Most funders fail at this. Are you one of them?
About a year ago I decided to publish another book. I went so far as to write “publish book by year’s end” on a yellow post-it and stuck it next to my computer so that I’d see it every day. And then I let a bunch of other stuff get in the way. Client deadlines, speaking engagements, scheduling camp for my kids. I hadn’t made the book a priority, so nothing happened.
A year later I changed. I made the book one of my top three priorities. Then I made a list of the most important things I needed to do to publish it. I blocked out time in my calendar to work on the book every day, even if all I did was something minimal. I informed my team that this book was priority and they all had roles to play in making it happen. This meant “publish book” became a top agenda item on all calls with my marketing consultant. That way we wouldn’t get sidetracked by other activities. I told my accountant, and we discussed the book’s revenue and tax implications. I told my husband, because somehow telling him things out loud makes them happen.
The result? I had a signed contract with one of the world’s most prominent business book publishers five weeks later.
If I hadn’t made the book a top priority, shared it with my team, and held us all accountable, it never would have happened.
Is this something you would like to do? I can help! Simply reply to this email or schedule a time to talk!
In last week’s newsletter, I shared my five reasons why strategic plans rarely get implemented. I also promised to share with you 10 steps to implement anything quickly– whether it’s writing a book, implementing a new strategy, or planning a surprise party.
In my 20 years of experience advising philanthropists of all sizes and types, few take the first step and most never cross the finish line. Are you one of them?
Take this simple test! Read all the steps below. Think about the last big thing you tried to implement and give yourself a point for each step you took. Be honest!
For the purpose of this list, let’s assume that the big thing you want to implement is your strategic plan:
Step 1. Choose the three critical issues that must be resolved quickly, or your strategy will fail. Most funders skip this step, but it’s the most important. Brainstorm the top three priorities — the things that absolutely need to happen next — in order to implement your strategy. I’m talking about the top priorities for your entire operation (whether you are a donor advised fund, corporate giving program, or an association), not each individual’s own priorities. If you don’t have clarity about your top implementation priorities, your strategic plan either won’t get implemented or it will take three times as long. It’s that simple.
Step 2. Assign priority champions. For each priority, pick a person who will be responsible for it. This person does not need to do everything, but they need to make sure a specific priority happens and they need to be held accountable.
Step 3. Tell everyone. Every single person at every level of your organization, be it program officers, finance directors, family members, or the receptionist, need to know the top implementation priorities. Write them down on easel paper and hang up copies in the conference room, in the hallways, and in the lunch room. Everyone needs to keep these priorities top of mind.
Step 4. Give each priority its own punch list. Ask priority champions to create a list of the top 5-10 most important things that need to happen next for their priority. For each item add a deadline. Keep it simple. It needn’t be a full-blown work plan. In fact, at this stage such a plan would be unrealistic and slow things down.
Step 5. Help everyone understand their role. Other than your priority champions, who else needs to be involved? Tackling a new issue might involve your team working together in new ways. For example, your director of charitable giving might be accountable for your top priority to dramatically speed up all grantmaking activities, but she needs to involve the grants manager, the finance team, the communications director, the receptionist, and so forth.
Step 6. Review progress with your entire team. Ask priority champions to regularly share progress with everyone. Staff meetings are a great place to do this. Top implementation priorities should be the first agenda item at every meeting. Priority champions bring their lists and update everyone on progress. That holds them accountable, and lets your team troubleshoot and solve problems together. This should happen at least bi-weekly to start.
Step 7. Identify supporters and resisters. Strategy implementation involves change. Some on your team will enthusiastically embrace the change. Harness their enthusiasm and engage their leadership. Some will resist. Help them see how it’s in their self-interest to get on board. Sometimes your strongest resisters can become your staunchest allies.
Step 8. Move quickly. The quicker you can begin implementing your strategic plan, the more momentum you will gain. The more momentum you gain, the quicker everyone gets on board (including the resisters) and the faster you achieve results. Think of implementation as a series of short sprints, not a marathon.
Step 9. Make hard decisions. Sometimes, the new strategy is simply not the right fit for members of your team. There might be people who can’t or don’t want to get on board. This happened last week at Facebook, where a longtime senior executive and friend of Mark Zuckerberg (and someone viewed as Zuckerberg’s future successor) stepped down because he disagreed with the CEO’s new strategy to focus on private messaging. Bottom line: successful strategy implementation might call for a parting of ways.
Step 10. Celebrate success. Just as you share the top priorities and implementation progress with your whole team, regularly share successes. These can be big accomplishments (we created our first communications plan!), wonky wins (woo-hoo, we re-coded our grants management system!), and tiny victories (grants under $5,000 now only need one signature instead of four!). Everyone will appreciate being appreciated.
Score yourself! How many steps did you take when you tried to implement your “big thing”? If it was 9-10 please call me as I would love to share your story as an example of successful strategy implementation (seriously, call me!). If it was zero or only a handful, don’t despair. Trust me, you are not alone. And if you never did the first step, regardless of all the other ones, you probably didn’t get very far. Everyone on your team being “busy” does not equate to “aligned!”
Strategy implementation isn’t that hard, yet most funders don’t do it well or quickly. You can do this on your own, but it’s like learning how to ski. Yes, you can read about how to ski in a newsletter, but chances are you will learn to ski faster and fall down less often with a ski instructor by your side!
That’s where I can help. I serve as a trusted advisor and implementation navigator to many foundations, ultra-high net worth donors, and Fortune 500 companies, to help them gain alignment and rapidly implement their next big thing.
If you need help, let’s talk. Schedule a call with me, we can talk about your situation, and I can share some options. Let’s get you implementing quickly so you can get on with changing the world!
© 2019 Kris Putnam-Walkerly. All rights reserved. Permission granted to excerpt or reprint with attribution.
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About Kris Putnam-Walkerly
I’m a global philanthropy expert, advisor and award-winning author. I help ultra-high net worth donors, celebrities, foundations and Fortune 500 companies dramatically increase the clarity, speed, impact and joy of their giving. I’m the author of Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders, was named one of “America’s Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers”(along with U2’s Bono!), I write about philanthropy for Forbes.com, Alliance Magazine, De Dikke Blauwe and am frequently quoted in leading publications such as Bloomberg, NPR and WSJ.
Whether you are just getting started in philanthropy, want to refresh your giving strategy, or need to catapult yourself to your desired future, I can help. Let’s talk! Call me at +1-800-598-2102 x1, email me at kris@putnam-consulting.com or schedule a call.
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“As my strategic advisor and sounding board, Kris is always there when I need a clear path forward or a reality check. I am grateful to have her as a trusted, unbiased, and experienced professional to turn to!”
Maureen Sheehan Massaro, Executive Director, Wilson Sheehan Foundation
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Want to learn more? Visit my website to learn how I help funders, access free resources, and read client testimonials.
