Community Health Innovation

Effective Nonprofit Organizations Achieve Superior Results

(The Bridgespan Group; Kirk Kramer)

Drawing on years of client experiences, data-driven research, and an evidence-based framework originally developed by Bain & Company, Bridgespan partner Kirk Kramer talks about what it takes to develop and sustain an effective organization.

Read the full article from the Bridgespan Group...

Six Questions for Strategic Leaders

By Steve Horan, Community Health Solutions

We all like to 'be strategic' in our work as leaders.  But what does being strategic really mean?

In our research to develop The Practical Leadership Model we identified six key factors that influence strategic achievement:

1. Long-term thinking
2. A return-on-investment perspective
3. Strategic investment in capacity
4. A focus on mission and goals throughout the organization or team 
5. Continuous attention to culture
6. Continuous attention to execution.

Whether we are leading an entire organization, an internal team, or an external partnership, we can use these six success factors to guide our leadership.  They key is to integrate these success factors into our leadership thinking by asking ourselves six questions every day:

1. Are we thinking long term?
2. Are we building return on investment for our stakeholders?
3. Are we developing the capacity we need for sustainable excellence?
4. Is everyone focused on the right intentions (mission, goals, etc.)?
5. Does our culture support the kind of innovation and collaboration we need to succeed?
6. Are we fully executing what we set our to do?

Ask yourself these questions whenever you are contemplating a significant decision or initiative.  Also engage your team in asking the same questions on a regular basis.  This will help you build a team of strategic thinkers who are ready to take your organization or initiative to the next level.  At the same time, you will be developing the next generation of leaders.