Be Aspirational, Not Foolish

Originally, the title was going to say “Be Aspirational, Not Stupid,” but I decided not to be that harsh.

I spend a lot of time encouraging people to be aspirational with vision and to set Almost Impossible Goals (read more here).  But some people only hear part of the message.  I also say that when you set a goal that has a 1% chance of succeeding, this means it has a 99% chance of failing.  It's solid math.

And – you should not set an Almost Impossible Goal that you are unwilling to fail at.  Thoughtfully consider the worst probably outcome if you failed at the goal.  Would it really be that bad?  With the proper safeguards, probably not.

Example.

So you want to set an Almost Impossible Goal to increase your annual fund by 150% in hopes that it will spur new innovative ideas you have never tried before?  Great!  Just don’t put that number in your budget.  That would be st . . . foolish!  Budgets should be conservative.

The purpose of Almost Impossible Goals is to get you to think of new and creative ways of accomplishing what is most important to you.  Set the goals, brainstorm, and – if you come up with something you think has promise then test it out.  If the test looks good then expand your experiments.  Be responsible about it.

Dream Big!  You can be a responsible dreamer.  It’s called leadership.

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.

Succession Preparation vs Planning

“We need a succession plan.”  I hear this from CEOs and, more often, Board members who are concerned about CEO retirement or departure.

While this is a healthy thing to think about, I suggest that you need “succession preparation” more than you need “succession planning.”  In large corporations, succession planning is about identifying, developing, and evaluating potential CEOs over a period of years.  This is usually not possible or even ideal in a nonprofit.  But you should do “succession preparation.”

Three key elements of succession preparation are:

1.  An Emergency Transition Plan in the event that the CEO is incapacitated for a significant period of time.  Which person or persons would take on the CEO’s responsibilities during this interim period?  Have they been trained on what to do?  Do they have at least some relationship with key stakeholders so they could take on these responsibilities?  All too often, CEOs hold a lot of information only in their heads.  You need to get this written down.  And you might want emergency plans for other key staff.

2.  Cross Training for all staff.  Here is the test.  Every person on your staff should be able to take a two week vacation to Bora Bora with no email or phone access.  While they are gone, someone else should have been cross-trained to be able to perform their essential functions.

3.  Professional Development Plans for all staff.  An organization can be more resilient through staff transitions when all staff are continually improving their skills and talents.

For more great information on staff transitions, check out resources available through Transition Guides – now a part of Raffa.  Proper "succession preparation" can help your organization “prepare, pivot, & thrive” through transitions and continue making an important 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.

Set Your 2016 Goals Now!

Happy 2016!

As is my annual tradition, I will start the new year out with a reminder of my advice from an article I wrote in The Washington Post a couple of years back: “Set Goals, Not Resolutions.”  And also see my full article on The Power of Goals at this link.

If it’s time for you to set those once-a-year resolutions that you know will fade by March, then this article is not for you.

But if you are ready to make a long-term commitment to achieving higher levels of performance and having more satisfaction in life, then consider getting serious about goal-setting:

*Set goals as outcomes – on what you really want, not the activities that may lead toward them.

*Make sure that all your goals are SMRT:  Specific, Measurable, Relevant, Time-Bound

*Use the right “A” in your SMART goal formula.  All goals need to be SMRT.  But to be SMART you need to pick the “A” that is right for your situation. Here are your options:

1.  Attainable Goals, which you have an 80+% chance of accomplishing, are good if failing will have many negative consequences.  Attainable goals are good to build some momentum with easy wins, or to learn more about new environments, or if you are concerned about getting discouraged.

2.  Aggressive Goals, which you have a 35% chance of accomplishing, will improve your performance.  Research shows that the more difficult the goal, the higher the level of performance.*  If you feel like you have a good system and you want to maximize performance of it, then this method will help you do it.

3.  Almost Impossible Stretch Goals, which you have a 1% chance of accomplishing, will require you to design innovative ways of going about accomplishing your goal.  “Working harder” on the same process won’t do it.  You have an opportunity for breakthrough performance with Almost Impossible Stretch Goals.

*Celebrate Noble Failure.  If you are inspired to pursue a goal and you go for it, but you don’t make it all the way, then appreciate the progress you have made and appreciate that you worked hard at something you really cared about.  This mind-set will bring you more long-term success than letting the fear of failure keep you from doing what truly inspires you.

I provide more extensive detail on goal setting in this article, The Power of Goals.  If you use these principles and apply them to your personal and work life then I promise you much higher levels of performance, fulfillment, and satisfaction.   But it only works if you take it on as a true, committed discipline – not a once a year fad.  Good luck with all of your goals!

*A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance, by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham

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.

More Than Fundraising Needed

“We cannot fundraise our way out of government cutbacks!!! Board members whose organizations serve low income and disadvantaged populations must advocate for the clients they serve.”

-Chuck Loring, BoardSource Senior Governance Associate & Senior Partner; Loring Sternberg, Associates

Chuck Loring is an expert in Board Governance and Fundraising.  He is a former nonprofit CEO and a leading nonprofit consultant (full disclosure – he is also a friend).

I think that Chuck’s words here are a rally cry for every Board member of every nonprofit organization in America.  And, in fact, he is part of a real rally.

The rally is called Stand For Your Mission.  It is a campaign which calls on all nonprofit decision-makers to stand for the organizations they believe in by actively representing their missions and values, and creating public will for important policy changes.  It is a collaborative effort initiated by the Alliance for Justice, BoardSource, the Campion Foundation, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the Knight Foundation, and the National Council of Nonprofits, the campaign seeks to unleash the full potential of nonprofits to advance their missions by engaging board leaders more directly in the advocacy work of their organizations.

Some of the goals include:

*Bring about a sustainable shift in the understanding and expectations around board engagement in advocacy

*Move advocacy from an ancillary to an essential role for all board members

*Strengthen our collective ability to advance the public good

Check out their web site and see how you and your Board can be involved.  We all need to be even stronger advocates for our causes regarding public policy so we 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.

Promoting Mission & Values

We know that mission, vision, and values are core to the identity of any organization.  And I often tell leaders that one of their most important responsibilities is to keep these in the forefront of their coworkers minds.  But how do you do that?

Recently, Dr. Alex Triantis – our Dean at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland – had our marketing/communications and facilities teams work together to post our Mission and Values on nice big signs at the front entrance of our building, right by the elevators.  They have been there for a while now, but the other day I realized how much I liked them there.  What better things to look at to help you focus as you begin another day at work!

Our values include:

*We do the right things the right way.

*We embrace challenges and opportunities.

*We have a collective passion for excellence.

How can you not get fired up looking at that first thing in the morning!?!

And our mission includes the phrase “We equip current and future leaders to assess complex problems and deliver innovative solutions.”  I tell our EMBAs that we expect them to be Innovative, Impact Leaders.

You can read more about our mission and values at this link.

What can you do to help keep your mission, vision, and values in the forefront of people's minds in your organization?  Big signs may not be the answer for everyone.  But there are ways – big and small – that you can help keep the importance of your Mission Impact alive for people.  You are only limited by your creativity.

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.