February 1, 2024 | By David M. Wagner

There’s a time to stay the course. And there’s a time to change direction.

Planning is like charting a course for a journey. Whether we realize it or not, our path is based on several assumptions – about what routes connect and will be open, road conditions, how long each leg will take, and so on.

We certainly don’t start the journey with the intention of changing our designed route. But if we stubbornly stick to the plan, despite signs warning of danger ahead, changes in traffic conditions, or someone telling us there’s a faster route, we might miss a chance to make a positive adjustment.

The same is true for our carefully thought-out, detailed, well-intentioned plans for our programs and organizations. We put a lot of work into that strategy! It’s a good plan! But we must also be responsive to changes in our environment (including new opportunities) and indications that things aren’t working out as expected.

Be Responsive

How can we know when to stick to our guns, and when to adjust? Here are three approaches.

Build contingencies into strategies. Think of “strategy” like a dynamic process, not a static document. Since we know the world is constantly changing, we can anticipate some things that might not go as desired. Make action plans contingent on the right conditions (like having enough funding or partner support) and make plans for possible risks and opportunities.

Have a framework for making adjustments. If refusing to change course is on one ill-advised extreme, quickly overreacting to changes and issues sits at the other. Build a system for responding with intention to new information and for deciding, “what’s the smallest change we can make to our strategy and still be successful?” For instance, don’t jump to rethinking your enduring vision for your organization just because one program is showing poor results. Also practice patience: new changes take time to “catch,” and the absence of good news is not (yet) bad news.

Build in proactive feedback mechanisms. Successful organizations are like living organisms: information flows freely from every limb to a central place for decision making. Leadership – boards, executives, and managers – play a key role in assessing and revising strategies. But the information on what’s working, what’s not working, and what may be changing is just as likely to come from the ”ground level” – from staff, volunteers, partners, and constituents. What channels can you put in place to ensure relevant information reaches decision makers in a timely fashion? Think about systematizing the information gathering tools (surveys, interviews, focus groups) you used to build your strategy as one part of building a culture of feedback.

Strategies aren’t meant to be static. By anticipating change and having mechanisms to gather and act on new information, we can stay responsive to shifting conditions. I work with nonprofit leaders to ensure their strategies and organizations are adaptable, not rigid. Set a free consultation to discuss how to keep your team responsive.