"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."
John F. Kennedy
Returning from a Board/Staff retreat over the previous weekend, I thought this quote was timely upon finding it and I thought it worthy of sharing. We all contributed greatly to the productive weekend - discussing our Mission, Vision, Goals and Objectives of the organization.
I know all that attended have passion for our nonprofit and they exhibit strong effort in various ways, but now we have the task of executing the our plans - more specifically, the purpose behind our efforts and the directions in which we are to go.
Too often we all have witnessed managing by the moment or even crisis management - primarily reactive with a sense of unorganized urgency. Whether it be a small business, the government, volunteer organizations or nonprofits, the results that follow those types of systems/processes are unpredictable, inconsistent and less fruitful for all concerned - not to mention the stress it brings to those charged with the tasks inherent. Without clear direction, consistent messaging and commitment to a common goal, the process can be unbearable and frustrating.
I am confident that our directives and understood purpose will propel us to higher levels of success - removing the chances of wasting efforts and/or questioning why we are all here. Through ups and downs in my career, it took some bruising to realize the importance of corraling my courage and efforts in order to truly make the differences I intended and I am fortunate to have learned from my miscues in most instances.
I firmly believe in Identify, Plan & Execute now as my business/personal mantra, but I know I am not perfect and that I have to be adaptive, flexible and anticipatory to changes in those plans.
Thanks JFK for sharing your wisdom, and I hope others can find use for your words.
Thoughts?
Mickey
