Don’t be the Boiled Frog: Complacency No Longer an Option for NFP’s

Did you know that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will try to jump out? But if you put that same frog into a pot of water at room-temperature and heat it up gradually, the frog will let itself be boiled to death?

We all know the world is changing.  Change is everywhere we look, from our physical environment, to the way we relate and communicate to one another.  Many of these changes are paradigm-shifting.

But it can be very hard for organizations to be proactive in positioning themselves for success because many of these changes are happening incrementally so that they are not all that noticeable on a day-to-day basis. 

Also, change is uncomfortable. People are creatures of habit.  Change throws us off of our rhythm and out of our comfort zone.  As a result, most peoples’ natural tendency is to avoid change at all costs.

Jeff DeCagna has been pushing NFP’s for quite some time toward reinvention and innovation as the key to ‘thrivability’ in this changing environment.

He says:

“What does it mean to be thrivable?  For me, thrivability is the capacity to flourish by capitalizing on the powerful forces of paradigm shift.  Thrivability is about letting go of what our organizations have always done, and designing the “next practices” that will enable new value creation.  In the 21st century, it is the innovators that will thrive and associations need to be among them.”

I think Jeff is right.  In a world that is changing so fast, change appears to be the only constant. Innovation will be vital to the success of NFP’s in the coming years but I think that the only way they will reach the level of ‘thrivability’ Jeff talks about is through strong transformational leadership. 

The transformational leader pushes their organization to not just think outside of the box but to reinvent the box itself. 

They do this by getting everyone on board to create a clear and ambitious vision of their organization in the future.  They are then responsible for the herculean task of mobilizing resources and empowering everyone involved to turn that vision into a reality. 

The transformational leader is vigilant about looking peripherally to keep tabs on what’s going on both inside and outside of the organization and is able to spearhead the modification of the plan to position the organization favourably in light of important changes coming down the pipe.

If you think this is easier said than done, thousands of failed non-profit, public and private sector organizations can testify that you’re right.  At the same, many of the world’s longest-standing and most successful organizations have gotten where they are because of strong transformational leadership.

While reinvention is not easy, it is definitely achievable.  For NFP’s that want to survive and thrive into the 21^st century, complacency just isn’t an option anymore...Just ask the frog.

Photo courtesy of Purpleslog on Flickr.com