Strategic Doing, by Morrison, Hutcheson, Nilson, Fadden, and Franklin
The world changes too fast for conventional 5-year strategic plans with detailed action steps to be useful: better to focus on agile leadership, or “strategic doing.”
If I remember two concepts from this book, they will be:
Meaningful participation at every stage of the project ensures success.
“Bring a brick, not a cathedral,” applies beyond the improv world to the world of strategic planning as well. The Cathedral will be better for it, even if it’s hard to picture at first, because everyone can bring their best brick instead of one person bringing a mix of their best bricks and their weak leftovers. Plus people will be more willing to maintain or adapt or expand the Cathedral they built more than one that just appeared one day. (And there will be many fewer zoning battles as well.)
Another key to meaningful participation is opening the conversation with the right question. For example, “Is it possible for all students in the third grade to read at the third-grade level?” Great questions surprise and touch hearts. They prompt stories that foster relationships. They put a new lens on reality that opens the group to exciting possibilities.
2. An iterative process generates momentum despite uncertainties: Do. Learn. Adjust.
To decide what to do, collectively identify outcomes using “prospection,” or remembering the future. Spur this process by asking questions like:
“If we are successful, what will we see?
“What will we feel?”
“Whose lives will be different and how?”
After generating the list of ideal outcomes, decide where to start by creating a 2x2 “Big Easy” grid that compares impact and effort. Start with the biggest impact for least effort. Also aim for a starting project that is short (90-120 days), engages everyone on the team, creates a buzz, tests some key assumptions, and doesn't require permission.
From there, set regular checkpoints, such as a 30/30 meeting, that asks: What did we learn in the last 30 days? What will we do in the next 30 days?
Strategic Doing recommends scratching conventional strategic planning for strategic process. Creating a meaningful true north and an agreed-upon process for collaborative action–all led by an effective “Chief Doing Officer–will achieve previously-unimaginable outcomes.
Do I recommend Strategic Doing to nonprofit leaders?
Yes, this book will be helpful to nonprofit leaders who are considering embarking on a strategic planning process. However, it’s not a linear “how to” guide, so requires some effort to imagine how exactly one would apply the key lessons. I also want to note (perhaps a little defensively), that the authors were contrasting their process against “conventional strategic planning,” which hasn’t been my experience. I’ve been a part of dozens of strategic planning processes, and most already incorporated more of these concepts than the authors would have expected. Still, the book compiles important building blocks that will almost certainly be useful as you build your cathedral.
