When diving into a new collaboration to tackle items like vision, strategy, planning, awareness, funding, new initiatives, operations, programs, recruitment, transition, and, well, really any project, here are a few things I consider:
Know Who We’re Talking To: Who are we trying to reach? Knowing our audience helps us figure out how to talk to them.
Understand Our Field: What’s going on in our industry? Knowing what’s up helps us make s.m.a.r.t. choices.
Where We Stand: How do we fit in? What problem are we trying to solve? Knowing our place helps us figure out what to do next.
Face the Problems: Be honest about what’s hard. Ask what works and what doesn’t. Recognizing challenges helps us find ways around them.
Set Clear Goals: What do we want to achieve? Having clear goals gives us something to aim for.
Make a Plan: How are we going to get there? Having a clear plan helps us stay on track.
Stay in Line with Goals: Make sure what we’re doing fits the big picture. Showing we’re in it for the long haul inspires others.
Set Deadlines: Give ourselves a timeline. Having a schedule keeps us moving and accountable.
Tell Our Story: Why does our idea matter? Sharing our story helps people get behind what we’re doing.
Keep It Exciting: Focus on what gets us pumped. Remembering the cool parts helps us keep going.
Imagine Winning: Picture reaching our goal. Keeping that image in our heads helps us stay focused.
These principles work whether we’re working for a profit or a cause. If we get stuck, we can think about who we’re talking to, what’s happening in our field, and where we want to go in that mix.
