Measure Outcomes, Not Activities

December 13, 2011 • Blog, Measurement & Evaluation, Thoughts • by
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If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know my love of data. I think that, while data should not have the last word on anything, it should have the first word on almost everything. It can bring clarity to an organization and challenge it to become better. Organizations around the world are jumping on the data train but sometimes they’re measuring the wrong thing.

The thing I see is organizations typically measure activities, not outcomes. That makes sense because activities are much easier to measure. Its easy to count how many people you served food too, how many people accessed your services, or how many volunteer hours you had this month compared to the previous month. This is good data to have but it does not answer the important question of the impact of your organization.

This activity oriented data doesn’t tell you how good the services that you provide are. They don’t tell you if people are better off after engaging in your services or not. You might be seeing increases in the number of people who access your services every year but that doesn’t mean that you are providing good services.

We need to address this question specifically in the social sector because it is fundamentally not a competitive market. The people paying for the services are not the ones consuming the services. So those that pay for and provide the services have to make sure that what they are offering is high quality.

If your organization is interested in engaging the question of impact, Contact Me.

Global Leadership Summit

August 23, 2011 • Blog, Leadership • by
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I know the blog has been a little quiet lately. I was on vacation with my family last week and the week before I was at the Global Leadership Summit hosted by Willow Creek. The GLS is something I have attended for over 10 years. It is an annual leadership development event which draws some of the top leaders from business, the social sector, and the church together for 2 days. Past speakers include Bill Clinton, Jack Welch, and Bono.

This year’s Summit might be the best one yet, at least the best I can remember. A stellar line-up with Seth Godin, Michelle Rhee, and Cory Booker. There was some amazing surprises as well like Mama Maggie Gobran of Egypt and Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte.

The emerging theme of the conference was that leaders need to take action. I think this is so applicable for leaders of non-profits. So often we can get bogged down by bureaucracy, lack of resources, or fear and yet the most important thing we can do is act, and act today.

I am a huge fan of leadership development and if you are a leader be sure to attend the 2012 Global Leadership Summit.

Creativity & Artistry: What Untitled Means for the Social Sector

August 2, 2011 • Blog, bloggers, Books, nonprofit • by
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Growing up I thought I was going to become a professional musician. I’d sit at my family’s piano for hours a day playing, writing, working on my craft. I was unique in that I played almost entirely improvisation, meaning I would make the music up as I went along. Jazz was my genre of choice. In addition to music, I did some acting and some filmmaking. I loved to create. While I did not become a professional musician I do believe that those entering the social sector need creativity as much as any artist does.

My thinking is this, the social sector exists to address social problems. The solution to these problems requires creative thinking because it is the prevailing idea that created the problem in the first place.

I recently read the best book on the creative process I have ever read. It’s called Untitled by Blaine Hogan. Blaine is the creative director at a church outside of Chicago and is constantly being forced to create because Sunday comes every week.

Untitled walks the reader through the creative process simply and vulnerably. Blaine has opened up his heart, soul, and mind in the book and it is a rare opportunity to learn from a creative genius.

I think everyone should read, especially those in the social sector. We need to learn to think creatively and Blaine lays out some practical steps about how to engage in the creative process. It is an easy read that one could pick up and put down after just a couple paragraphs or read through in one sitting.

If you are facing a problem that has existed for at-least decades or even generations, creative thinking must be applied. Untitled can help you get there.

Good Intentions or Good Thought?

July 15, 2011 • Beliefs, Blog, Measurement & Evaluation • by
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Seth Godin has a great post today entitled Naive or Professional? I think he’s right on and it applies especially to the social sector. In the social sector though, I think we see the good intentioned and the good thought.

The good intentioned care, a lot. They sacrifice and they show up early and stay late. They give and give and give and yet always seem to be just scraping by. They seek to meet the immediate need. The good intentioned never have the time to stop and think about what they are doing because they are too busy caring for people.

The good thought measure and evaluate their work. They seek to improve themselves. They set boundaries and do what’s best for the long-term good of their clients and those they work with. They care but are able to detach enough to think clearly.

Good intentions are necessary but they are not sufficient when it comes to creating positive social change. Good intentions power people forward but good thought ensures that you are accomplishing what you care about.