The RFP (Request For Proposal) process used by non-profit organizations has got to stop. It is inefficient and ineffective. There is no way it is in the best interests of your organization. Furthermore, there is no one in my global network of excellent consultants willing to participate and I’m sure we are not the only ones opting out. Let’s start with the inefficiency
The wraps are coming off the incredibly ubiquitous attitudes, habits, and behaviors involving sexual harassment. #MeToo tags echoing across social media should leave no doubt that pretty much every woman has been negatively affected. It’s hard for me to believe this is news to anyone, but apparently, it is. In which case, it is high time! So what does this mean for your company?
The biggest problem with the way organizations think about strategy is they confuse strategy with plans. They aren’t the same thing. Strategic planning is an oxymoron. It is also the reason why strategic planning often misses the mark and why I always work extra closely with prospective clients to clarify expectations before I even agree to work with them. Let’s start with a definition
From 37 floors up, Sarajevo is beautiful, nestled in the mountains with a river running through it. You can spot the quaint, almost Turkish, old town immediately adjacent to the grand palaces built while the city was a fashionable spot in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The diversity continues to impress with minarets, an Eastern Orthodox church, a Cathedral, and a Synagogue all within blocks of each other. Zoom in to street level and the evidence of fighting amongst those factions during the 1990s is obvious. Bullet scars still mar prominent buildings right downtown. Mortar blooms still mark the pavement. Ravaged buildings are still awaiting repair or demolition. But from the tower, only those who know where to look can spot the damage.
I am frequently asked about goal setting and how to know if expectations are reasonable. The norm these days is long To Do lists and insufficient time. Managers push their employees hard, but don’t know what constitutes pushing too hard. Employees are proud and eager to be valuable and appreciated, but they feel stressed, are running full tilt, and often work late and on weekends. So how can anyone know what is realistic? There is only one way to be sure expectations are reasonable and that way usually fails.
Work should be challenging and satisfying. It should fire you up to accomplish as much as you can and give you that great feeling of having made a difference. Unfortunately, those feelings are too rare. Too many people feel overwhelmed and overloaded. They leave work each day feeling they didn’t accomplish enough. They suffer feelings of inadequacy and frustration. They question whether their employers are reasonable and fair. Some slip into victimhood, blame their employers, and abdicate responsibility for their own success and happiness. Persistent feelings of inadequacy and unreasonable pressure are both destructive. They eat away at a person’s confidence and determination. The goal should be to leave work each day feeling good about what you have accomplished and ready to make more progress the next day. There is simply no value in feeling overwhelmed or unhappy with your day at work. One question I hear frequently is, “How do we know what constitutes reasonable goals?”
“Do you want to start or should I? This is the worst possible way to open a meeting. And, yet, it is also among the most common. Epidemic, actually. I think it must be contagious. Why is it bad?
I just finished reading survey responses about strategic priorities from a senior management team. The lack of consistency in their responses reminded of an experience I had on the island of Kerkennah off the coast of Tunisia.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret new information as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs and theories. And it is the only way to explain how Trump’s speech to the Boy Scouts can simultaneously be seen as breaking every Boy Scout rule and upholding the values of the Boy Scouts. We hear what we want to hear. Regardless of your own beliefs, you can’t listen to the daily and starkly opposing interpretations of every political news story and not be impressed with the incredible power of confirmation bias. Of course, you might conclude that only the idiots on the opposite side of each issue are guilty of confirmation bias. You might be quite sure that your interpretation is the only rational and fact-based reaction. You’d be wrong.