In our personal relationships, we know that chemistry is important. Having the right chemistry is also important in the life of the organization you lead.
Historically, we think about the relationship between organizations as simply transactional. The payment of $X yields Y services. That works and it has worked for centuries. However, today’s society is complex and the complexity is growing.
When one has a complex problem, it is important to have team working on the problem. Because of the complexity, the team must have more resources than a single organization can provide. Today’s teams include insiders, outsiders, volunteers, referral sources, advocates, and donors.
The complexity means that it is becoming more and more difficult to solve a problem quickly. For optimal performance (efficient) and highest possible quality (effectiveness), one must keep the team together over months and many times over years.
It is hard to have a high-performance team (effective and efficient) when the players are constantly changing. Turnover is inevitable. Good chemistry will reduce the turnover. Reducing the turnover increases the sustainability of the team and the organizations that are part of the team.
With good chemistry, it is easier to trust the players. When trust is high, it is easier to sign multiyear contracts with vendors and have donors who will make multiyear pledges.
The precursor to a multiyear commitment is multiyear goals. Without multiyear goals, it is hard to understand the long-term commitment one is making. It is also part of the chemistry. If I love the multiyear goal it is easy for me commit to multiyear support. It also changes my support and interest from the institution to the goals the institution cares about.
Our society is teaching us to be goal oriented. We understand that institutions come and go but the goal still must be achieved.
When we connect people to our goals, we create a stronger bond to the organization. They begin to equate supporting the organization with the best way to achieve the goal. They are also less likely to be dissatisfied with the organization because they believe the organization is sincerely trying to make them happy (achieve a goal that is important to them).
The foundation for good chemistry is having mutually agreed upon long-term goals. A transactional relationship is about the transaction. A transactional relationship is about maximizing the value of the transaction. Having a shared long-term goal creates good chemistry, a sustainable relationship, and maximizes the outcome of the partnership.
Next Step:
Establish long-term goals
Express the goals multiple ways to ensure the expression resonates with the different partners (vendors, donors, referral sources, etc.)
Identify potential supporters who feel strongly the goals you are pursuing are important
Select supporters based upon a balance of chemistry, sincere support for the goals, and transactional cost (low but not necessarily lowest cost vendor, low demand, high-value donors, low maintenance, flexible, and versatile volunteers)
One of the other benefits of a strong team is the collective wisdom. If you have good chemistry and a shared commitment to the goals, it is easier to listen to comments and suggestions from the team members. The result is a process that is constantly evolving at a pace that is comfortable for all of the members. Evolving processes remain relevant. An evolving process is usually efficient, effective, and sustainable.
Every organization has one supporter relationship that if the chemistry improved, it would have a significant impact on the success of the mission. Which of the many supporters of your organization is the one you should focus on?
As always, contact Mission Enablers if you want help. We use a special process that offers a guarantee. For more information about our process and guarantee, you can click here.
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