Rescue Mission Blog

How much info is too much info?

  

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In this new world of instant broadcast of our actions, emotions, and thoughts it is helpful to stop and consider when the sharing of information is not helpful.

I once heard someone say,"Don't share a problem with those who cannot be part of the answer."  

There's wisdom in considering how the information you are sharing, whether in person or through media channels, is being directed at people who can actually help, or who are just spectators.  

David Curry

Lessons I've Learned From Benchmarking

  

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The idea of benchmarking, looking at other companies and industries to see where you relate according to their level of excellence, has been around a long time but that doesn't mean it's grown stale. In fact, it may be more important than ever.

With the pace of change due to technological shifts happening ever faster, we need to keep our eye on where trends are headed - and there's no better way to do this than to look at a few excellent outliers to see where you might develop and improve.  

Even though I run a non-profit organization I have found it helpful to study great companies from totally other industries. Here are a few of them and what I've studied and examined to better our organization, or at least to build my understanding:

Apple - There are many lessons here - Their commitment to quality, retail model, genius bar, handheld checkouts, self-checkout apps, launch strategy, willingness to eliminate and simplify their product lines & products. I could go on and on.

Wall Street Journal - Their online strategy, video strategy, and content layering (print, video, analysis layer so that you can get content how you prefer it).

Coffee shops - Starbucks Roy St. Coffee model store was an inspiration for some of our classroom redesigns.

Magazines - There's only been two magazines launched in past few years that have made any money...Monocle is one of them. I picked up so much from them on how they are using content to connect with subscribers at different levels. It's euro-centric and not my kind of magazine generally, but it's well done on that point.

Metropolitan Market - Every time I go into this market I'm impressed at how different they run it, present the food, and curate for the customer. It's not your average grocery store... I wish there were more like it.

What are you learning? Who are you learning it from?  If you have any great companies - big or small, that you are benchmarking pass it on so we can all learn from it.

David Curry

Following Your Gut, Not Just Data

  

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The greatest innovators, revolutionaries, and leaders are those that have an instinct that goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, against the numbers and the prognosticators. It was just a few years ago that Steve Jobs rolled out his idea for a new device - what is now called the Ipad - to great hollering and predictions of failure. All the numbers proved that people loved their laptop, and their phones and so there wasn't a need for a new category. The polls all suggested no one thought they needed it. And yet...it worked.  

There's a big push to get involved with "Big Data" among non-profits, businesses and organizations. Big data has only recently been made possible through the new technologies that track individual habits, purchases, interests and trends. As such, we have more and more information by which to interact with customers, clients.   

The excitement over this movement is out of proportion and overlooks the number one, and still under appreciated, fact of great leadership: You've got to follow your gut. Certainly there are some leaders whose instinct is remarkably bad, but even still the "human factor" - the ability to sense, understand, and respond to cultural differences and sensibilities - is the greatest advantage you have.  

Data is great for measurement, it can be helpful in telling you what happened, but it cannot tell you when something has become cliché until it has already bottomed out.  

Don't be followed by this new fad, get more human - not less - and you'll see your effectiveness rise.

David Curry

Why Order & Structure are Foundational to Success

  

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When life gets crazy, with ideas, problems and challenges popping up all over the place, I like to slow down and make a "to do list." No matter how frenetic life gets, making a list always settles me down and helps me to begin to unwind all the various challenges on the agenda.  

People, and indeed organizations, all need order to reach success and fulfillment. Over time I've come to define order as "a sense of control over the external elements of our life". Putting things in order, creating systems and methods that categorized and list processes and seasons, is not often considered part of the success equation because it is either assumed or dismissed. 

The more complex life and work gets the more control of the elements becomes an impossibility, yet we can function effectively not by controlling, but by bringing order to the chaos.  

Here are a few simple ideas individuals and organizations can consider to work toward success:

Keep things clean: Individuals understand this instinctively, but somehow organizations tend to forget how important a clean workspace is. Keep your business, non-profit or church clean - it's a building block to success.

Schedule your time: Many teams seem to wait for their days to fill up, and individuals as well, but fulfilled people schedule what is important. Don't wait for your life to happen by accident, be forward thinking in how you, and your organization, will spend the next weeks and months ahead.

Write down what you've accomplished in your day: It's important to celebrate what has been accomplished. Write it down, promote it, and make note that you are making progress, no matter how small.

Don't allow clutter to take hold of your spaces: Clutter is an enemy of success. Clutter makes it harder to find what you need and it adds to the sense that you and your organization are out of control.

What are other ways order and structure benefit individuals and teams?  Let me know what you think.

David Curry

Keeping Your Life, Work, & Relationships Fresh

  

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It's not uncommon for people to feel like they're going through the motions, stuck in a rut of sameness in their relationships, job, and overall life. How can you make sure this doesn't happen to you? Be a learner! Discovery brings reserves of energy to life so that you feel more awake, alive, and energized about the seemingly ordinary things around you. Here are a few things that are part of discovery and learning that will bring you a renewed sense of life:

Explore a new hiking trail at the park.

Go for a walk through the neighborhood.

Talking to someone you don't know well.

Read a book.

Decide to become an expert in a new hobby.

Visit a part of the city you don't see often.

Drive to the Mountain.

Go to a bookstore.

Bake/cook something new.

Learn a new language.

There are a multitude of things you can do to keep fresh, renewed and energized. Books have been my passport to learning and when I've got a great book to read I feel excited about my day and everything around me. Why? Because I'm in the process of discovery and discovery brings energy.

What are the things you enjoy or perhaps some new activities that you've been curious to look into? Share your ideas, I'd love to hear about it.

David Curry

A Beautiful and More Fulfilling Life

  

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Do you know what your actions, life, family, business or organization is communicating?

Every thing you do says something about what you value and believe.  

Recently I've been so impressed by the actions and message of Pope Francis. Coming into a difficult and unhealthy situation he has managed to hit all the right notes. He seems to understand the message the official catholic church has been communicating through it's actions...and how that is in conflict with the timeless message of Jesus. Pope Francis has communicated love, forgiveness and acceptance by washing the feet of a Muslim prisoner and by eschewing some of the stiff formal trappings of power in order to connect with the poor. He said this recently in response to his leadership,

"The church exists to communicate this: Truth, goodness and beauty personified. We are all called not to communicate ourselves, but his essential trio"  Pope Francis

In our own lives we are challenged to step back and examine whether we are contributing and communicating these same essential truths.

Am I truthful in all I do? It's possible to be truthful and loving. When you avoid truth you are not living authentically and are always holding back.  

Is what I say and do full of goodness? Goodness is all about moving towards what is right, what builds others and is good in the long run. Just as good food will sustain you longer than fast, processed food, so goodness in action will last over the long term.

Are my words and actions easily described as beautiful? Seldom do we experience beauty, but when we do we recognize it. Beauty requires effort, an extra touch of consideration, care and thoughtfulness. Do these things and your life will be significantly more beautiful.

What feedback do you have when posed with these questions?  Are there other more important questions?  Let me know.

David Curry

Why and How to Use Non-Profit Consultants

  

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Could you imagine doing surgery on yourself? Even if you theoretically knew what ailment was bothering you, you'd be wise to get an outside opinion, perhaps a specialist in the field or just another set of eyes to look at the problem. Yet in non-profit management many leaders and boards shy away from using experts, consultants and third party vendors to help the organization grow.  

The role of consultants is often misunderstood, sometimes even by the consultant themselves. Consultants are not meant to be all-knowing gurus, they can't fix your problem for you or make decisions for you.  

Yet Non-profits organizations, and individual leaders, can greatly benefit from having relationships with other professionals, peers, consultants and outside vendors. 

Here are just a few ways consultants can be used wisely

1. Dispassionate examination of current processes, programs: Bring in others to take a look at your current problems and give you honest feedback. They won't have your knowledge of sacred cows, problem people and an understanding of your organizational myths...this is a good thing. They'll likely give you unvarnished advice.

2. Tailored expertise: Small, nimble organizations can no longer pay for every expertise to be in house. Hire consultants to take on targeted tasks to expand capacity.

3. Extra hands on deck: There are times when a project requires extra work, but you don't want to take on more staff and the embedded costs of longterm staff. Consultants and outsourced expertise can help in a pinch.

4. A broad perspective on the world: Find trusted friends who aren't caught up in your world-view and narrow problems and get their feedback.

What are some other benefits or risks of using consultants in the non-profit world? Let me know your thoughts.

David Curry

Non-profit Leaders: Experimenting Your Way to Greatness

  

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Jeff Bezos, CEO at Amazon, has famously said, "It's not an experiment if you know how it's going to turn out."  

Experimenting as a leader and manager - trying out projects, products, programs, systems, and theories - is a necessary tool to build great and enduring organizations. Yet leaders often fail to test their theories, programs, and ideas "off Broadway", instead choosing to lurch from one extreme idea to the other.

Often we are tempted to do the following:

- Follow untested fads.

- Go big on an idea without first trying it in small doses.

- Put our teams through change before first trying it ourselves.

- "Bet the farm" on an idea without doing small, measured roll-outs.

Personally, I love experimenting with ideas, concepts and programs in small, personal ways. It keeps me fresh, makes sure I'm learning and growing, and ensures I understand potential obstacles to success if the ideas go to a bigger stage.

Leaders like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and others have made experimentation a regular part of their strategy to keep their companies growing, fresh and flexible.

Do you like to experiment as a leader? If so, what are some things you've learned along the way that could help us all as we move forward? I'd love to hear your ideas.

David Curry

Why it's Always Hard to Finish

  

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It's hard to finish because completion is always opposed, challenged, resented or feared. By others and by yourself.

While those closest to you often cheer and celebrate you, others will be unsettled by you completing. Even if the completion is related to simple tasks. Completion threatens others, it pushes others to examine why they've not finished what they've started.  

It is also difficult because completion means opening yourself up to critique. Once you determined that something is "finished" you have to put it out there to be judged. For many people that can be difficult emotionally.

Completion is difficult because everything in us fights against it. We comfort ourselves with thoughts like "I've tried", "At least I got started" and "It's just too difficult" in order to make us feel better about not finishing.  

It's also a spiritual problem, we are opposed on a spiritual level. Everything in this world fights against victory and completion of something good. To finish is to do something spiritual, no matter how practical the task.

So whatever it is, work hard to finish, to complete what you've begun. You'll experience emotional, personal and spiritual breakthrough whenever you "complete."

What thoughts, discouragements and beliefs keep you from completing? In my life I've noticed that I struggle to complete tasks that seem to "stretch on forever". The task becomes bigger and bigger in my mind, making it hard to want to finish. Share with me what you think about completion.

David Curry

Non-Profit Leadership: Partnership

  

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Business people often express amazement at how fragmented the non-profit world has become. There's a charity for every niche cause and a golf tournament and banquet for every one of them. The business world, competitive and survival of the fittest, sees that charities should be sharing resources, collaborating, and leveraging partnerships. Sound great. So why don't more non-profits do this?

1. Scarcity mentality - There may not be a competition in the business sense, but we all need dollars to fulfill our charitable purposes. Unfortunately this often leads to a very narrow way of looking at resources. "There's not enough" is the scarcity motto that rings in the ears of every non-profit leader. Fight the urge to give in... it only narrows your thinking and leads to a death spiral. Think abundance, evaluate, partner, collaborate and focus on YOUR core mission: the thing only you can do.

2. Lack of Focus - When you know what you are supposed to do, when you are focused like a laser on the one thing your organization is doing that others are not, then partnership becomes more attractive... even preferable, to doing everything yourself. Sadly, in my experience charities have too broad of a focus and start getting into other lanes that defuse their core strength and overlap with others to a great extent. Here at The Rescue Mission we've been focusing on the one thing we do; offering holistic Life Transformation to the homeless, addicted and hungry of Pierce County. That means we've had to get out of other ministries which were equally valid, God-honoring and excellent that weren't in our core focus. That is so tough, but I knew there were other agencies that would better handle those kinds of services. In most cases it's worked out, in some cases we've learned tough lessons. But I still think it's better to focus.

3. Feeling of inequity - Sometimes charities don't partner because they have a feeling of inequity. One is bigger than the other, there seems to be a power differential and one begins to feel insecure. Here's a better way to think of it: Does a great point guard in basketball feel insecure in the presence of an excellent center? No, because that point guard knows his/her strengths are different than that of a center. In the same way, a smaller non-profit can be nimble, lean and quick in ways that another larger agency may not be. That's to their advantage and through partnership there can be great alignments that work well together.

What are some other barriers to partnership, and how can we break them down so that our communities can be stronger, more integrated and do more good?

David Curry