What if strategic planning could work better for your organization?

This week, I was on the Nonprofit Radio podcast to talk about one-page strategic planning and how it can help us let go of creating "perfect plans" and instead focus on building strong strategy.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of an incredibly powerful piece of legislation being signed into law, but it's likely flown under your radar.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on October 28, 1974 to prohibit creditors and lenders from discrimination against applicants on the basis of marital status or sex.

Soon after, Congress amended the law to further prohibit lending discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, the receipt of public assistance income, or exercising one’s rights under certain consumer protection laws.

Most nonprofit executives have no problem setting goals or defining success in broad terms for their organization.

But when it comes to actually realizing that success, I see leaders struggling with something important.

It’s translating that broad vision into the tangible ways the team will experience success once the organization gets there.

Here’s a critical mindset shift that will improve every aspect of your organization’s strategy, change resiliency, and organizational effectiveness.

Shift your focus from ideal to intentional.

Dreaming about possibilities for the future is important, joyful, and necessary.

It’s good to explore what our organization can do for the people we serve and can be for the people who power our organization.

But when we convert those dreams into an expectation that we will create an “ideal” organization, we set ourselves – and our teams – up for failure.

Big change can come from seemingly small choices.

When you're working for a "cure" - whether to health, social, or environmental problems - it may seem like small choices aren't enough.

Like they might not matter.

But making things better while we search for cures has an undeniable impact.

My husband and I recently saw one of our favorite bands – the Canadian pop-punk group Marianas Trench – perform live.

Within the first few minutes of the performance, it was clear something was a little off.

Josh Ramsay - the powerful lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter - seemed to be having issues with his microphone. And his voice, while still impressive, wasn’t as strong as usual.

What he did next is an example all leaders can learn from.

Who on your team is struggling right now?

We're nearing the end of Q3, gearing up for the gauntlet of Q4, and I can promise you - someone on your team is underwater.

Unfortunately, even when working for great, empathetic leaders, there are teammates who may never feel comfortable saying they're having a tough time or asking for help.

The Result: your team member is spiraling into burnout, big things are getting missed, quality is dipping, and no one is feeling great about how things are going.

What's the better approach?

When was the last time you really practiced something?

The farther we rise in our careers, the easier it is to avoid trying - and practicing - new things.

We forget all the hours we spent earlier in our career learning what we know now - and the ways our leaders or supervisors created that space for us to learn and get better (i.e., to practice).

Today, we hear advice like "fail fast" or "don't be afraid of failure" - but if you're like most nonprofit execs I know - heck, most humans I know - failure doesn't really feel like an option.

Nonprofit Executives - here's how to make the next 1-3 years easier, more collaborative, and more successful for your organization.

Make sure your organization's budget supports your strategy.

Organizations roll out strategic plans claiming they will guide the organization's growth and impact over the next several years.

But when it comes to day-to-day operations - the work that actually gets done - it's usually the budget, not the strategy, that drives what people work on.

One of the myths of strategy is that it's about pursuing new, more, different, or "better" ideas.

There's this belief that "better" ideas mean we'll attract more funding and be more likely to succeed.

Here's the truth.

Most organizations are FULL of great ideas, but...

→ They struggle with which ones to pursue, or
→ They may not be the right organization to implement them.

Which is why knowing who you are is an essential component of strong strategy.