Winter 2014 |
NCRWA.COM
3
from the executive director
Managing the Nonprofit Organization
, describes it this
way, “Amission statement has to be operational, otherwise
it’s just good intentions. A mission statement has to focus
on what an institution really tries to do and then do it so
that everybody in the organization can say, ‘This is my
contribution to the goal.’” Normally, it is the role of boards
and councils to set an organizational mission statement
and outline the goals to be pursued. It is then the job of
leaders and managers to disseminate that mission to
various departments and crews so that everyone can see
their individual contribution to the overall mission.
To be most effective, all individuals have to “buy in” and
take personal responsibility. If each employee (including
the director working with the board, the clerk processing
payments, the distribution crew member working in a
muddy hole at 2 am, and the janitorial staff cleaning the
floors) could answer the question of “what are you doing?”
with a response such as “I’m improving the quality of life
for every customer on our system”, then that team has
truly achieved success.
So what does it all mean? Simply stated, you have to decide
if you will be a leader and become an agent of change
within the organization. Your level in the organizational
structure only describes where you will demonstrate your
value as a leader and what contribution you will make to
the organization’s overall mission. Astory was once shared
out of NASA shortly after JFK’s inaugural challenge to
land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth. A
congressman who was undecided on approving the billions
of dollars requested for this mission (or JFK himself,
whichever version of the story you believe) toured the
facilities and met with key administrators well into the
evening. As he was leaving he watched a man sweeping
the floor of a large hanger. The congressman asked the
janitor “What are you doing here this late? Everyone else
has gone home”. The janitor replied, “I’m helping to put a
man on the moon, sir!” This demonstrates commitment at
all levels to accomplish a mission.
Concluding, NBA-great Michael Jordan once said,
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins
championships.” Let’s strive to realize the value of our
team and teammates moving forward and work daily to
create an atmosphere that allows for our combined success.
Sincerely,
Daniel Wilson, PE, CAE, UMC
Executive Director, NCRWA
