your people are doing the day-to-day work that has to get done, and if you have those urgent needs then someone else needs to take on doing the routine assignments.

Executives must prioritize people, which means prioritizing priorities.

Stop the Text-Based Themes!

Seriously, please stop using "texting language" to derive themes. The language of texting is like secret code -- secret code for, well, juveniles. Sure, those of us who text have used the conveniences of texting abbreviations. But think about ... is that really the message you want to send to your audience? That you don't have the time to give them a complete thought.

I've seen it often because the adult decision-makers want to connect with the "younger generation" or they want to believe they are "hip," so whether it is the ad agency or the internal committee, everyone goes along for the ride. They think about the theme and then figure out how to convert it into some sort of "text language."

(imagine a fore-lorn up-talk tone with a slight tilt of the head) Real-ly ...

Stop it.

Texting is meant to be seen. Themes are meant to be seen -- and heard. Most of the attempts I've seen don't make that bridge. I'm not saying it can't work, I'm just offering that it usually doesn't. Next time you're tempted, stop and think about whether or not that is truly the best way to inspire your audience and provide a platform from which you can build multi-media and multi-sensory messages that engage your stakeholders.

Up-Front Clarity Helps Overcome Challenges in Strategic Planning

No matter which sector you are in, your people care about strategic planning --- equally. Different organizations in different sub-sectors have difficult cultures that influence the processes differently, yet one doesn't feel it necessarily more than another. When I hear organizational leaders who hit a challenge in the process start talking about how perhaps their group cares more or lives it more or some other aspect about how they are so much more complex or involved than what another group/sector must be, it speaks more to an inability to work through challenging points in the process or challenging dynamics within the organization. It also prompts delay and erodes commitment. One way to promote the process through those challenges is to garner greater clarity up front among those involved and those affected about the strategic planning process, including what strategic planning is, how they fit into the process and what they can expect to come out of it. A primer from the leaders, supported by the contracted consultant, before activities begin can go a long way to providing touch points that move everyone toward the commonly accepted outcome.

An Easier Route for Nonprofit Advocacy

There is a great deal of teeth gnashing among the nonprofit community in Wisconsin about the need for advocacy. The subject returned to the surface this week at the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association 2010 Summit. Discussion ensued about finding nonprofit groups of influence who could bring the message to the legislative table with the clout that would get decision-makers to listen. Ideas floated about how nonprofit organizations might band together in raising a common voice. Proclamations were made that a march on the capital would engage nonprofit leaders and advance the cause. All great things. Yet, all things requiring time, strategic focus and resources --- three of things I continue to hear from executive directors are lost in the pressing demands of delivering programs and keeping day-to-day operations moving forward.

So, my suggestion is to make it a bit easier. Consider if each nonprofit identified a policy-related change that would advance their mission and enhance their impact. This selection could take its direction from others (e.g., the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association is ratifying policy positions at the close of the 2010 Summit). Then, they create the storyline of why that change is needed, how it might advance the nonprofit's intended impact, when it affects the theory of change and who is needed to make it happen. That story becomes central to its communication with stakeholders -- staff, Board members, volunteers, individuals served, donors, etc. There becomes a call to action that aligns with the nonprofit's activities and the decision-makers timeline.

A nonprofit builds longevity through the people connected to its cause. Rather than focusing energy on a large-scale collaborative endeavor toward change. Start in the backyard with the people you know to care about your cause, then go see the neighbors and find out what it might take to play well together.

It's Official: the blog is on hiatus

Sometimes the best thing we can do to make progress is to acknowledge that we aren't making it -- or at least in all of the areas we had expected. With that thought in mind, I make it official that I'm on a bit of a hiatus from the blog. You may have noticed the posts are a bit more infrequent these past few months. I have my reasons. None of them have to do with a lack of energy, insight or dedication. So, now, I simply must acknowledge publicly that I'm taking a few more weeks. Next week in the mountains. The weeks thereafter to come back to sea level. And while I might not be making as much progress as I would like here, you can follow more frequent progress in my sharing of resources and tips by becoming a fan of Timpano on Facebook.

Clarity in Mission Aids Effectiveness

Particularly in ages of uncertainly, people crave clarity and connection. Mission statements can provide it, when they are grounded in practicality and at the core a larger ideology that speaks to desired accomplishments, behaviors and impressions.

Stefan Stern questions the need for mission statements in his blog for The Financial Times. He does so in the context of the current issues with Google in China. The question of Google's "mission statement" is fascinating. Stern suggests "don't be evil" is cliche and over-reaching, that it is trouble for the company. Perhaps, yet others might suggest it is brilliant and a true indicator that Google sees no boundaries in the potential for its products or service offerings of the future. For me, it smacks of an operating principle that got packaged into a mission statement.

A powerful mission statement helps people within the organization understand its purpose. It is specific to the organization's culture and a cornerstone for decision-making at all levels. Mission statements driven by dreams and lacking context may inspire yet they rarely provide clarity to someone searching for purpose.

Jobseekers: Quit Looking to Nonprofits to Nurture Your Soul

I'm compelled to confront. I'm hearing a lot of people talking about wanting to transition into the nonprofit sector because they've had it with their soul-sucking for-profit employer. They want to feel better about what they do and while I don't begrudge anyone satisfaction with how they spend their working hours, I do ask people to start reframing their thinking.

There are as many nuances among the cultures of nonprofit organizations as there are among those within the for-profit sector. It becomes dangerous to lump them together, expect that they all feed the soul when in fact there are many, many mission-driven or purpose-led companies within the for-profit sector that feed the heart as much as the head.

Answering the question of fit is as much looking inside one's own expectations, desires and intentions as it is examining the culture of the potential organizations. The nonprofit sector can be immensely rewarding, it can also be as intensely crushing as for-profit environments -- with similar and with very different reasons.

My suggestion regarding fit is to start with the qualities you seek, what you wish for your legacy and ask focused questions of potential employers to discern what might work best for you. Research online, request informational interviews with people publicly identified as a stakeholder with the organization, and be true to your own intentions. Good luck!