Fighting Gravity

Why is it that even the most inspiring visions sometimes . . . fizzle?

It’s because excellence and true leadership are really, really hard.

It’s like Fighting Gravity.

Fighting Gravity was also a fun ska band from Richmond once upon a time.

Gravity – normalness – pulls at us every day.  Try to escape gravity by pulling away from the “norm” to do something “special,” “unique,” and “exceptional?”  Gravity tries to pull you back down.  “Who are you to try to do something so different and special?  Aren’t you busy enough just trying to keep up with the day to day?”

Of course you are.

Here are three ideas for keeping vision alive.

#1.  Keep talking about it.  Remind one another at the beginning of every staff meeting and every board meeting.  “This is where we are going, and why, and how it will make a difference.”

#2.  Track your progress and talk about it.  Remind one another regularly – at staff and board meetings – of the progress you are making toward the vision.  We often get so caught up in the “doing” that we don’t appreciate our successes.

#3.  Surround yourself with pictures, posters, inspirational messages that remind you of your vision and mission.  I was inspired by the great pictures of kids on the walls of the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore when I visited there and by the artwork made by clients at Healthcare for the Homeless.

Keep your vision alive, fight gravity, and make even more of a 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.