• Home
  • Work with me
    • Design Your Organization's Future
    • Additional Services >
      • Do you have the right program mix?
      • Impact mapping
      • Create New Offerings
    • Results >
      • Catching up on growth
      • Focusing on the right things
      • Learning from one another
      • Emerging from a crisis
      • Building shared leadership
  • Goodies
  • Podcast
  • Learn More
    • Carol Hamilton
    • Contact
Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC
  • Home
  • Work with me
    • Design Your Organization's Future
    • Additional Services >
      • Do you have the right program mix?
      • Impact mapping
      • Create New Offerings
    • Results >
      • Catching up on growth
      • Focusing on the right things
      • Learning from one another
      • Emerging from a crisis
      • Building shared leadership
  • Goodies
  • Podcast
  • Learn More
    • Carol Hamilton
    • Contact

Mission: Impact podcast

Talking change leadership

10/30/2018

 
At this year’s ASAE Annual Conference, I moderated a session called, Walking the Talk of Change Leadership. At the beginning of the session, we asked audience members to write the questions they about the topic on index cards. We told one change leadership story then spent the rest of the session answering as many questions as we could. You can read an article about the session here. These were the questions we did not get to during the session.
Picturefrom Pixabay.com

1. Change in part takes a diverse board (gender, ethnicity, and age). How do you achieve that? “No more old white men boards.”  

If you are not already doing so, implement and enforce term limits. Be proactive about publicizing the application and nominations process for your board. Get beyond current board members’ personal networks. Those networks will most likely be mirrors of who is already on your board. Create leadership development programs to train and prepare new leaders. Prioritize investing in emerging leaders who bring new perspectives to your board. And do not assume it’s only about emerging leaders – there may be leaders in your midst that you have simply looked past.
 
2.  Why change? What we’re doing is working!
 
It is challenging to move any change forward if there is not any sense of urgency or recognition that issues exist. Consider helping those guarding the status quo to consider wider trends that could impact the organization. Or start elsewhere with a few allies. Start small and share successes. 
 
3. How do you promote change and new ideas without current staff freaking out?
 
What are current staff freaking out about? What is it about the change that is upsetting them? Have you asked them? Is there something you can learn from their resistance? Can you iterate in way that addresses their concerns? Which ideas are low hanging fruit and could be implemented relatively easily? Share your early wins with those who are afraid of changes to demonstrate the benefits.
 
4. How to convince the board permanent staff is required versus volunteers?
 
Build the business case for the change. What is not currently getting done or done consistently with volunteers? What skills and knowledge are unique to your volunteer base? What would benefit from being professionalized? What will each group bring to the table to create a greater partnership? Who would benefit from making the change? What will the upsides be to making the shift? Also address the downsides so that those considering the change do not feel like they are being “sold.”
 
5. How do you manage the change as the change is happening?
 
Recognize and acknowledge to your staff that it may not feel like “management” while things are in flux. Even if things are moving fast, take a little time out to take stock and see where you are, where you have come from and what is coming next. Celebrate your small wins along the way.
 
6. How do you create energy for radical change when there is no crisis or chaos acting as a lever?
 
It is unlikely that you will be able to move quickly to radical change without a crisis. Consider where can you create energy for change, even if it is not yet radical. You might consider facilitating a conversation that helps the group consider the environmental trends that could spur a crisis if the organization is not paying attention.

Walk in their Shoes – Customer Journey Map

10/16/2018

 
​I did a workshop recently on one of the most useful research tools in the design thinking tool kit – the customer journey map.

​Mapping the Experience

PicturePhoto by rawpixel.com from Pexels
​Customer journey maps usually hone in on a specific interaction that a customer or member has with your organization. A variation on the journey map -- the experience map can zoom a little further out to see the flow of whole experience.

​Capturing the ups and down

Picturefrom Pixabay
Regardless of the scale you decide to focus on, the journey map is essentially a blank flow chart that someone fills in detailing the steps they take to accomplish a specific task. Some examples include joining your organization or deciding to attend an event. The map typically include spaces for the person to note their actions, what were highlights and what are pain points. 
​

​Thinking, feeling, doing

​Especially important is providing space for the person to note their emotions. You might ask the person who is filling out the map to name the experience stages the group the individual steps. Often it is important to capture the context for the interaction including the place, the environment and who is involved. Your goal is to capture what your customer is thinking, feeling and doing.
 
Be sure to allow customers to draw their own maps. You can then to look for insights from maps. Have your customers or members or participants tell you what theirexperience is rather than assuming you already know. At the same time, it is also useful for you to create a hypothesis journey map to note your thoughts about the experience you are investigating. You can then compare your version to the versions created by actual customers to see where you got it right and what differs.

Making the hidden visible

​The journey map captures both the actions that the person takes as well as what is normally hidden. It prompts them to note what they were thinking at the time and what they were feeling.  The emotional up and down of an experience will provide key insights into what aspects might need to be improved.

​Case study: First timers

During the workshop, we worked on the experience of first timers at an event or conference and identified several pain points including: 
  • How to chart your course at a conference – how to make decisions about what to participate in, what is worthwhile.
  • The first event is often a big networking reception which is challenging to navigate when you don’t know anyone yet.
  • The need to make connections to avoid dinners alone on nights with no organized events.
Some brainstorming to provide solutions included;
  • A first timers fiesta in the registration area to get people plugged in asap
  • Airport greeters
  • First timer gathering & on boarding
  • Mentoring – 1-1 or 1 mentor- small group of first timers.

​What do you need to learn about your members?

You may choose to investigate other aspects of member engagement just as your members deciding to join, deciding to volunteer. What research questions do you have that could benefit from this tool? Download this template for your use.

    carol Hamilton

    My passion is helping nonprofit organizations and associations have a greater mission impact.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    Associations
    Audience
    Awareness
    Board Development
    Book Review
    Branding
    Burn Out
    Business Model
    Change
    Change Leadership
    Communications
    Community
    Community Engagement
    Conflict
    Consultant
    Content
    Culture Fit
    Customer Centered
    Data Gathering
    Decision Making
    Decision-making
    DEI
    Delegation
    Design Thinking
    Digital Transformation
    Diversity
    Education
    Equality
    Equity
    Evaluation
    Executive
    Facilitation
    Funding
    Fundraising
    Grants
    Group Process
    Health
    Hiring
    Inclusion
    Influence
    Innovation
    Leadership
    Leadership Transition
    Lean Start Up
    Learning
    Lobbying
    Marketing
    Meetings
    Mentoring
    Messaging
    Mindfulness
    Mission Creep
    Money
    Nonprofit
    Nonprofit Life Cycles
    Nonprofits
    Online Meetings
    Online Organizing
    Operations
    Organization
    Organizational Culture
    Organizational Sustainability
    Organizations
    Pandemic
    Partnership
    Pause
    Poc
    Podcast
    Productivity
    Professional Development
    Reflection
    Reorganization
    Research
    Resolution
    Results
    Self Care
    Self-care
    Social Media
    Social Sector
    Somatics
    Storytelling
    Strategic Planning
    Strategy
    Strengths
    Succession
    Team
    Team Building
    Team-building
    Technology
    Transitions
    Trust Building
    Values
    Vicarious Trauma
    Virtual Environment
    Virtual Meetings
    Volunteers
    Wellness
    Workforce Development
    Workplace

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC, owns the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of the Mission: Impact podcast, as well as the Mission: Impact blog with all rights reserved, including right of publicity.

Home    Work with me     Goodies     Podcast      About    Contact            


Telephone

301-857-9335

Email

info[at]gracesocialsector.com
Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC, owns the copyright in and to all content in, including transcripts and audio of the Mission: Impact podcast and all content on this website, with all rights reserved, including right of publicity.
  • Home
  • Work with me
    • Design Your Organization's Future
    • Additional Services >
      • Do you have the right program mix?
      • Impact mapping
      • Create New Offerings
    • Results >
      • Catching up on growth
      • Focusing on the right things
      • Learning from one another
      • Emerging from a crisis
      • Building shared leadership
  • Goodies
  • Podcast
  • Learn More
    • Carol Hamilton
    • Contact