Think Big. Start Small. Act Fast. I shared those words at Wipfli's 12th Annual Management Conference, and at least for me, those words generated a great deal of feedback and conversation. (I owe Seth and Eileen, since they are the ones who shared the power of those words with me.) As a trainer and a consultant, I’m never sure what impact I will have on those I work with, and I always hope to leave at least one nugget of knowledge for someone to take away and use to improve their organization and themselves. This year, the nugget seems to have been those three short phrases.
Execution: Our conference theme this year was “Moving Beyond Strategy” to execution.To me, execution invokes not only action, but positive change leading to success. We need to take our big ideas, our little starts, and our quick movements and turn them into the results the people we serve expect from us. We can't let them down.
Uncertainty: This is our world, at least for now. Your sources of funds are not as certain as they once were. However, people in your communities need your services more than ever. I expected more discussion at the conference about this gap. Instead, the discussion I heard was an even more earnest focus on mission. In fact, I heard from one organization this week who challenged a possible change to the overarching mission of community action. I was proud of this organization's action and the result they achieved. They focused on the certainty of mission and are determined to find new methods to overcome the gaps between funding and need.
Think Big. Start Small. Act Fast; Execution; and Uncertainty.These are the challenges organizations are facing. It's not the economy, nor is it funding. It's not an article in Time magazine nor political fights. These can influence organizations, but they should not define the outcomes achieved. Each organization has the capacity to achieve their mission, to improve their level of services, to make sure they are in compliance, and to grow. I challenge everyone to find this capacity, use it, and succeed.
At the conference, I saw the positive energy. I heard the talk of moving forward. Our trainers and associates brainstormed many positive actions. Now, three weeks have passed. So one more challenge: Execute. Follow through on your ideas. Call us if you need help or just need to brainstorm a little. Call or e-mail first, and I will make sure you get to the right person. We are all in this together, and I believe you will succeed in achieving your mission.
Finally, please share with us, in the comments to this blog, what you are executing today to overcome your gaps. Let's learn from each other and continue to successfully focus on our missions.