Welcome to this the third installment focused on Radical IMPACT!  We are devoting eight months of this newsletter to unpacking the eight elements that must be present and properly functioning in an organization for it to achieve Radical IMPACT!  We refer to these as the P8 Radical Impact Development Engine (RIDE) – engineering your organization for maximum performance and IMPACT.  Last month this column focused on passion; click here if you want to read that installment or the series introduction.  

This month our focus is on the second foundational ‘P’of the P8 RIDE – People.  This is not deeply profound, but it is fundamentally true -- it is impossible for an organization to thrive apart from people. And typically, those that work at a nonprofit have a special interest in the success of the organization.  These employees, or communities of people, are assembling together to achieve some sort of common good for clients, communities or causes.  Our belief is that if groups are investing their time, talents and treasures they are best served by addressing the root causes or fundamental issues among the clients, communities or causes they serve and markedly depart from the status quo resulting in lasting change which is Radical IMPACT!  

You may consider yourself to be a visionary leader – many people do.  You may be motivated, perhaps even driven for a great purpose – but if you are going alone – you are not a leader.  The fundamental test of leadership is having followers.  If you are flying solo and no one is following you – you may be a visionary, but you are not a leader.  Leaders have followers and leaders intentionally invest in relationships and build a committed team.  

As Jim Collins, in his best-seller Good to Great, observes the first task in building a great organization is getting the right people on the bus.  Jim uses the bus as a metaphor for organizations.  Getting the right people involved with your organization is a key task for non-profit leaders of all organizations.  Start-up organizations compete for awareness and recognition in the community.  Existing organizations struggle with burnout (donor and volunteer fatigue) and must constantly renew their efforts to keep people engaged.

Engaging the right people is fundamental to long-term success and IMPACT.  Do you have clear answers to the following questions?

• Do we have the right people on the bus?
• If we have the right people on the bus, are they in right seats?
• If our bus is a little short on people, where do we need the right people in our organization?
• How do we identify?  What makes them the right people?
• How do we develop a proactive strategy to identify, recruit and retain the right people to join our organization?    

Let’s briefly explore some areas where having the right people is essential to Radical IMPACT.  

Organizational Leadership – it is absolutely imperative that you have the right people in the right places of leadership in your organization.  Two areas that are most critical are the Board of Directors and the chief executive (Executive Director) of the organization.  These are vital to the long-term success of your organization and compromises here diminish your IMPACT.  

It is a real challenge for many leaders to honestly assess their leadership strengths and limits and recognize areas where they must surround themselves with other people to help shoulder the load.  There is a story in Old Testament literature about a leader of a largely successful enterprise and the challenges he faced with people.  You may be familiar with Moses who led a group of exiles (more than 1 million in number) out of Egypt.  He had some help from Aaron and Miriam, but was shouldering much of the leadership burden alone spending his days mediating the issues of a million people – you think you have issues – just imagine that caseload.  

Jethro, his wise father-in-law looked at this situation and observed that Moses could not continue shouldering this load alone. He was very specific to Moses and point blank said ‘your approach is wrong and the task is too heavy for you – you cannot bear it alone’.  This is a realization we all have to face.  We must surround ourselves with others we can trust to help share the load and shoulder our burden.  

For non-profit organizations one key group that shares this leadership load is the Board of Directors.  By law in the United States this group serves as the stewards of the mission, vision and resources of the non-profit.  However, the majority of non-profit organizations struggle building effective boards and the board experience is frustrating for most directors.  This must change to achieve and sustain Radical IMPACT!

Developing strong, effective boards begins with getting the right people to serve on the board, equipping them for success and engaging them in the on-going strategic development of the organization.  Outside help may be necessary to assess your organization and help devise a plan to build a great board and equip your directors for effective service.  Don’t delay any longer – take the next step now.  

Staffing – is another key area where having the right people “on the bus” is essential to maximizing your IMPACT.  In regards to staffing one of the key considerations of determining the right people is finding those who share the vision, values and mission - the organization’s DNA.  You can address training and skill development issues that may be missing in the right people AND you must.  But those who have the right skills and training, but do not share the DNA are NOT the right people for the organization.   

Organizations must be intentional in developing strategies to identify and recruit the right people as paid and volunteer staff to further the organization’s mission.  Once these people are joined to the organization, it is important to focus on retaining them.  Too many nonprofit organizations simply abuse their staff (paid and volunteer).  These organizations must come to terms with what Frederick F. Reichheld termed The Loyalty Effect.  He writes, “Over the next decade, thousands of businesses will come to realize that their most important assets are their human assets – their customers, employees and investors – and that to build winning strategies, they have to find ways to attract and develop the right human assets and earn their loyalty.”  Nonprofits should be leading the pack  as those who recognize and embrace the value of human dignity.  

Donors and funders are another arena where investing time in nurturing relationships with ‘the right people’ pays rich dividends to the organization.  Some years ago I picked up a quote from Ms. Barbara Sabol of The Kellogg Foundation – “Relationships are primary, all else is derivative.”  If cultivating private or institutional relationships is a priority for you (and it should be), then you should appreciate the importance of developing and nurturing relationships with ‘the right people’.   Today’s donors seek a higher level of involvement with the organizations and causes they support.  Many are eager to invest their time and talents in addition to their treasures.  Finding ways to engage donors in volunteer service or leadership activities strengthens the ties between the donor and your organization.  It is also important to appropriately thank donors for their involvement and support.   

Finding the right people, engaging them, valuing them and recognizing them for their support is absolutely essential to achieving Radical IMPACT!  By the way, we appreciate all of you that we are fortunate to know and serve.  Thanks for taking your valuable time to read this.  Feel free to contact and share your thoughts with us.