501 Focused

  “ Be Prepared. . .the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise. ” - Sir Robert Baden-Powell Scouting is in my blood; my grandfather was an early leader in Boy Scouts and I spent many years as a Girl Scout. My husband and son are currently involved in Boy Scouts, too, so I understand the motto “Be Prepared.” You can handle most things that come along if you have a plan, training, and the right resources. This applies to lots of things in life, but is especially true of strategic planning. The preparation aspect of the process is crucial to a succesful outcome. Unfortunately, it’s one of the the most overlooked and undervalued. In the last post, we talked about how Vision and Mission form the core of strong strategic planning. Whether you are starting up a new organization or refreshing an already existing one, these two statements/ideas...

“ Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference. ” - Joel Barker This past year or so has been tough for a lot of people - and for a lot of organizations. Many are struggling to find a job, to find health insurance coverage, to find donors and members. . . Inspiration to seek a better way can be hard when you’re just trying to get through each day, but dreaming of what the future can hold is sometimes the driving force for change. In the last post we covered Mission Statements - the foundation of your existence and operations . Once you’ve defined who you are, it’s time to move to who you want to be. That’s where a Vision Statement comes in. Your dreams are found in the Vision Statement; how does the future “you” look? The Mission and Vision Statements should tie together so that you don’t veer too far off from one trying to attain the other. Consider this as the destination you want to reach,...

“ If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else. ” - Yogi Berra I’m a map lover. I can get “lost” looking at maps for hours at a time. And if you ask me to be the navigator on a road trip, my heart starts to flutter. GPS has not made it into my household yet, and may not anytime soon, as that would take away my need to look at maps in a more organic way. It’s not always just about the best, most efficient method of getting someplace. It’s sometimes about the side roads that can get you where you want to go and what you might discover along the way. I always find something new when I look at a map, but I also try to scope out the best route for the trip based on my car, the traffic, weather conditions, if I’m travelling alone or with others, and how much time I really have to get there. I think of strategic planning in a similar way. It helps provide a road map of where you need to go and the best ways to get there. Like map-reading -- at least for me -- t...