Mission & The Louvre

When I saw it, I was shocked.  I’m talking about I. M. Pei’s pyramid, sitting in the center of the Courtyard of Napoleon at The Louvre here in Paris.

How did this happen?

To me, it was like a beautiful tattoo . . . . . on the forehead of a gorgeous woman.  Out of place and disturbing.

But what do I know?  As most of you are aware, The Louvre is one of the world’s largest and most important museums.  And I am certainly not an expert on art, architecture, or museums. 

Thanks to Nathalie & Benoit for participating in my extensive research project.

I decided to do some research.  Why would a museum of such historical significance do such a thing?  How could they stray from their mission?

First, I thought, let’s hear what the people think.  Maybe my reaction is totally off base.  I decided to research the opinions of Parisians.  What did they think of the pyramid?  Fifty percent of all the people I interviewed hated the pyramid, and fifty percent loved it!  There was no middle ground.  Curious.  What’s going on here?  How could there be such disagreement over such an important strategic decision?  Could this be a “mission” problem?

I decided to research the missions of museums.  Why are they here, what do they stand for, what is their intended Aim & Impact?  It turns out that this issue has already been researched.  In his article, “Sixty Museums in Search of a Purpose,” Andras Szanto points out that most museum mission statements are vague.  And a number are quite long, including MoMA’s 420 words and the National Gallery of Art’s 403.

So here’s my conclusion.  The vague mission of The Louvre itself, and museums in general, made this a difficult decision to make.  And then, add to that the fact that The Louvre is far more than a museum.  It is an historical landmark, having first been a fortress and then the palace of kings before it was turned into a museum.  I realize that is the basis of my reaction.  I felt like the pyramid desecrated a landmark.  But, looking at The Louvre more like a museum and piece of art itself, I can see how the pyramid adds to its beauty.  And it is beautiful, especially at night.

The bottom line.  I think it shows again how important it is to get the Aim & Impact of a mission statement right.  Without that, it makes decision-making difficult and can lead to a variety of opinions on what Mission Impact you are trying to make. 

Is your mission clear on the Aim & Impact you intend to make?

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 $100 Billion Challenge

In an effort to help people “Think Outside the Box,” I have developed a new exercise that I invite you to try out as you create visions for the future.

One of the problems in getting people to think creatively is that we are so immersed in our resource constraints that it is difficult to break free from them to dream of what we really want.  So here’s the exercise:

Tell a group that you want them to create a vision of what the organization would look like ideally if they could have it any way they wanted it – with no constraints whatsoever.  Then tell them to imagine that a group of billionaires have pooled their money together to make a grant of up to $100 billion to the organization that presents the most compelling, inspiring vision for their future. 

If you really had $100 billion at your disposal, what kind of organization would you create so you could make the greatest Mission Impact possible?  Freeing us from resource constraints helps put us in touch with our greatest dreams which truly inspire us to make the maximum impact possible.

Try this at your next retreat and watch the creativity flow!

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.

Professional Development Check-Up

#1 – Do you have a written professional development plan?

#2 – Do you update it at least annually?

#3 – Does your plan include specific measurable learning goals that you are committed to achieving during the coming year?

#4 – Does your plan include developmental opportunities that you are actually looking forward to?

#5 – Do you have a method of regularly collecting feedback from your peers, direct reports, and supervisor to get other perspectives on your performance?

If you can answer YES to these five questions, bravo!  If not, it is time to get to work. 

I could make a much longer list, but this five question check-up covers 95% of what you should be thinking about if you are serious about making sure that you are consistently developing yourself for higher performance.

Take the initiative in creating your professional development plan.  Don’t rely on formal organization processes – especially if you are a CEO.

And if I could add a sixth question it would be:  “Do you have an executive coach?”  I know that expense is involved, but more and more professionals – at all levels – are retaining executive coaches.  Just make sure you do your research and interview potential coaches carefully.  These days anyone can call themselves a coach, but may not have the background and experience you need.

Make sure to keep yourself sharp through continued professional development and you will 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.

Teach to Learn

How can you develop your natural talents to make you an even higher performer?

A few blogs ago I went on and on about the idea that we can achieve exceptional personal performance by further developing our natural talents – even when we are already very good at something.

People ask me – how can I do this?  How do I get even better at something I am already very good at?  There are the usual responses like reading more books and taking more classes, etc.  But if you really want to master a subject area or a skill, try teaching it to others.

Teaching others on a topic that you are very good at is a win – win – win.

Win #1:  You get to contribute to the development of others and that feels great.

Win #2:  By requiring yourself to teach others, you will find the need to dig deeper into the hows and whys of what you do.  The questions that people ask you will force you to understand the topic area even more completely.  They will ask questions you had not thought of.

Win #3:  Teaching will be an exhilarating experience for you!  You will be great at it.  Your natural passion and talent will shine through.

This does not have to be a “formal class” for you to teach.  Volunteer to teach something to your co-workers – maybe even over a brown bag lunch.  Find out if local associations or clubs need guest speakers on various topics.  There are lots of venues where you can share your wisdom.

I find that I learn a ton while teaching nonprofit executives in my consulting work and teaching the very talented graduates students in Strategy courses at the University of Maryland.  I am sure you will find the same to be true for 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.