Doing the paperwork rarely gets a positive reaction. More
often it is seen as a necessary evil and is described in terms of an external
driver such as “we have to do this for our funders”. There is a real sense that
charity staff producing documents are swapping front line work for tick-boxing
exercises.
But I am a big fan of writing things down, and here’s why.
One
situation where I think it is really important to write things down is
planning. When I visit a charity and the CEO says “we have not written down our
plan but we all know what it is”, my immediate thought is “Really?” When there
is a jointly created and clearly written plan, a group of Trustees are still
likely to interpret and describe it in different ways, giving more emphasis to
their priorities. Even if it was true now, what about new staff – do they get
told the full plan when they join? How are they helped to remember it and
implement it in their everyday work?
A written plan aids strategic thinking. The
very act of agreeing on the exact wording to write down helps to get clear
agreement. Otherwise everyone holds a slight variation in their heads and the
differences go unidentified and unchallenged.
It also saves lots of time. You
really would not want to tell everyone your 1, 3, 5 and 10 year vision every
time it is asked for. Much better is to have it in a simple document that can
be referred to at Trustee meetings, given to funders, and used for staff
induction. Not a piece of paper that sits in a drawer but one that is regularly
used, reviewed and updated.
The plan belongs to the charity and not the
individual. When it is held in the CEO’s head then it can easily be lost or
changed. What happens when they leave or go off sick? Or change their mind? The
CEO or Chair may well be the driver of the strategy but it is much more likely
to be achieved if the whole organisation is part of the process and working to
a shared aim. It is hard for others to own the plan when it is in someone
else’s head.
Research has also shown (see link below) that we are more likely to
achieve things we have written down. You can imagine why this works – you have committed
to a public statement and so can both hold yourself to account and be held
accountable. Trustees can measure the performance of staff and the charity
against the stated ambitions. And you will also know when you have achieved
something you set out to do and can celebrate your success.
So when it comes to
paperwork, don’t think policies, procedures and plans are a distraction from
your ‘proper’ work that you only produce for funders. Think of them as
important aspects of your work that ensure everyone is literally on the same
page and that stop you having to repeat yourself over and over again. If you
roll your eyes when asked to produce your plan, it is probably time to write it
down and value it for the helpful record and tool that it is.
Dr. Gail Matthews found that you
are 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down. http://www.goalband.co.uk/uploads/1/0/6/5/10653372/gail_matthews_research_summary.pdf
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