"We didn't include our local community in our last strategic planning process and they noticed." A nonprofit said this to me recently with regret. One of their goals is to grow their local community support but they did not listen to them when deciding what to do next. They missed the opportunity to > Engage their community's enthusiasm for the organization > Learn about the community's needs and interests AND > Build buy-in for the new ideas the org wants to implement 🛑 This is what they forgot. 🛑 Listening isn't about letting others make decisions for you - it's about making informed decisions that include your community. Here's what I told them; If your community is a part of your goals you NEED to listen to them. When you do, you'll have the knowledge of HOW to keep them engaged and active in the ways that help your mission. While it's never too late to include your community in your decision-making, the longer you wait the farther you will be from succeeding your community-dependent goals. How do you include your community in decisions that are dependent on them?
oooh there is nothing worse than when a community or stakeholder is left out of a discussion and they notice
Yes! I also teach that this listening stage is a way of gathering information & data... ultimately, it is the board & staff team that decide which of those ideas are prioritized. The board & staff know the mission deeply and they are closest to the operations to know what is possible based on their existing resources.
When the other party feels listened to, they become much more understanding of the decision you ultimately make. A spark of connection early on builds good will.
Is it never too late? It feels like a very hard sell to get a second chance from a constituency you've offended.
Great point! - "Listening isn't about letting others make decisions for you - it's about making informed decisions that include your community."
There's so much power in asking and listening to everyone involved in decisions and plans. There's simply no way to know everything or see everything—we need others so our decisions are the best they can be. Such good guidance, Emily!
I'm glad they realized this mistake!
Listening to your community is so important, but getting the timing and context right are often the hardest parts. In strategy work, some "missed opportunities" I tend to see are: 1 - Your community is telling you what they think all the time. Via email & social media, when they call your hotline, when they share what they want or are struggling with in intake conversations & throughout programs. Too few orgs collect or analyze this data before they start strategy development. 2 - Formative research often happens during the strategic planning process, but the way it happens doesn't always set orgs - or their communities - up for success. Asking broad questions about the community's biggest needs when the org isn't positioned to deliver on them can create a breach of trust - setting false expectations and, ultimately, disappointment. And expecting people to be clear and brilliant during one focus group every 3-5 years is unrealistic (and unfair). Instead, orgs can experiment with ongoing engagement/listening strategies - or using the data from #1 & the org's own expertise to establish a vision and strong hypothesis - then take that to the community for feedback and input with a skilled listening expert to guide conversations.
I love the idea of focus groups and community meetings to involve the stakeholders. Timing is critical. You need to bring them in after the planning has started but before any decisions have been finalized. Their input matters!
Strategist building healthy, vibrant communities
7moThis is not an uncommon mistake! In planning, I encourage clients to think of communities (plural) - geographic, interest-based constituencies, demographic, etc. upfront. Together, we map out an information gathering & feedback process to each of the groups, and then we are flexible if we need to create other venues for dialogue. Key in the communications is to be upfront about what the organization is trying to accomplish. This ongoing engagement is critical to building relationships and understanding. I once had a client who engaged in this process tentatively, later becoming believers in the process when community members became the best spokespeople for the organization's strategy within the neighborhood. Because they had been in dialogue and developed a nuanced understanding of the possibilities, the community members helped others understand the point of intersection between what the community wanted and what the organization had capacity to deliver.