Is who you are today, who you need to be for the future?

The past year has challenged many of us but also provided us with an opportunity to self reflect and possibly make changes in our lives that better align with our long-term goals. This type of reflection and realignment is also beneficial for organizations and the time to absorb the level of transformation that has happened throughout the past 15 months is now. 

Organizations are currently operating in a transition period that calls for reflection and discussions about who they were versus who they need to be for the future. This is not an easy task because after a year of many changes, objectivity and willingness to change remain necessary. Since last March of 2020 we have been in a state of reactivity, quickly responding to requirements regarding safety, regulations, and how services are delivered many times over. Organizations have had to continuously pivot to meet state and federal mandates during a time of uncertainty and confusion. Taking a step back to evaluate lessons learned, what was accomplished, and what could have been done differently is critical to assessing the direction of the organization and creating an intentional vision for the future. 

Building clarity requires a review of the past, an honest discussion about the current realities of your organization, an assessment of the future direction of the sector you operate in, where you want to operate in that space, and a review of the talent needed to make that vision a reality. When we look at designing the future, it is also helpful to think about your organization’s culture. The culture provides insight into decision making, communication, change management, teamwork, and much more.

An organization’s culture can either hold it back or propel it forward. For many organizations, the past year may have highlighted the benefits or drawbacks of the culture they had created. For example, organizations with a hierarchical decision making structure may have moved slower in response to change. In addition, organizations that did not have flexible work arrangements prior to the pandemic may have found themselves operating in a partially or fully remote work environment. These shifts may have modified the culture, either positively or negatively. Assessing what aspects of your culture you want to keep as a sense of normalcy returns will be important as you design your vision for the future.

We have experienced working with organizations whose staff have been unsure of what the organization’s priorities are. Without cohesive understanding and alignment among team members, implementing any sort of change, from something as simple as updating processes to something more robust like working toward a strategic goal, will be challenging. Having a pulse on what your teams’ perceptions are about the culture and vision of the organization is critical, as is understanding why gaps exist between their perceptions and that of leadership. In order to execute for the future, team members need to know how they fit into that future and what they need to do each day to fulfill the vision. As a result, part of developing the vision will be to ensure you have the talent and requisite skills needed to communicate effectively and drive change.

While the past year has challenged many organizations, the lessons learned should not be lost. This should not be a time to return to business as usual but rather an opportunity to reflect, assess where you are, and reimagine the future of your organization. The vision you want for your future is what your organization needs to plan for today in order to work toward the desired outcomes and results for tomorrow. Aligning vision with culture helps everyone within the organization work toward the same goals to create success for your organization, your teams, and the individuals you serve. And while doing so, we hope that you take some time to celebrate your resilience.