Non-Profit Cattle Prod

Monday was my first day on the job and happened to be the annual steering committee retreat for the Partnership for Smarter Growth. Eight and a half hours later there was a pile of over-sized Post-it notes rolled up like a bunch of maps I picture under the arm of a cartographer or plans in the hand of an architect. To PSG, these over-sized Post-it notes are both the map and plans for the years to come. A little cattle prod for a non-profit that forces us to realign ourselves with the vision of smarter growth in the Richmond region.

Since the meeting, Sheila and I have been analyzing, re-arranging and compiling the wealth of information and opinion gleaned from the retreat and attempting to craft a strategic plan and vision statement for the organization. Two people, one huge task. We have finished much of the work, but it seems like every change requires the two of us to think out loud for at least thirty minutes. How do the pieces fit together? That's the million-dollar (more like $90,000) question ... we will soon have a much clearer road map. We will almost know where we are headed.