Getting Back "In The Box"

As I read posts and blogs recently, I have seen many encouragements to think and perform "Out of the Box." We've begun to equate Out of the Box Thinking as the desired tool for innovative management and leadership.

While I don't disagree with this encouragement for the most part, I credit a savvy and astute Chamber of Commerce executive for making me think differently. She and I recently had lunch. She shared how she had gotten back to basics at her Chamber. She had realized that the constant focus on new thinking, new ideas, new programming, new everything was beginning to erode the basics that had made her organization a leader in the area.

So, she led her organization to get back to basics. To get back Inside the Box to focus on the tried and true management principles that create and sustain a healthy organization. She was focusing on board development, recruitment, training and management. Focusing on membership development, recruitment, retention and benefits. They were assessing all their programs and services within the framework of how successful they were in terms of meeting community and member needs and whether these programs were managed efficiently and effectively. She was focusing on staff development and satisfaction. She was thinking and acting strategically.

And she was reaping the benefits in a newly energized board, increases in membership satisfaction and renewal rates, and a more stable staff.

So, while I agree that organizations need to be willing to let go of old and tired thinking and should be open to embracing new, "Out of the Box" ideas, I also believe there is a time in the evolution of every organization when it is critical to step back, assess and renew their focus on the basics of what works.

Without a strong foundation upon which to base new thinking, new ideas, new programs, all the flurry of newness will likely fail.

And in today's challenging nonprofit environment, when communities rely even more on the nonprofit sector to meet community needs, perhaps getting back Inside the Box is more important than ever!

Jean Block
Jean Block Consulting, Inc. www.jblockinc.com
Social Enterprise Ventures, LLC  www.socialenterpriseventures.com