There is only one reason not to engage in strategic planning and that is when the conditions for successful planning are not in place. So what does that mean? What are those conditions? Strategic planning is always a resource-intensive process. Here’s a list of five conditions every organization will want to make sure it has in place before it engages in its planning:

1. Organizational capacity and motivation to monitor and implement the plan, and to hold itself accountable for the outcomes. There’s no sense in spending the time and effort to create a plan only to have it sit on a shelf. If that’s what has happened in past, ask yourselves how this year is going to be different. Why this year must be different? The executive director is surely accountable to the board for the plan’s outcomes; however, the board must never forget that it is, in the final analysis, accountable to its organization’s donors and constitutents.
2. Willingness to take on the organization’s “sacred cows.” The best strategic planning process challenges everyone to think about how the organization can use its resources (time, talent, money) most effectively to impact and advance the mission; for this process to soar, its participants must be invited to respectfully challenge every aspect of the organization.
3. Demonstrable commitment by the board of directors and management to the planning process. By “demonstrable commitment,” I mean to suggest a willingness to be intellectually and emotionally involved in and to otherwise support the process from beginning to end.  
4. Absence of significant organizational conflict or transition at either the board or board/staff level. In order for the board to engage in stategic planning, it will need to be able talk and work together for hours at a time. It will also need to be able to reach consensus about the organization’s priorities. If, for whatever reason, sufficient tension exists at either the board or the board/staff level to make this task impossible or extremely difficult, I recommend the planning be postponed until after the underlying issues can be addressed and resolved.
5. Willingness and ability to commit sufficient resources (and in this case I’m referring to the money) to the planning process. Facilitating your own strategic planning process to save a few dollars is generally inadvisable. When a member of the staff or board is the facilitator, s/he steps out of the role of participant in order to play the role of facilitator and her/his voice is lost from the process.  A professional facilitator is both neutral to the outcome and has no allegiances to particular individuals; her job is to professionally guide the group to the outcome of a well-conceived plan aligned with the mission and grounded in the organization’s resources. A strategic planning process that is effectively done will pay for itself over and over again for years to come.

Nonprofit organizations do amazing work. They are continually asked to do more with less and are rarely given the credit they deserve for making miracles happen. They move at the speed of light — and then strategic planning happens.

Once a year or perhaps every few years, nonprofit organizations slow down just long enough to take a look at themselves. And that’s when the opportunity presents itself; that’s when the organization has the opportunity to do what it’s not permitted to do during the rest of the year by virtue of its day-to-day pace. It is at this moment, that the board and staff members have this delicious opportunity not only to listen to each other, but also to the organization’s external stakeholders. 

As a consultant who interviews stakeholders about the hopes, fears, views, and visions they have for organizations they care so passionately about, I can tell you this is one of the most powerful tools that exists for moving an organization forward.

There are many powerful outcomes from interviewing stakeholders; here are three. 

Quality Data:

Interviews of stakeholders are recommended in order to scan an organization’s environment to find out what key individuals think about the organization’s performance, priorities, and future. The data these interviews generate is as powerful as the questions posed, the process used in selecting stakeholders, and the consultant conducting the interviews and analyzing the data. When the entire process is done well, the data informs the board planning session and the development of long-term goals and objectives. 

Deeper Thinking:

By virtue of being interviewed by an outside consultant, people raise their level of thinking; some will even prepare for their interview. They want to be thoughtful and thorough; they want to share smart ideas which are representative of their best thinking.  As a result, the quality of the feedback they provide in the interviews is generally high. In addition, they often report that they learned a lot from giving the interview, resulting in the internal stakeholders being better prepared going into the board planning session.

Positive Message:

Thirdly, there’s the message your organization communicates when it elects to have its stakeholders (especially its external stakeholders and staff members) interviewed for their opinions. Having interviewed stakeholders, I can tell you that, nearly universally, people appreciate being asked for their views and many even find the process fun; this is so even though the process takes their time (30-60 minutes). In my experience, most are only too happy to give the time.

It is alarmingly rare how often external stakeholders get their voices heard outside of a process like this. In my experience, they want their voices to be heard and, regardless of their level of modesty, believe they have something to offer. So ask! When you do, you will deepen the organizational bond with those stakeholders, raise the quality of the planning conversations, and develop a strategic plan based on the views of your organization’s most valuable players.

It is through the strategic planning process that the board, in collaboration with the staff, sets the organization’s vision. Without this setting and resetting of the organization’s vision, the organization often finds that it has drifted from its mission, wasted the valuable resources entrusted to it, and failed to meet the real needs of its constituents.  

So where to begin? With strategic planning, the end is a great place to start. How does your organization define success? What does success look like? Knowing the definition of success for your organization is essential to writing an effective strategic plan.

 I am a big fan of a 2004 article by Stanford researchers Colby, Stone, and Carttar called “Zeroing in On Impact.” In this article, Colby, Stone, and Carttar discuss two concepts: intended impact and theory of change.

Intended impact and theory of change provide a bridge between a nonprofit’s mission and its programmatic activities. Intended impact is a statement or series of statements about what the organization is trying to achieve and will hold itself accountable for within some manageable period of time.  “Zeroing In On Impact” Colby, Stone & Carttar, Stanford Social Innovation Review (2004).

Using this framework, I recommend your board create an intended impact statement that specifies quantifiable outcomes it can realistically achieve within a set time frame (i.e. five years). This process is best accomplished with the assistance of a competent consultant who will facilitate the process. Properly engaging in this process will require your board to prioritize some desired outcomes over others. To be sure, prioritizing and reaching consensus about desired outcomes are not easy tasks. However, if you’re doing this, your board is engaging in the most important board-level work of the planning process.

While trying to create your organization’s intended impact statement, you’ll explore questions such as:

1. Who are our intended beneficiaries?
2. What are their primary needs?
3. What benefits do our programs/services create?
4. Do the benefits match the needs?
5. What work won’t we do in the coming year(s)?
6. If we could create just three measurable changes in our outcomes over the next five years, what would those be?
7. What work will we take off our plates in order to be more effective?

Once the desired outcomes are prioritized, the staff can more easily prioritize activities and programs based on the degree to which each can contribute to the organization’s desired ends. However, without a set of prioritized outcomes to guide it, an organization can spend a great deal of time, energy, and money on good ideas and well-designed programs and not significantly impact its targeted constituency.

With a well-conceived intended impact statement in place, a strong staff can often engage in critical thinking and planning about theory of change in order to make recommendations back to the board. This involves the staff considering the strategies it has been utilizing to achieve the desired outcomes and whether there might not be more effective ones. The staff is often in the best position to analyze how the organization’s programs might be changed or adjusted in order to more effectively get from resources to impact.

If an organization begins its strategic planning at the end–by defining the most important outcomes it seeks to achieve–it will then truly be able to be strategic with its precious resources, using them to serve its intended beneficiaries in ways that will yield the greatest impact for them and the organization.

January 4, 2010

It’s that time of year. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about what they’re resolving to do differently in the new year. It’s a new year and new goals are in order for all aspects of your life, right? Well, not to so fast, I say. Ninety-four percent of people who make new year’s resolutions don’t end up achieving them. It’s because goal-setting is serious business and goal implementation is even more serious.

So how might you maximize your chances of achieving your new year’s resolutions? A healthy dose of realism and some specific, well-proven strategies will help you avoid being a new year’s statistic. Here are ten of my top tips to get you started and keep you on track towards success:

1.  Start with only one personal and one professional resolution/goal. Choose each wisely after scanning all the areas of your life and then prioritizing. Make sure each goal is your own (and not a goal someone else has for you) and is aligned with your core personal values.  

2. State each resolution/goal in concrete, positive, motivating language. State each goal as though you’ve already achieved it. (“I am physically fit; my healthy body enables me to perform at my best in business and have an active, adventurous personal life.”)

3. Identify the reasons for each resolution/goal. Once you’ve identified each resolution or goal for 2010, list at least 10 reasons why you want to reach each of these goals. Then ask yourself: Do these reasons seem like compelling reasons? Will these reasons provide me the strong motivation I’ll need to achieve my goal? Compelling reasons (and, might I add, a reward/incentive system!) significantly increase one’s likelihood of achieving a goal. Post the reasons in a place where you’ll be able to review them regularly.

4. With every action or decision, ask yourself one question: Is this going to bring me closer or further away from my goal? My personal goal is to be more physically fit. Which action will bring me closer to my goal: running on my treadmill or laying around in my pajamas all day? When I ask that question, there’s no ambiguity about what my decision should be if I’m serious about achieving my goal. Try it! Of course, if you make a decision that brings you further away from your goal, ask yourself how much you really want to achieve the goal. Review the list of 10 reasons for renewed motivation.  

5. Create a plan for each goal and allocate sufficient resources (time, energy, money) to the implementation of the plan. Most change initiatives fail at the implementation state. Create a step-by-step plan with manageable actions you can take to achieve your goal. One step at a time. Make sure it’s logical to you.

6. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself achieving your goal. As I reflect on achieving my goal, I think about questions such as: What would I look and feel like if I were more physically fit? How would I feel in a stronger, healthier body? How might I feel if others noticed a change in my body and commented? How would it feel to have more energy? Utilize this visualization exercise in the beginning and thoughout the process as necessary to sustain your motivation.

7. Don’t go it alone. Share your goal with others. This serves both to create a support system for you and to create pressure on you to achieve your goal (or risk losing face). Find someone who is working on the same or similar goal who will be your accountability partner, pushing you when necessary along the way. Alternatively, create an accountability group. Social networking sites are great ways to find friends and others in your geographic area who are working on the same goal as you.

8. Use images that inspire you. Surround yourself with images that remind you of your achievement of each goal. Perhaps it’s a picture of the reward you’ll provide yourself when you achieve your goal. Or perhaps you might post an image of someone with the focus and commitment to success you seek to emulate. Alternatively, you might post an image of someone who’s already achieved your goal against far greater odds than you might be facing.

9. Reward yourself. Whether you’ve set your goal for a short-term period (i.e. 90 days) or longer, you deserve a reward. And studies show that rewards do work to keep people motivated and moving towards their goals. Some folks incentivize the goal-setting process with betting. They bet their friend (or a third party company) that they will achieve their goal, with cash or a donation to an anticharity on the line. This too, studies show, works to keep people on track. Figure out what most will motivate you across your finish line and set it as your reward. If your goal is longer term, provide yourself rewards along the way.

10. Be patient with yourself. Don’t give up. Achieving your goal, no matter what it is, will take focus and commitment. But if you’ve selected wisely, you’ve set goals around the most important changes you’d like to make in your life and work in 2010. And certainly those are worth making happen!

January 2, 2010

You don’t need to turn on Saturday cartoons to find a superhero. Today’s nonprofit organizations are filled with them.  Women and men who, time and time again, accomplish what the rest of us think isn’t possible with the resources at hand.

Webster’s describes a “superhero” as having “extraordinary or superhuman powers.” Nonprofit organizations everywhere are led by extraordinary women and men who work long hours and make great sacrifices for their organizations, staff members, and constituents. Their passion is amazing, their commitment to their causes is without end, and their results are truly superhuman.

But here are some questions I raise for our collective consideration: Is the existing model–one that encourages executive directors (and other staff members) to work at superhuman levels day in and day out–one that is in the best interests of any organization? Can this model be sustained for as long as the organization needs to exist in order to achieve its mission? Are we experiencing a greater number of executive transitions as a result of our use of this model? If so, at what cost?

I’m here to suggest we encourage and support today’s executive directors in cutting back on the “superhuman” part. Human, not superhuman, must be the standard that we as boards of directors and as a society accept–and appreciate–from our executive directors and the nonprofits they lead. This is especially true in times where resources are more scarce. Today, executive directors are commonly asked to do more–not less–on less. Say what? Isn’t this the very definition of superhuman?

In order to achieve the organizational change I suggest, the executive director needs the help of the board of directors. If an organization’s key priorities are to be changed–which priorities ultimately drive the allocation of resources, including staff time–the board must make this happen.  When the board of directors takes a proactive step towards realistically adjusting the organization’s priorities, it will move towards a healthier and more sustainable operating model with a leader, not a superhero, at the helm.

-July 18, 2009

Enjoy New Chapter Coaching’s spring newsletter!

At the close of coaching sessions, I ask clients what they would like to be held accountable for in the coming week. In response, they list those actions they commit to taking before we meet again that will advance them towards their end goal. They set the deadline and they reconfirm that they would like me to hold them accountable.  Though I play an active role in this process, the decisions about accountabiity ultimately rest with the client. This element of coaching–called accountability–is one of the most powerful aspects of the coaching process.

Some clients elect to take on significant responsibility and others less, but each client takes responsibility for doing something before we meet again.  Some clients outline what they will allow me to hold them accountable for out of a sense of obligation to the process and me. Afterall, they’ve signed a coaching agreement which states that they will make a good faith effort to continually work towards the achievement of their goals. Others ask me to hold them accountable because they wish, as Mirriam-Webster puts it “to accept responsibility for [their] actions.” Individuals who begin by acting out of a sense of obligation often transition to acting for themselves–not for me, or out of guilt or duty–after they begin to see the results from their own work.

I sometimes compare the accountability element of coaching to WeightWatchers meetings.  People around the world attend weekly WeightWatchers meetings at which they “weigh in.” These institutionalized check-ins enable people to accomplish goals–both small and life-changing–they haven’t been able to accomplish on their own. Though competition in the weight loss industry is fierce and changes have been plentiful, WeightWatchers continues to offer these weekly meetings. The formula and company have been an overwhelming success for 46 years.

When clients say to me that they will do something, they know that I expect them to do it or to be able to explain the obstacles they encountered in trying to do so. They know that I will support them with resources and, as appropriate, check in on them during the week. I’ll make myself available for a brief “power call” to get them through a tough spot and moving forwards to action. But in the end, I can’t and won’t do the work that is theirs to do. To do so would undermine the entire coaching process.

More often than not, the element of accountability creates action where there was inaction. Like the process of the WeightWatchers “weigh in,” accountability works in coaching because it provides individuals with an opportunity not only to make progress, but also to show it off. In sharing the week’s progress with me, their coach, clients get immediate feedback about their work. This sharing enhances the clients’ ability to see and feel the genuine progress they’re making and more progress that is possible; this makes visible what was invisible and, in doing so, brings forth transformation.

In connection with an executive transition, boards of directors often spend countless hours (more often than not unpaid) over a period of many months searching for the candidate they believe will best lead their organization into the future. The direct and indirect costs expended by an organization to recruit and hire a new executive are significant, though most organizations do not calculate these costs. If organizations did track these expenses, I’m rather confident that they would spend more time in the post-hire period ensuring that this critical investment was protected. Instead, too often boards of directors, fatigued by the search and relieved to have found who they believe is the ideal candidate, turn the reigns over to the new leader and breathe a sigh of relief. Their work, so they think, is done, at least for a while. In my view, if boards of directors want their new executive directors to succeed–and want to avoid having to navigate another executive transition anytime soon–then they must recognize that their most important work is in the months (sometimes as many as 12 mos.) ahead of them.

In order to succeed, new executive directors need a wide range of post-hire support from across the organization. Boards of directors in particular must provide executive directors with five critical things:

1. Job description. Make sure your new executive director has a copy of this document.
2. Roles and responsibilities. Provide a document that distinguishes the roles and responsibilities of the executive director from those of the board of directors or, at a minimum, have a discussion with her/him about these issues;
3. Expectations. Provide a document outlining what the board believes it should be able to expect from the executive and what the executive should be able to expect from the board of directors or, at a minimum, have a discussion with her/him about these issues;
4. Monitoring. Provide a document outlining how and when the executive will be monitored/supervised (e.g. weekly check-ins with Board President or monthly Executive Committee meetings); and
5. Evaluation. Provide a document outlining how and when the executive will be evaluated. (e.g. 90 day evaluation; annual performance review)

Over the years, I’ve heard more than a few horror stories about the actions of boards of directors in connection with the orientation period of their new executives. These stories compel me to share a few more tips about how to ensure that you don’t unwittingly diminish the tenure of your new executive.

• Consider a policy that prevents your outgoing executive director from cycling immediately onto the board of directors. New executive directors deserve the opportunity to create their own vision and demonstrate their leadership free of the complications of a former executive director.
• Respect your new executive director in how you make decisions about who sits on your board of directors and in what positions. I’ve heard of two scenarios that are very troubling and highly problematic for new executive directors: 1) organizations that take the names of losing executive director finalists and turn the names over to the board development committee only to lead to those finalists being added to the board of directors; and 2) organizations that quickly promote to board president a member of their board of directors who was an unsuccessful candidate for executive director.  If these individuals applied for the director position, clearly they have ideas about how the organization should be run. Refrain from putting such individuals in a position where they might–at the expense of your new executive director–try to impress the rest of the board with why they made the wrong decision about who to hire.
• Be sure to formally evaluate your executive and to do so in a timely manner. I recommend that you conduct 90 day and annual evaluations (and others, if necessary.). This process is not only good HR practice, but is also feedback which is often desired by the executive in order to help her/him enhance her/his performance. Another benefit to the evaluation process is that it sometimes reveals to a board of directors that an executive director is struggling more than the board realizes–and than the executive has admitted–and that the board needs to take action to address the executive’s needs. 

If the candidate was good enough to hire, s/he is good enough to continue to invest post-hire support in until you–and they–are confident that they are “up and running” in their new job. If you’ve made a good hire, this is one investment you won’t regret.

Every career coach and counselor will tell you that if you’re unemployed the key to getting back in the workforce is networking. But that begs the question. How do you network well? And what tools are the best?

These days you hear a lot about the use of social networking in the career development field. For strictly professional use, LinkedIn is no. 1. The size of its network expands daily as the unemployment rate rises. People post their photo, credentials and testimonials on their profile and search for others with whom to make a connection.

With over 175 million users, Facebook is also a tool utilized by those searching for a job. It enables you to easily and quickly build a network of long lost high school and college friends, as well as current day friends and family members who you can then keep informed about your employment status. With one posted note, you can tell your entire network that you’re unemployed, what kind of work you’re looking for and where, and how they might be of help to you. With this action, you can create a team of people expanded out across your geographic area helping you track down good leads for an interview or job. It’s as valuable as your friends are dedicated to helping you.

But here’s my concern. As the obsession with the new fangled social networking grows–as well as with text messaging and twittering–the use of the old-fashioned social networking tools seems to wane. If you’re looking for a job, you can’t twitter your way there. Facebook and LinkedIn are good resources and I recommend their use, but they are no substitute for a good old-fashioned phone call.  

Email is impersonal. It is safe. It is one way communication; it is not a dialogue. It tells the other person little or nothing about you and fails to give you an opportunity to distinguish yourself. When you email someone, all they do is read one more email in perhaps hundreds they’ve received that day. They don’t hear your voice and tone as they read the words.

On the other hand, when you call them, you give yourself a viable opportunity to make a personal connection with them. When you call, the other person hears the passion, sincerity, and eagerness in your voice.  Maybe you make them laugh.  Maybe in the course of the call you discover a common interest you share. These few seconds or minutes are priceless when you’re trying to make connections that might result in gainful employment. These opportunities must not be passed off to email.

Suggested Action Items

(n.b. As you explore these suggestions, try to connect with people via phone and in person, rather than via email, etc.)

• Identify your current network; the friends, family, and others who you are prepared to tell of your unemployment and whose help you are willing to enlist in your effort to regain employment. 1. Explore how you can expand this network. 2. Share with each member of your network what you’re looking for, where, and specifically what help you’d like from them. (e.g. Generate testimonial for LinkedIn; arrange a meeting with someone they know; keep an eye out for a particular kind of position) Some individuals on your list will warrant receiving this information in person, others via phone, and, if the list is large, you may need to resort to email for some. (Where a member of your network is also, for example, a well known member of the community, you might seek to meet the person for a coffee to discuss your needs.) I recommend the list be tiered according to how likely the person is going to be willing and able to help you with your search.  
• Expand your network by increasing your visibility. See Been Laid Off? Rebound With Networking.
• Have fun! Find something you like to do and get out and do it with other people. Create opportunities for your “true self” to shine where others can see you, even if these aren’t professional settings. In this way, you will connect with people who will become new members of your network, even if they can’t attest to your work.

There are several ways for you to measure a professional development tool and each of these applies with equal force to coaching. These measures include the following:                                       

• Personal Satisfaction: Were you satisfied by the experience? Did you like or enjoy it?
• Self-Learning: Did you learn anything new about yourself as a result of the experience? Any new insights or information that was worthwhile? Have any behaviors changed as a result of the experience?
• Practical Application: How did you apply in your personal life or work what you learned about yourself through the coaching program?
• Behavioral Impact: Did the use of these new behaviors generate new/different results at work or in your personal life?
• Return on Investment: Did the financial benefits of the coaching exceed the cost?

Of all these measures, it seems that special emphasis has consistently been placed on the return on investment. Research on the topic demonstrates that coaching consistently yields a favorable benefit-to-cost ratio. The most recent research is as follows:

1. A Manchester Consulting Group study of Fortune 100 executives: Coaching yielded a return on investment of almost six times the program cost.
2. A study of a Fortune 500 company by MetrixGlobal found: Executive coaching yielded a 529% return on investment.
3. An International Personnel Management Assocation survey found: Productivity increased 88% when coaching was combined with training.
4. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company found: Coaching program yielded a return on investment of over 500% in measurable gains.

How many of your investments are getting a return of even 10%, never mind 500%? And aren’t you or your business worth this kind of investment in the coming year? In survey after survey, these return on investment figures demonstrate that the risk of such an investment is remarkably low when compared with the concrete, measurable benefits that a customized program will generate with an experienced coach and committed client.

Suggested Action Items:

• Take some time in the next week to reflect upon your top few goals for the coming year. Focus on the ones that are most on your mind. Write them down on a piece of paper.
• With one or more of these goals in mind, reflect on this question: What amount of money would it be worth to you to accomplish your goals in 2009?  
• Explore the cost of coaching (either business or life, and remember to apply the discount!) and do your own benefit-to-cost analysis. Go to Business Coaching Packages.