Intentional Excellence

Greg Milholland

March 2007 

What does it mean to be a great organization?  There are things that a great organization does to set it apart from the rest or from the good.

1.    A great organization intentionally creates and sustains growth and momentum across and throughout the organization.

2.    A great organization has a clear vision and purpose that everyone is connected to and is able too communicate.

3.    A great organization builds excellent systems around continual vision casting, communication, planning, leadership development and continually evaluates its effectiveness in all organizational activities, systems and people.

4.   A great organization maximizes resources and deliberately focuses on supporting and developing only that which helps realize its defined purpose.

People respond to vision and passion and action.

Clarity of Purpose- Clearly defining what it is we are trying to do at a macro and a micro level throughout every aspect of the organization.

• The mission must be drilled down so that we know what it is we are trying to accomplish.  What is it we are specifically trying to do?  What is our goal?  What is our intention?  What are the results we want to have?  Deciding what we want is critical to our success.  Having clarity of purpose leads to clarity of focus and fuels energy and passion.  (Not having clarity of purpose leads to confusion, disconnection and wasted energy.)

• Good System:  Nothing to rely on other than good will and good intentions. Whatever is in front of us at the moment is what we are about.

• Great System:  The broader purpose is broken down into the pieces that are critical to do.  There are strategic questions that are asked to further help clarify the purpose.  It is so clear that it not only shows what should be done but also eliminates options.

Action Steps

• Define/Designate “a team” with complete power to define our purpose and systems.

• Meet frequently until our purpose is clearly defined no matter how long it takes.

• Stop all activity that requires organizational energy until the defining purpose is determined.  Then hold up any activity against the defined purpose to gage its value towards achieving the purpose.

1.      Bring Alignment – Connect the dots.  Everyone should be able to articulate the ‘Purpose’ and how his or her work is connected to it.

• In order for us to be a great organization and accomplish our purpose we must all be going in the same direction.  Our ‘Purpose’ must apply at every level of the organization.

• Good System:  Each department or area works on their own to achieve their own stated or unstated goals and spends the majority of their strategic energy and concern on the advancement of their area of responsibility.  There is little to no connection or continuity from one group to the next or one leader to the next.  This system could be best described as independent silos.

• Great System:  The ‘Purpose’ is applied at all levels of the organization.  Every level of the organization is a reflection of the whole and is able to articulate what it is we are doing. 

Action Steps

• Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Evaluate the current structure and staff in light of our ‘Purpose’.

1.     Where are we out of alignment?  Where are the ‘detours’ in the system?

2.     Are we out of alignment anywhere philosophically?  Are we out of alignment in our strategy?

• Bring into alignment that which can be.

• Eliminate that which can not be brought into alignment.

2.  Eliminate Competing Systems - does my success come at the cost of someone else’s success?

• When different parts of a system undermine each other, neither will be a success.

• Good System:  Multiple levels of competing systems or priorities/agendas.

• Great System:  Complexity and competition is replaced by uncompromised focus.  A great organization eliminates what it could do well for what it could potentially do best.  It leverages its people and resources to do a few critical things with excellence for the greatest impact.

Action Steps

• Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Identify duplicity in our organization; determine which has the greatest opportunity to be effective if we eliminate the rest.

• Identify barriers to excellence (existing programs, systems staff, etc.)

• Create a ‘not to do list’ outlining things we should not do and why.  We are doing this ‘in order to’ have greater effectiveness in other areas.

• Eliminate the competition.  Cut a program if we have to.  Reorganize if we have to.  Change job descriptions if we have to.

3.  Communication – There must be clear consistent communication.

• Healthy communication is the bond for healthy relationships.  Without clear consistent communication you are left to wonder and interpret what is and isn’t being said.

• Good System: 

1.   Personal Level:  Communication happens by chance and often times involves catching someone up on things they are not aware of. There are gaps that leave interpretation for both intent and content.

2.   Corporate Level:  What we say publicly many times sends conflicting messages which leads to confusion and inaction.

• Great System:  There is a deliberate and intentional plan for communication on a personal and corporate level.

Action Steps

• Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Leadership teams must meet regularly.

• Filter everything through our ‘Purpose’, at all levels of the organization so that it is deliberate and intentional.

4.  Planning – Create the Future.

• Without planning life happens to us.  Planning ahead is the only way to realize our full potential.  Without proper planning the tyranny of the urgent will always take control.

• Good System:  Planning takes place by individuals and in silos.

• Great System:  Intentionally creates the future.  A great organization regularly looks ahead so that resources can be maximized and opportunities taken advantage of.  Great things can happen when ‘under the gun’ but a great organization maximizes potential by planning ahead.

Action Steps

• Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Leadership teams must meet frequently to strategically look at the future in light of the ‘Purpose’.

5.  Leadership Development – Learning to successfully develop and pass on leadership is vital to the longevity and impact of an organization.

• The success of any organization rises and falls on leadership.  For an organization to be great there must be a system in place that develops and supports leaders at all levels.

• Good System:  A model for leadership development is burn out and replace.  Put a leader in their slot and the work is done.  Leaders wait for the top person to lead.

• Great System:  Has an intentional plan for developing and supporting leaders so that they are connected to the ‘Purpose’ and will replicate themselves.

Action Steps

•       Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Raise the value of intentional mentoring and apprenticing (replace ourselves).

• We need to say no to some things so that what we say yes to can and will be supported.

• Empower and support leaders at all levels so leadership of the organization is shared by the team and is not dependent on the top person.

6.     Evaluation/Accountability – Become a continuous learning organization.

• Systems must be under continual, honest evaluation for their effectiveness to achieve the ‘Purpose’.  The systems of the organization must be under constant evaluation so that we can sustain and gain momentum towards our purpose.

• Good System:  Evaluation and accountability is random and not intentional.

• Great System:  Expected outcomes of systems and staff are clearly defined.  Continual evaluation of desired results occurs frequently.  A great organization has multiple levels of evaluation that begin with leadership and permeate the entire organization.

Action Steps

• Clarify the ‘Purpose’.

• Clearly define expectations for staff and systems in light of the ‘Purpose’.

• Evaluate staff and system effectiveness in light of defined expectations and measures.

• Create a system (feedback loop) to improve ‘current best practices’.