How to Create Your Organization’s Core Values

Organizational values can be tricky to identify. You and your team likely value many things -- justice, quality, collaboration, innovation, etc. If you’re not careful, you’ll create a long list of values that sounds like the values of any organization.

That’s why we base our approach on the values identification model put forth in Pat Lencioni’s book, The Advantage. Lencioni’s model identifies four separate types of values:

Core – Only two-to-four inherent behavioral traits that are core and unique to your organization. It is hard to imagine compromising on these values.

Permission to Play – They are important to you, but most organizations like you would say the same thing. Integrity and honesty typically are “permission to play” values.

Aspirational  – These things aren’t always true about your organization, but you want them to be. They don’t come naturally, so you have to work at them. 

Accidental – Values that happen to us. They creep in but aren’t reflective of who you/want to be. 

Your job is to identify your core values and not get distracted by the values in the other categories.

Here is a video from our strategic planning course, START, where I walk you through the model in more detail. 

How to Create Your Core Values

Creating your core values is best done by a team and can take multiple conversations. We’ve come up with the following three-step process for your team to use.

Step 1: Begin With the End in Mind

Talk with your team about how you’ll use the values to guide your team’s behaviors and decisions. For example:

• Discuss where your values will be posted (website, wall, etc.).

• Determine when and how your team will discuss and review your values.

• Share examples of how other organizations use their values. 

• Clarify how the values will be used in hiring and board recruitment.

Step 2: Brainstorm Some Values

Have your team brainstorm a list of possible values by answering these questions:

• Think of those people in the organization that exemplify what is best about the organization. What are their core behaviors?

• Think of those people that haven’t been a good fit for the organization. Think of their behaviors and then write down the opposite ones.

Step 3: Refine and Define

• Review your list from Step 2 and group your responses in common categories. Identify one word or short phrase that best captures each category. 

• Review your categories and ask yourselves:  Has this been a value of ours for a long time? Compared to other organizations that are like us, is this value somewhat unique?

• Decide upon no more than four core values. 

• Create short descriptions of what the values mean to your organization.

• Document the values on your organization’s strategic plan.

• Note that your values may need to be revisited and refined over time, especially if your organization is new. 

Example Core values

Below are some examples of values and their descriptions. Sometimes one word is used to describe a value and other times a short phrase is used. Either way works. 

Transparency 
We document and communicate our work to our team and key stakeholders. 

Zeal
We value the passionate giving of our time and talents in whole-hearted service of others. 

Make it Happen
We achieve ambitious goals without compromising our work/life balance.

Love Thy Neighbor
We strive to provide equal and respectful access to opportunities for our staff, volunteers, and those we serve. 

I hope this process helps you and your team clarify and implement your core values. Be sure to share your comments and questions below. 

Top 10 Quotes for Strengthening Your Organization

In my customer work I try to communicate powerful concepts in simple and memorable ways. One of my favorite tools to do this is using relevant and powerful quotes.

To that end I've collected scores of quotes during my career. Whittling that collection down to a "top 10" for this article was a tough exercise. Many excellent quotes didn't make the final list.

I ended up choosing this list because these are the quotes that I find most inspiring for myself and our customers. I hope you find them helpful.

Quotes on Good Communication

"All problems exist in the absence of a good conversation." Chris Barrow

When I consider all of the problems our customers face in their organizations, nearly every single one could have been prevented with good communication. I love this quote and use it all of the time to reinforce the importance of stronger communication.

"Seek first to understand, then be understood." Stephen Covey

This phrase is the fifth habit of Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.  If you're trying to strengthen the communication within your team or organization, consider using this line as a mantra. It’s gold.

Quotes on Planning

"Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower’s quote is related to the battlefield where having an effective planning process literally means the difference between life or death. Even though planning at your organization may not have the same degree of urgency, the intent of this quote applies beautifully to nonprofit strategic planning.  We wouldn’t say that your plan is “worthless”, but we definitely emphasize the critical importance of building a planning culture. (Here is a good article that shares other military quotes that relate to strategic planning.)

"Execution IS the Strategy." Laura Stack

Execution IS the Strategy is the title of Stack's 2014 book on creating a more effective organization. Similar to Eisenhower’s quote, above, this highlights the power of integrating execution into your planning process. 

“There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis." From Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

In their search for the perfect plan, organizational leaders can spend months and months analyzing their organization. The crazy thing is, as Gladwell argues as a central theme of Blink, leaders can, instead, conduct a quick analysis that has as much accuracy as several months of navel gazing.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

Years ago when I started to promote the value of simple and practical strategic plans, I had a concern that people would consider them "dumbed-down" versions of larger plans. Then I came across this quote and my intuitive sense of the power of simplicity was validated. (Steve Jobs once said this about simplicity: “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”)

Quotes on Sales and Fundraising

"I have more fun and enjoy more financial success when I stop trying to get what I want and start helping others get what they want."  From The One-minute Salesperson by Spencer Johnson, MD

I came across this quote over twenty years ago. At the time I viewed sales as a pushy and uncomfortable process. This quote helped me create an entirely new paradigm that sales and fundraising are, at their core, simply about serving others.  

"Intention matters more than technique."  Mahan Khalsa, Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play

This quote helps to solidify the prior quote. I always know that if my intention in the sales process is to serve -- even if my technique isn't perfect -- then everybody will be better off.

Organizational Culture and Teamwork

"Systems = Freedom"  Gary Stauble

I attribute this quote to my good friend, Gary Stauble. (He said he heard it from a colleague several years ago.) The obvious irony in the quote is that people often think of systems as confining and limiting freedom. But I've found the opposite to be true. When you and your organization put the right systems in place to strengthen organizational efficiency, then you gain more freedom.

“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.” Pat Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

If you've read my other blog articles then you may know that I'm a huge fan of Lencioni and his work at The Table Group. I'll often pull this quote out about the tremendous leverage provided by strong teamwork.

I hope these quotes resonate for you. If you have a quote that has inspired you and your work, please share it below. 

Tips on Eating Frogs

A Mark Twain mural in downtown Angels Camp, California

Hundreds of quotes have been attributed to Mark Twain, including this one:

“If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.” 

Sound guidance, Mark. Thank you.

With inspiration from Twain, prominent motivational author Brian Tracy wrote a short book called Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. A basic idea of his book is that all of us have “frogs” -- those things that we tend to procrastinate on -- and that we’re best off by getting these things off of our plate first thing in the morning. Once complete, you’ll get increased energy and momentum for the rest of the day. You’ve probably experienced this when you start the day with a clean desk, a sorted email inbox, or a good workout.

Over the years I’ve benefited from this strategy. My “frogs” tend to be operational things: writing proposals, updating our CRM, reviewing the budget, etc. If I can knock those things out before the day gets rolling, then the rest of the day feels better and more productive.  

I love the mornings and have always gotten up early ever since I was a paperboy in San Diego as a teenager. I currently have a block on my calendar from 5:00-6:30 AM where I address some of those operational things. I also have a spreadsheet where I track my progress and then discuss those things with my team. This combination of structure and accountability really helps me get things done that I’m not as likely to do otherwise. 

It’s not always easy -- and I don’t follow-through 100% of the time -- but I definitely make much more significant progress on my “frogs” then what I would do otherwise. 

That said, where this approach tends to fall down is that, in the end, it’s still a drag to eat a frog. 

As Valerie Alexander writes in her article, Stop Eating Frogs! Just Be Happy, a key tip is to shift your mindset so that you see the frog in a new and much more positive light. If you can reframe the value of those things that you’re putting off, then your resistance to doing them will decrease. That’s great advice.

To help me shift my mindset, I will sometimes ask myself:

• What is the benefit of this for our team and customers?

• What do we all lose if I don’t do it?

Those two questions have helped me positively reframe those things that I would otherwise put off. 

In summary, I’ve found that the combination of these two strategies -- scheduling/taking action first thing in the morning and shifting my mindset -- have led to the most satisfying results. 

Please share your comments below about your strategies for eating frogs.

A Simple Research-based Tip for Setting More Effective Goals

For several years we’ve told our clients that there are two types of goals: process goals and results goals. For example, a process goal may be "to write one grant per month." The correlating results goal might be "to acquire $100K in new funding this year."

So, for these goals, the question is: "Which goal will help us get the result we want -- the $100K?" The correct answer is "it depends.”

However, research highlighted by Chip and Dan Heath in their book, Switch, indicates that process goals (the research calls them behavioral goals) may have nearly three times the effectiveness of results goals in helping you get what you want! Here's what the Heaths say on page 62 of their book:

In a pioneering study of organizational change, described in the book The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal, researchers divided the change efforts they'd studied into three groups: the most successful (the top third), the average (the middle third), and the least successful (the bottom third). They found that, across the spectrum, almost everyone set goals: 89 percent of the top third and 86 percent of the bottom third. A typical goal might be to improve inventory turns by 50 percent. But the more successful change transformations were more likely to set behavioral goals: 89 percent of the top third versus only 33 percent of the bottom third. For instance, a behavioral goal might be that project teams would meet once a week and each team would include at least one representative of every functional area. Until you can ladder your way down from a change idea to a specific behavior, you’re not ready to lead a switch. For you visual learners, I've captured the main finding of their research in the graphic below:

What's the main tip for you?  Well, the next time you and your team are setting goals, be sure to consider incorporating process goals. You may end up getting better results!

Research Indicates a Strong Positive Correlation Between Strategic Planning and the Fundraising Success of Small Nonprofits

For years, I've seen the positive effect that strategic planning has on the ability to fundraise successfully, but I've never had quantitative data to back it up.

With that in mind, in 2020 we conducted a survey to learn more about the relationship between strategic planning and fundraising. We distributed a brief survey through our networks and gathered 169 responses from leaders of small nonprofits from six continents. From our research, we made two key conclusions:

1. Having a Strategic Plan Significantly Increases Fundraising Success

86% of respondents said that having a strategic plan had a positive impact on generating revenue (grants, appealing to donors, earned income, events, etc.).

Further, respondents said that, on average, between 36% and 45% of their nonprofit’s annual revenue can be attributed to the presence of a strategic plan.

2. Regularly Tracking a Strategic Plan Strongly Correlates with Generating Revenue

As indicated in the chart above, respondents that regularly reviewed, revised, and measured their strategic plan were over six times (58% vs. 9%) more likely to say that their strategic plan helps their nonprofit generate revenue.

Learn More

If you’re interested in reading our full analysis with accompanying tables and graphs, provide us with your email and we will send you the report.

Death by Meeting

I've borrowed the title for this blog entry from one of my favorite business books, Death by Meeting by Pat Lencioni. The basic idea of the book is not that you'll die by meetings. Rather, you might die from awful meetings. 

As you know, awful meetings happen all the time. They take too long. They wander aimlessly. They don’t start or end on time. You’d pretty much rather be anywhere else. 

Well, it doesn't have to be that way. I know because we’ve lead hundreds of successful meetings each year, both in-person and virtually. In fact, we just facilitated a 4-hour Zoom meeting yesterday (yes, a four-hour Zoom meeting) that began on time, ended on time, led to a clear set of action items, and left all thirteen people in attendance raving about what a great use of time it was. Imagine people leaving a four-hour virtual meeting actually happy to have been in attendance!

Although we have many tricks to running effective meetings, there is a foundational tip that stands above all the rest: Communicate your meeting outcomes at the outset.

I know, this may not seem like much. But I promise you that it’s a game-changer.

You see, most people create meeting agendas that say we’re going to talk about this, discuss that, etc. As a result, the meeting just ends up being a bunch of talking. 

In contrast, what we do is establish and communicate a set of specific meeting outcomes for what we will accomplish by the end of the meeting. We transform a typical meeting agenda item to a specific meeting outcome. For example…

• Social media discussion ➡ Review and document revisions to our LinkedIn strategy

• Discuss organizational values ➡ Each meeting participant will have provided a specific example of how we are living an organizational value

• Review our strategic plan ➡ Progress on each of the goals in our strategic plan will have been measured and documented

Notice that each of the outcomes are much more specific when compared to the corresponding agenda item. And, with that specificity comes a significantly more focused conversation that saves time and increases relevance. It's amazing to watch my clients' meetings become more powerful and efficient when they simply employ this tip.

So, when you're preparing for your next meeting, ask yourself this question: "What, specifically, do we want to accomplish by the end of the meeting?" Then, document your responses as outcomes on your agenda, review them with your meeting participants at the beginning of the meeting, and drive the conversation toward those outcomes. Simple and powerful.

Of course, there are lots of other tips to strengthen meetings. But without a set of clearly defined outcomes, all of the other tips lose power.

Here are some resources to help you run more effective meetings:

• A sample meeting agenda that highlights outcomes

• Death by Meeting by Pat Lencioni

• Richard Lent's website and his book, Meeting for Results Tool Kit. Richard is a consultant that specializes in running effective meetings.

How are your organization’s meetings run?

Customized Guidance Right Under Your Nose

A few days ago I had a conversation with a customer who needed some help figuring out how to best lead her team through the pandemic. Like so many of those that I’ve been talking with, she has a team that is worried about several things: their funding, the needs of those that they serve, and if they’ll make it to the other side of the crisis. 

While exploring her strategies I directed her to some of the most powerful guidance she could lean on. This guidance was customized for her team and could be found right under her nose: her organization’s mission, vision, and values, or what we call the Compass.

When I told her about this she basically said, “of course, I hadn’t thought of that.” 

Your mission, vision, and values are at the heart of your organization. They are “friends” that can provide grounded and inspired insights about how to lead through tough times.

Below are some specific ways you can engage your team with your Compass: 

• Staff and Board Meetings: Incorporate a 15-minute standing item on your relevant staff and board meetings to do one of the following:

  • Review your mission and/or vision statements and discuss how your organization is pursuing them.

  • Select one of your organization’s core values and have everyone take a moment to share how the value is being acted upon.

  • Discuss how these items are personally motivating.

• Staff Performance: Integrate your organization’s Compass into your regular one-on-ones and the annual review. 

• Job Descriptions and Responsibility Documents: If you’re hiring staff or selecting new board members then you’ll want to make sure that they’re aligned with your mission, vision, and values. Ensure that these elements are incorporated into your job descriptions and board responsibility documents. 

• Onboarding: Review the Compass in Mission Met Center as a component of your onboarding process for both new staff and board members. 

• Marketing and Communications: Highlight the mission, vision, and values on your website, newsletters, and other marketing collateral and communication. This can inspire both your team and your community. 

Implementing these activities can help you lead and guide your team more effectively. The benefit will be a team that has more trust, deeper relationships, and an even stronger commitment to your organization's important work during these difficult times.

A Gift for Your Fundraising Efforts

Nonprofit fundraising is on my mind. Perhaps it's on your mind too.

On Friday, I was on a fantastic panel discussion hosted by the Development Executives Roundtable and the Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The topic of the discussion was about the interplay between strategic planning/thinking and fund development. It was a thoroughly enjoyable discussion and I believe we provided some great value to the development officers in attendance.

After the panel ended, I opened my email and found this Harvard Business Review article that had been forwarded by one of our customers. The timing was excellent. With the overwhelming amount of information out there regarding nonprofit fundraising, I thought this article was a gift that elegantly cut to the chase about how to seek funds best right now.

The author essentially outlined a four-part process in an individual fundraising letter:

1. Provide an update
2. Provide an offer/gift
3. Inform about your services
4. Ask for a donation if you have the means

Four authentic and straightforward steps.

I hope you find the same value in the article as I. If so, please share the gift with others.

Your Organization’s Strategy to Navigate COVID-19

If you’re like the leaders of many small organizations, COVID-19 is forcing you and your team to answer some significant questions:

• How will COVID-19 impact the priorities of our funders?

• Do we need to pivot our programs and services?

• Will we have to lay off some staff to make it through?

• How can we best support our virtual staff?

• How will our strategic plan change?

• What do we need to do right now?

These are tough questions. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a simple and practical way to get some clarity on them?

Well, if you can spare 30 minutes to an hour, then you and your team can create a practical and actionable plan to guide you through the COVID-19 world. 

Take a look at this video and we’ll walk you through an action planning process that you can immediately apply. 

After watching the video, make sure you develop your action plan, share with your team, and use it over the next few weeks.

A Coronavirus Walks Into a Bar...

If you’re like me, humor has lifted my spirits recently. I’ve laughed at some COVID-related jokes and memes people have shared with me. I’ve really enjoyed the videos of our pets wishing that we’d go back to work so they can have the house to themselves again. Thank you to those that have lifted my spirits.

But it’s tricky. I’ve also been hurting for people everywhere whose lives have been turned upside-down. When so many are suffering, is it OK to smile or take joy in a joke related to the cause of so much pain?

As a leader, and you are a leader, using humor in the right way and time can positively influence others. But it can also seem callous, insensitive and out of touch for those in pain or unable to receive it. You have to make that judgment.

Humor -- bringing it and responding to it -- is one of our personal freedoms. Several years ago I read a classic book on our ability to choose how we respond in the face of a dire situation. Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is about the real experience of navigating and surviving the unimaginable horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. Frankl writes:

We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

With that in mind, appropriately choosing to bring lightness to our situation -- such as with humor -- can help all of us get through. 

With that in mind, consider sharing this joke with your friends. It’ll likely get both a smile and a groan:

A Coronavirus walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve viruses here!”

The coronavirus replies, “Well, you’re not a very good host!”