Situation
A non-profit organization advancing digital equity in rural communities had just completed a new vision and strategic plan for the board and funding organizations. Bringing the plan into an operational model meant focusing on outcomes. For a leadership team that had dedicated two decades to delivering on one capability, the change in strategy meant reimaging its operating framework. Daring Systems came on board to help the team turn the strategy into an operational plan by guiding the executive leadership team through the development of new Key Performance Indicators.
Actions
The critical starting point for Daring Systems was understanding the mindset and readiness of the team to work in a new manner. After two decades of success delivering just one product with supporting services, now the team is expanding, maturing, and engaging new stakeholders. How did this ask to sit with them individually and as a team? The Daring Systems team took the time to meet with each leader and hear their ideas and concerns.
With appreciation for the challenges the team faced supporting the mature product while introducing new offerings, Daring focused on education and level-setting. Reviewing the connection of key performance indicators from levels one, two, and three, Daring customized and conducted several workshops to establish a common understanding.
Armed with knowledge, Daring worked with individual leaders to build out and define their KPIs. By working through Daring, the KPIs were developed in a facilitated manner that ensured alignment and consistency.
Finally, Daring brought a working copy of the KPIs to the leadership team as a group, and they each shared their positions and provided feedback and perspective to their peers.
Results
The KPI engagement achieved success on multiple levels. From the CEO’s perspective, the executive leadership team established alignment around the new strategic plan and built out their operational targets. From the leadership team’s perspective, they had the freedom to define their new goals while working collaboratively with their peers. For the remainder of the organization, a direct line of sight was established from individual objectives to the new strategic plan.