Livestrong Lessons: Partnerships, Timing, Community and Passion Book

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xix

Chapter 1 The Importance of Time in Moving Your Mission Forward 1

Are Your Policies Flexible? 4

Embracing Growth through Experience 8

Generating Big Ideas 15

Recognizing Your Time as a Valuable Resource 16

Knowing Yourself and Your Constituents 20

Prioritizing Your Time 22

Respecting Other People’s Time 25

Chapter 2 Refl ecting the Essence and Spirit of Your Organization through Branding 27

Finding the Perfect Name 28

Refi ning the Brand 31

Being Authentic and the Long-Term Value of Your Brand 33

Keeping It Simple 35

Positioning Your Brand as an Authority 37

Recognizing and Allowing Evolution 39

Building and Maintaining Brand Ownership 42

Knowing Your Audience 44

Marketing without a Budget 47

Chapter 3 The Right Partnerships 51

Making the Sum of All Parts Unique

Relying on Others 53

Being Selective 55

Pinpointing Where Real Engagement Happens 57

Learning from Conflicts 59

Building Strong Connections 60

Being Genuine by Showing Your True Self 62

Engaging and Equipping Champions 64

Welcoming Variety 65

The Science of Selection 66

Leveraging Organizational Structure and Interactions 68

Fostering Evolution 71

Chapter 4 Pinpointing Experts and Utilizing Their Strengths 75

Leveraging Your Partners 76

Gaining Expertise in Merchandise 78

Leveraging Your Leadership 82

Combining the Right People 85

Documenting Your Journey 87

Finding and Giving Feedback, and Knowing What to Filter 89

Chapter 5 The Role of Strategic Planning in Your Mission’s Success 93

Making Time to Plan 95

The Planning Process 100

Gearing Up for the Planning Process 101

Determining the Appropriate Planning Process for Your Organization 105

Creating a Roadmap: You Are Here 108

Identifying Key Drivers 112

Tools for Finding Out “Why” 114

No Department (or Colleague) Left Behind 120

Pinpointing the Decision Points 122

Don’t Stop (Especially When Things Are Going Well) 124

Chapter 6 Assembling the Perfect Team 131

Board of Directors 134

A Leader of Leaders 136

Recognizing Red Flags 139

Maintaining a Dialogue 143

Chapter 7 Strategies for Integrating and Mobilizing 149

On Integrating: A Few Lessons Learned 151

On Mobilizing: A Few Lessons Learned 161

Chapter 8 Creating Feedback Mechanisms 167

Capturing Information, Assessing Your Work, and Considering the Future

Opportunities for Feedback 168

Using Metrics 173

Knowing Your Priorities 175

Social Media, Loyalty, and Growth 176

Chapter 9 What It Takes to Be a Visionary 181

Sharing Your Story 184

Communicating Your Vision 188

Listening To and Filtering Input 191

Are You a Visionary? 193

Epilogue Living the Dream 197

Exercises and Notes 203

Partnership Self-Test 205

Conversation Starters for Partnerships and Various Interactions 207

Getting Ready for Success! 208

Creating Experiences that Become Meaningful Moments 211

Resources 219

About the Author 223

Index 227