What Does a Great Strategy Report Look Like?

I am often asked about what a good strategy report looks like – the kind you would submit to your Board and then use to guide your organization for the coming years.

I have seen this done well by a number of organizations, and done poorly by even more.  But, recently I had a chance to work with a group – Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore – which I think has done an excellent job at this.  They have made it public so you can check it out here.

One of the great things about this report is that I, as their consultant, didn’t write it.  When Kevin Lindamood, their CEO, held a conference call with the strategy committee who had been working on the process to review the report, one Board member asked “Who wrote this?”  This is a particularly hard-nosed Board member.  So, I held my breath after Kevin said “I did.”  The Board member said “Well . . . I’ll just say that I have seen many, many strategy reports from nonprofits over the years . . . and this is the best one I have ever seen.”  Exhale.

Certainly, I collaborated with Kevin on the report.  But it was his words, his perspective that captured the work that the strategy planning group had done for a few months.

If I was you, I would be asking “So what?”  Who cares if it was a good “report?”  Great question.

I am teaching a Nonprofit Strategy course to graduate students at the University of Maryland this term and I tell the students that the test of a good strategy is that it actually informs reality – implementation.  I submit that because Kevin wrote the final report, and owned it, that it gave the organization a better chance of actually implementing it.

So, last week we had Kevin in as a guest speaker to the class.  And guess what?  The strategy his Board approved back in July is actually rolling along in the implementation phase.  It’s not easy.  None of this “making a difference” stuff is easy.  But the vision, goals, and strategy they set are guiding them as they lay out their annual operational plan and work to serve the homeless of Baltimore even more effectively.  Staff work groups are being formed around each goal and they are engaged in making their vision and goals a reality.  Now that’s a great strategy report.

Do you have a strategy that is actually guiding your performance to make even more of a Mission Impact?  A consultant can facilitate your process, but don’t let a consultant write your strategy – it’s yours.  

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Thankfulness & Savoring

You probably don’t have time to read this because you are ON THE GO!

Same here.  In fact, I didn’t have time to write this because I am ON THE GO!

But, if you take a couple of minutes to read this it just might improve your quality of life.

I have been reading some of the positive psychology books recently, two in particular by Martin Seligman.  One is Learned Optimism, which I recommend.  The other is Authentic Happiness, which – if you like the first one, check it out as well.

The positive psychology movement is targeted at showing us how we can take the good things in our lives and make them even better – or “to make normal life even more fulfilling” versus fixing what is wrong with us.

Here are a few takeaways from the research.

*Optimistic people are more successful and have happier lives.  And you can actually learn to be more optimistic.  Really.   Check out the book.

*People who regularly take the time to be thankful for what they have in their lives are happier – more fulfilled.

*And finally, people who take the time to slow down and “savor” what is good in their lives are also happier and more fulfilled.

I understand those last two ideas, but it is hard for me to put them into practice because I am always ON THE GO!

However, this past Thanksgiving morning I decided that I should “slow down” a bit and try to be extra thankful – and to savor the day.  This turned out to be a very cool experiment.

*I was thankful for the beautiful day I had during my four hour drive to see my Dad.  I savored the beauty of the sunny fall sky.

*I tried to make every minute with my Dad really count – savoring the moments.  He’s 87+ so who knows how much longer I will have time with him.  I am so thankful for him.

*During our Thanksgiving meal at one of his favorite restaurants, I decided to slow down and really savor the Lobster Bisque.  I actually noticed that they had put a lobster shaped cracker on top.  Mighty tasty and nice presentation.

*I savored our conversation.  I really tried to listen carefully to Dad and was really appreciating what an amazing man he is.  I tried to focus on him rather than all of the other millions of things running through my mind (what will the next blog be about?).

*It was a very fulfilling day – I think I will always remember it.

Okay.  Thanksgiving is over, but I am trying to take the lesson I learned that day and apply it in at least some small ways every day.  Like you, I am ON THE GO!  But life is a little sweeter when we slow down a bit, recognize what we are thankful for, and savor the good things we have in our lives.

Happy Thankful Savoring to you.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Laser Focus

I have been looking over a bunch of strategic plans for nonprofits recently, and one huge thing jumps out at me – No Focus!

Your strategy should provide you with Laser Focus.

This is why the cornerstone of the strategy process I use with nonprofits is their three – five strategic goals for the next five years.  And then, after SWOT analysis, we add the strategic themes that will guide them toward success.

If you have a big hulking strategic plan document hanging around somewhere, I encourage you to give it a quick makeover.  Look over all the stuff your plan says you are going to do.  Then ask yourself, “What are the overall three – five most important outcome-based goals that we want to accomplish during the next three - five years.”  Make sure that the goals are specific and measurable.

Then make a new cover sheet for your strategic plan that says LASER FOCUS at the top and list the goals.  Make copies of the cover sheet and hand it out to staff and Board members if you want to make sure everyone is on the same “page.”

It’s the KISS Principle.  Keep It Simple Sweetheart.  Give yourself Laser Focus and your organization will make even more of a Mission Impact.

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Chess or Checkers?

They are played on the same board, but the two games could not be more different.

The rules for checkers are straight-forward and easy to learn.  The same rules apply to each piece on the board.

Chess has many more rules and there are different rules about how many of the pieces can move.  The key in being a successful chess player is to understand the “interdependence” of the different pieces and how you can orchestrate their moves in a way that they complement one another – leading to a final victory.

Many leaders and managers today think they are playing checkers, when they are really involved in a high stakes game of chess.  And they wonder why their strategies won’t work as they fail to take into account the interdependencies of their actions on other parts of the playing board on which they are operating.

The takeaway?  As a leader and manager, make sure you consider the impact your actions have on the other parts of the organization.  Collective actions within the organization need to complement overall performance in order for the organization to win.  Understanding the interactions of the parts is key.

Actually, complicated as it is, chess is much easier than leading an organization.

A one dimensional chess board against one opponent is simplistic compared to the multi-dimensional stakeholders, external forces, and competitors that face organization leaders today.  It is much more like the Star Trek version of chess – it is played on multiple levels at the same time.

Take thoughtful care to considering the ripple effects your actions will have throughout the organization – on various levels.  Ask yourself and others about the implications of your intended actions.  If you can orchestrate these well, you can set your organization moving forward in a virtuous cycle of success with enhanced Mission Impact.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

The Coming Revolution

It’s been coming for more than five hundred years and it has reached many organizations already.  If it has not reached yours yet – then maybe you need to start the revolution.  It’s the overthrow of Hero Leadership.

The revolution has its roots as far back as the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s.  Part of the "reforms" involved people saying they deserved direct access to understanding God’s will and it did not have to be discerned through a Priest.  This shifted the role of clergy.

The same sentiment swept Europe with the overthrow of monarchies two hundred years later.  People wanted direct access to decisions on how they were governed.  This has certainly shifted the role of Kings and Queens.

Another two hundred years later the revolution has finally reached companies, government, and nonprofit organizations.  People want direct access into how their organization is run.  It is the end of the boss being the Hero who is supposed to know everything and make all decisions in her or his “divine” wisdom.  It’s not the end of hierarchy and I am not saying that all decisions will be made by consensus or majority vote.  But it is the beginning of making sure that people are afforded a meaningful voice into how their organization is run.  The role of the "boss" has to shift to be more facilitator and collaborator -- less "King" or "Hero."

Gurus like Russ Ackoff and Gary Hamel have been foretelling of this change for years.  Ackoff called it a “democratic” form of organizational structure.  You can read more about Hamel’s views in his regular newsletter or see an example of how he influenced Cisco to make “democratic” changes in this article from Fast Company.

Do the people on your team feel like they have a meaningful voice in how your organization is run?  Are they regularly given the opportunity to share their ideas at the strategic, as well as the operational level?  Do they feel that their opinions count? 

If you answer “no” to these questions, then I am suggesting that you are losing out on a lot of potentially good ideas for improving your performance.  It today’s complex environment, we need to harness the talents of everyone on the team.  Moreover, the most talented people have more freedom today to move to organizations which appreciate them.  You run the risk of losing your best people to those who will involve them more.

Democracy.  How revolutionary!  Power to the People.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.