I can’t lie. I was rattled when I first read Disruptions on the Horizon, which identifies the likelihood and impact of many large disruptive forces. We are living in an incredibly uncertain and destabilizing time. How do we possibly find our way in this landscape? One thing I learned leading United Way Winnipeg through the pandemic is that when the world goes wild, the fundamentals matter a lot.
At the start of the pandemic, I remember thinking our strategic plan would go out the window, but in fact, it is what grounded us.
Our organization went into the pandemic from a position of strength – our team (board, leadership group and staff) were rooted in our mission, vision, and values. We had a strong people-centred culture. We knew who we were, what we were about and what was important. And we cared about each other.
Lesson – Have the fundamentals in place that ensure your team is aligned and engaged. A strong team will help weather any storm.
From the start, we embraced the concept of never letting a crisis go to waste and leaned into the opportunity to conduct workplace fundraising virtually (advance digitally), for example. We collaborated with others to design and establish six youth mental health hubs (change systems and innovate). We advanced some of our strategic directions quickly during the pandemic. The key was already knowing where we wanted to go and actively seizing opportunities.
Lesson – Know your environment and articulate thoughtful strength-based strategies for the organization. Keep them current and actively look for the gifts in the chaos.
While our strategic plan both grounded and guided us during the pandemic, for the first 8 months, we had no operational plan at all. Day by day, we moved from one thing to another to another and solved problem after problem. We went sideways a few times. We were ad hoc, reactionary, unfocused at times, and stressed. We did our best and got through it, but it didn’t feel good. And it was an important reminder.
Lesson – Operational plans bring focus and stability to the day-to-day. When today’s world is so unsettled, there isn’t the bandwidth to be scattered, and your team needs less stress, not more. Do operational planning.
And finally, in disruptive times, everyone is under a lot of stress. During the pandemic, I vividly remember lying on the couch in our living room before a big all-staff meeting. I didn’t know if I had the strength to get through the meeting. I was exhausted. The weight of keeping the team safe and engaged, responding to significant community needs, and bringing energy to fundraise took everything I had. In the end, I retired a few years earlier than planned because I ran out of fuel (not passion for the work, but fuel).
Lesson – Learn to take care of yourself now and never forget how to. Your family, your team and this community need you.
These complex and challenging times require all the fundamentals of high-performing organizations – a solid foundation of mission and values, smart strategy to guide opportunity finding, operational plans to focus energies and human-centred, adaptive leaders who take care of themselves.
PS – I’m now refuelled. 🙂
