When is enough really enough?

I can make a thousand subscribers, have more books published, have million followers but do I really need that to grow my impact in my small part of the world with a viable group of community members, clients, and supporters?  Nah. 

Every business is personal and every organizational leader has their personal dreams, fears, and gaols. What is important is to tap into the core value of each organization, not what is popularly being done in the sector.

Some non-profits should not do social media just because everyone does it nowadays, or implement a hybrid work model if that wouldn't fly with the current delivery model and the type of clientele that they have. Some organizations should fold up for good and some should merge and be acquired by other stronger and more robust organizations instead of letting themselves perish in the marketplace. Some organizations must retain their mission in the face of the temptation to grow too big too fast. Some will have to recalibrate what they're doing to make it to the next year. 

Humans are never content. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness, complaining about the manna they ate everyday versus starvation, cruelty, near-death, and oppression in their former lives. 

As a strategist, a lot of organizations come to me for growth, expansion, sustainability, and resilience. But before getting deeply involved, we need to define the terms first. Their own definition versus the predominant moves in their sector. I wouldn't take a project that is sure to fail. Failure to have a clear definition of these is the worst failure of all, especially for those who are just trying to help the process move along.

What is enough? What sustains and not break you? What keeps it together in balance and rhythm?  Becoming better is enough.

Organizations, small and large have rules, policies, and procedures. Yet every time, the best organizations try to become more responsive and not use the rules, policies, and procedures to avoid helping their customers and clients succeed. 

With high commitment, you don't need a lot of stupid rules to get what you want from your people- staff, members, clients, and the general public. Compliance is good but commitment is way better. For the money, for goodwill, for long-term partnership and support, for any longer relationship than just a written contract signed by parties.

Purpose-driven organizations use rules, policies, and procedures as guides but not to transplant it with common sense and inventiveness. The latter missing in many organizations that are bent on becoming the same kind of entity within their field. Hence, there is no standing out and delivering greater value than what is typically expected whether it's in sales, marketing, production, non-profits, or government offices. 

You can't make this up. My former supervisor from my last full-time work gave me the choice to take a leave for a few days because I had been using a lot of my Saturdays for work-related events. These events were chosen by partners and I had no control over these. He allowed me to take unofficial leaves and called it as his executive decision. If there are supervisors or directors like that who are not afraid to go past beyond rules and be responsive, staff, members, and customers' needs are responded to in the most immediate and satisfactory fashion.

If you're saving the world through your mission, you can't be operating on rules alone. You need empathy, responsiveness, flexibility, and common-sense to achieve your grand goals or your next target. If the rules get in the way of these values, scrap them. 

In my book, Provocateurs, Chapter 8 talks about Envisioning the End you Intend. A foundation I have followed through the years is closing down its operations for good. I got the chance to talk to the current Executive Director about the rationale and the processes they're working leading to this path.

Ending with grace is a purpose-driven response to closures, good byes, and changes. This means a lot for those who were part of the organizational journey from the very start, the founders- Board, Staff, members, grant recipients, and the people on the ground who were touched by the impact funding and breakthrough activities. This means a lot as well to those countless people in the community who were involved in some ways or another to the activities and programs and celebrations of solidarity with the people in the South.

I am quite shocked at first as an outsider to hear this but I salute the courage to truthfully assess their situation. This is a very difficult decision to make and no Board, staff, or members would take this further unless it's considered to be (at that time) the best alternative amongst other options. As a consultant and advisor, I can't get into the minds of the decision-makers but I believe that there is a bundle of rationales that are taken into consideration in such an undertaking. But what happens next is not really much discussed but fortunately, my book looks at many such wondrous things that can take place after closures. Evidence is replete with many spin-offs, small and large that can 

I heard from the Executive Director that a bunch of members is meeting informally over coffee. All good things will end eventually but this is an interesting development to watch. We can all learn from this process and be amazed as to what 'reimagining the futures' would be like for this community.