I attended a strategy day last week where we looked at the direction in which the charity was going – was it the right direction, were the priorities right, etc? It was a good and productive day.
The one phrase that stuck our for me was ‘.. so that …’.
It is a truly magic phrase which should be compulsory at strategy reviews. It helps you to focus on the activities that will help you achieve your goals.
An example. Suppose our charity provides help and support for sufferers of Fred’s Disease. (This is an entirely fictitious ailment). We also support research into the causes of Fred’s Disease. What is our ultimate goal? Surely it’s the eradication of Fred’s disease. This may not be possible in the short term, or even the long term, but it has to be the ultimate aim of the organisation.
Within that aim are our goals which could include offering help and support to sufferers. What sorts of things can we do to achieve this goal?
We could prepare information packs for GPs. Why? So that they will be better informed, so that they can diagnose it earlier so that patients can get care earlier so that they will live longer and more comfortable lives. And that supports our aim to offer help and support.
We could set up a research fund to provide funding for medical research, so that progress can be made to understand Fred’s Disease so that we might develop preventative measures so that fewer people develop the disease so that it is ultimately eradicated.
It’s so straightforward. Two little words that are so powerful. In these interesting times we can’t afford to do anything that doesn’t support our ultimate goals, so I encourage you to use so that when you think about what you’re doing.
I sit in a darkened room writing this blog so that I might help charities to make more effective use of their resources so that they can devote more of their resources to their aims and objectives so that they can do a better job. That’s good enough for me.
I’m getting up now so that I can get a cup of tea so that I will feel refreshed and invigorated so that I can do some more work so that …. I think I’m overdoing it. Help!
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