“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”

                                                                                                -J.R.R. Tolkien

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety”

~Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist

Here in November of 2024 we are nearly sixty years into our journey as a valued community resource. We have achieved our successes by being willing to take on problems that are daunting and by serving our clients in a manner filled with humility and compassion.  We meet our clients where they are, in many cases, because we have been where they are.  One of the greatest success stories of this organization is the transition of individuals from client to service provider, allowing them to give back to the population in a way that is meaningful and moving.  I would like to further leverage those successes by getting more direct input on how we approach our mission to “end poverty by empowering and improving people’s lives while building strong communities”.

When we were a smaller organization, change and forward movement was easier.  We were small and agile and able to take on new challenges by sheer force of will of a few determined individuals.  As we have grown, we have tried to maintain that model of adaptation and change, but as an organization with a $38 million annual budget, over 100 discrete funding sources (with 100 different requirements) and 350+ people the challenges have changed. We certainly have access to more resources to better serve our clients, but communicating and managing change are much harder.

As we move ahead in our strategic planning cycle we will be trying to address some of those issues by adopting processes that allow for more participation at all levels of the organization and by encouraging collaborative work interdepartmentally.  As with any new initiative there will be challenges.  Not everything we try will work, but that is how we learn and get better.  I encourage you all to be involved with the strategic planning process, whether through direct participation in the strategy teams, or as subject matter experts in your field of expertise.

What we are trying to do, at the end of the day, is provide the most accessible, best service that we can to our clients, and be good stewards of the funds entrusted to us by our funding sources. Part of that is continuing to approach our service with humility and passion and part of that is by seeking continuous quality improvement of our service delivery.

A commitment to continuous improvement is imperative to maintaining the successes that we have built over decades and to reaffirm our status as one of the best community action organizations that the network has nationwide.

There are (generally speaking) six stages of continuous improvement:

1. Assess your current state: Understand where you are today.

2. Identify the root cause of problems: Find out why your process breaks down.

3. Develop a solution: Create a plan to address the issues.

4. Implement the solution: Put the plan into action.

5. Evaluate the results: Measure the impact of your changes.

6. Standardize the process: Ensure the improvements are sustained

By the nature of the process and the organization we are at all six stages simultaneously, depending on where you are in a program cycle.  As we begin our strategic planning cycle though, we will be looking at a hard reset and focusing on stage one.  We need to get an unvarnished look at where we are as an organization as it pertains to our strategic mission and vision.

We will be moving through the steps in order to deliver better outcomes to our clients, and the process will be gradual.  Change rarely happens in a single sentinel event, but rather from a process of small incremental change.  The following are some ways to improve continuous improvement:

Create Feedback Loops

• The best way to encourage continuous improvement is to create a culture that supports it. Encourage employee involvement by asking for and receiving feedback.

• When employees make suggestions, take them seriously and give them the resources they need to make those improvements. It can also help in employee engagement efforts.

Focus on the customer

• The goal of continuous improvement is to create a better product or service for your customers. So, it’s important to keep them in mind when you’re making changes.

Set SMART goals

• SMART goals help you benchmark your progress and see if you’re making the improvements you want.

Be flexible and adaptable

• Don’t be afraid to change your plans if you find a better way to do something. The whole point of continuous improvement is flexibility in how we approach work and changes.

Be willing to be wrong

• If you’re getting feedback from your employees, not all of it will be the feedback you like. Remember to approach all feedback with an open mind.

• As Glenn Rogers, CEO of Float tells his team, “Seek continuous improvement by welcoming feedback rather than defending against it. Your self-improvement journey requires education, seeking advice from others, and a willingness to be wrong.”

Communicate your plans

• Make sure everyone in your organization knows what your plans are and how they can help. Good communication will help everyone stay on the same page and work together to improve your processes.

Celebrate your successes

• When you make a successful improvement, take the time to celebrate it. This will help motivate your team members and show them that their efforts are appreciated.

All of these pieces are important, but one of the things that I want to be absolutely sure of is that we do not go into this process with a preconceived notion of what the outcomes will be.  That is not continuous improvement or strategic thinking, that is seeking to confirm our own beliefs and biases.  We all absolutely have to be willing to be wrong.  Being open to new ideas is vital to a healthy, progressive organization. We do not always know exactly where our path will take us, and if we did, how uneventful would our lives be?

I have big goals for this organization and our community and I need help from all of you to make them a reality.  The Community Needs Assessment and the Strategic Initiatives that flow from it are our guardrails to success.  We need to make the roadmap that leads us to our destination.

I hope you all have a great month and have fulfillment and happiness in your professional and personal lives.  Thank you for being Community Action!

With gratitude,