Unfolding Logic - Commitment

I was speaking with a group of SCORE clients the other day and was pleased how they opened new questions to discuss. Little things at first, then larger questions that opened complex issues for examination. In my ten years with SCORE, questions have been basic and task oriented. Concept driven issues were rarely a focus unless I raised them.

Our gathering the other day came to center on relationships and how to manage them, and ultimately to strategic planning as a guide for board and staff in tackling the future of an organization. That last thought is often a sleeper. Most people do not grasp the importance of the issue. In my mind, this is the core point: How do you get a diverse group of people focused on the purpose of the organization, so much so that they dream together of a larger, more distant future for the organization?

In subsequent work with that group, the topic of scale arises. How big does the organization have to be to tackle the really important issues we know need attention? If we are going to make a difference in the world, how do we build an organization to do just that?

At the forefront are Mission and Vision. Mission is the purpose of an organization distilled to what the hoped-for outcome of the organization’s work. The mission needs to be briefly stated, maybe only a focused phrase that captures the pure essence of what we hope to achieve.

Vision is a description of how the organization builds its structure to tackle the mission for major effect on desired outcomes. How big – or small – do we have to be to achieve the dream? Logic soon tells us that vision is a moving target. The organization shifts and changes many times over many years in order to do its business and create outcomes that matter. All are driven by the commitment to the mission.

This type of work by a group soon has another effect: they become a working team to make things happen they know will achieve their mission, their purpose. The passion of the organization becomes a very real, shared passion. They know what they are doing as a group. Efforts become focused and effective. Missteps are recognized early and repaired. New ideas are tested and employed. The group grows its ability to live the organization’s experience.

Yes. This is the effect of good strategic planning. It is based on the basics of the organization – its purpose or mission, and its manageable operating size over time – within the context of shared mission and vision for that organization. It is the birthing of shared passions.

Experience has taught me that nonprofit organizations gain success through this path. Experience has also taught me that organizations that fail to see success materialize, often have troubles with the basics of planning.

I have learned to use strategic planning as both a tool to assess an organization’s capabilities at any given time, and a tool that guides groups to successful realization of their mission. This work is not based on an individual. It is based on a group’s grasp of its own shared values and purpose. From that point, all is possible. Without it, nothing much happens.

Planning. It is often a dirty word to people. Properly done, it makes all the difference in the world.

December 11, 2023