ROUND ONE: Could You Please Be More Specific? (Part A)

Round one of "the fight to end all fights vs. CP" as I've framed it began on June 1st. If it goes the distance, i.e., if neither side gets its block knocked off, it'll end on May 31st, 2014. We're now twenty-one (21) days in. That's over three-fifths (3/5) of the first round. And five (5) percent of a whole year.

Time is whizzing by.

Coming from the business side of things, as I do -- where performance and numbers and measurable results are everything -- naturally I'm going to be keeping an eye on the calendar. It's my job...

Isn't it? 

*  *  *  *  *

Last fall I spent some time looking into the big ideas upon which UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) is founded. When it came to dissecting the org's vision statement, I was mildly surprised that I was unable to find references to specific stretch goals or time horizons. Don't get me wrong -- "Life Without Limits" is a wonderful aspiration. Please sign us up. We'll take two. But it's not by itself very conducive to being carried out, i.e., executed.

My "KO CP" is of the same ilk. 

Going forward with it, however, my inclination will be to: 

• label it (is that my mission or my vision?) 

• think of it in project or change management terms 

• translate strategic choices into operational programs, and 

• shoot for specific targets along the way. 

I'm hip to several tools, methodologies, and best practice frameworks that are available to help me do those things; I'm just now starting to think about which ones to use.

In the meantime, a still very general way of expressing what I hope to accomplish is: I want to make the CP landscape look brighter than it otherwise would if I'd choose to sit on my hands and do nothing the next eleven-plus months. 

This begs all sorts of questions -- not only of me, but also of the leaders of our "CP industry" organizations. For example, if it's my intention to help them take their games up a notch and do more, I need to have a sense of what they're already on track to accomplish. (How else could I gauge my impact?) I wonder: Are they focused enough on outcomes themselves to have realistic views of how things might look come next June?*

I'm not sure. I'd like to suggest, though, that a more methodical, results-driven approach might help in that regard -- and in others. (Here I'm thinking of all orgs involved in fighting CP, but especially of our nonprofit advocacy, support, and research organizations.) There's compelling evidence to back me up. I'd like to inch closer to some of it...

Next.

*Sure would be interesting to know their forecasts and how they intend to judge whether or not it's been a successful year.