Cause &
Effective
Increasing effectiveness requires us to do some things differently
“If you do things the same way you have always done them, you'll get the same outcomes you've always gotten. In order the change your outcomes, you've got to do things differently".
Mark Victor Hansen
"BUT, WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY"
How often have you heard that comment when working in a NFP? We bet, more times than you have had breakfast!
However, as nausiating as it is, this comment is very understandable in most NFP's where staff are run off their feet and their primary goal is to get through the day.
So to effect positive changes in any organisation it takes the Board and Leadership Team to step up and make it happen!
CREATING A DOING IT DIFFERENTLY CULTURE
Here are a few ideas of how you may develop and maintain a Doing it Differently (DiD) culture within your organisation.
Introduce a "No Dumb Idea" Policy
Encourage staff at all levels to submit suggestions or observations of how they may become more effective in their roles. Staff meeting are good opportunities to elicit and capture these. It is important that no suggestion is dismissed at the outset as been unworkable, not feasible or just plain crazy. Each should be recorded and feedback provided, preferably at the next meeting.
Conduct Regualr Effectiveness Checks
Annually carry out an Effectiveness Fitness Check as described here. If this activity becomes part of your organisation's annual business routine it can quickly become "how we operate around here".
Implement, Review and Celebrate
Once a bold effectiveness enhancing idea has been identified and stress tested, put it into action! Nothing is worse than dreaming about how things could be and then not doing anything about it. Also, if an idea is implemented and is hitting the mark, internally publicise and celebrate it. If the new initiative originated from an individual or team, recognise the people responsible.
One of the few benefits of aging is that you get to see many things along the journey - such as some innovative ways organisations have chosen to pivot towards greater effectiveness. We would be only too happy to share these experiences and observations with you. Knowing you are not Robinson Curuso in taking a bold step towards greater impact is often very comforting. Why not contact us now for a chat
Also, we have decided to chronicle and share some of the impact enhancing ideas and actions we have observed in our new blog The DiD Files.. Take a look, your next innovative step towards greater effectiveness could be sitting there.
