Adapt, but don’t change course. Your mission needs to be pretty permanent. The mission of an organization, it takes a lot to change that. The same thing with core values. As you define your core values, they shouldn’t vary. What really does vary is how you achieve that mission. In a strategic plan, we might come up with some goals for the next three to five years, and in year two, we might determine, for whatever reason, that the world has changed and some of those goals might not be achievable. That is when you adapt. It doesn’t necessarily mean your mission has changed, it means that some of your goals relative to that mission might need to be adjusted.
Deciding when to adapt is typically an accumulation of indicators and signs. You start to realize that because you’re not making progress, you begin to realize that you need to make some changes. Typically, the indicators come from people on the ground, a program director coming back and saying that they’re running into problems. You’re trying to offer a service in this particular area and it’s not taking hold, things like that. So you take that information and look into it. Is it something you’re doing wrong, or is it actually something you thought was going to be viable and it’s not? It’s the accumulation of information that you receive from the people trying to put these plans into action, then you look at the information and see if you need to push harder or maybe pull back and try something else. To me, it’s all about gathering information from the people in the field, listening to what they’re saying.
Keep communicating. At the end of the day, a good communicator is someone who is open and honest, someone who is not trying to have an agenda, someone who is trying to be very explicit with people. If there is an issue that is going to be sensitive with someone, I need to go talk to them directly, allow them to understand what my viewpoint is and why we’re making a particular decision. You need to take the time to be sure that the people involved all understand the different points of view and the reasoning behind the decision that is being made. But you also have to understand why some people might be concerned about it and see if you can get to a point where you are on the same page with them.
I have to stay engaged and in touch. I have to know what is going on at all levels of the organization. When I’m out in the community talking about what is going on, I don’t want to be making comments that have no basis in reality. I want to be certain that whatever I say to the community is really what is going on. If I lose touch with the specifics of what is going on, it is very difficult to be an effective communicator and be a visionary for the community.
We have a formal line of communication. I have a chief operating officer, and often, she is the mouthpiece for all of the directors that report to her. That is sort of the official line of communication. But in addition, I’ll have my own conversations with them, and I just try to be available, as well, be involved as far as being visible, walking the halls, stopping in someone’s office and seeing how things are going. So it’s kind of a combination of informal touches with people and the primary line of communication through the chief operating officer.
How to reach: Christian Community Action, (972) 219-4357 or www.ccahelps.org
