Re-Assess the Mess

DAY 45

I'm now more than six weeks in to this new job. I thought I'd be farther along through "The First 100 Days" checklist than #11 -- Assess the Mess. Actually, I have gone further than this several times but I keep circling back to #11. Each time I think of a new initiative or one of the staff comes up with a great idea, it quickly loses steam because we realize that actually carrying out the new idea is probably unfeasible.

Why is it so hard to do something new here? Because the communications situation is a mess. I can't find images when I need them. I can't revise flyers or design ads. I can't organize info packs. It is all a mess. What I'm realizing is that I shouldn't have skipped item #12 -- Deal With The Mess.


I skipped it for two reasons. First, I wanted to jump into revising and producing actual things, mostly so the directors and the staff would now that I'm worth something, that I can do this job, that I'm a good part of the team. Second, I figured the organization had been limping along with this jerry-rigged communications "system" (basically an electronic version of dozens of semi-labeled cardboard boxes in a back room) for years -- overhauling this system would take significant energy and time so let's put it off until I find my footing in this new world.

Well, the time has come to Deal With The Mess. There's no getting around the need for a functional system to find files, images, text, products, etc. There's no getting around the need for basic info materials. There's no going anywhere near the world of Web 2.0 when our communications department is operating on Planet 0.5. (I say "0.5" to emphasize that from a communications perspective, our organization is not even at a level of legitimacy. Certainly they are known and well-regarded for their actual work. But they barely crack the level of ramshackle in their public profile.)

You can see from the image that I've done some brainstorming about how to attack this mess. I figured coming into this job that my first strategic plan would be all about how we are going to change the way people think about our core issues (social equity, affordable housing, community re-development) and all about the innovative ways to use Web 2.0 to build support and understanding. Instead my first strategic plan is about plumbing -- how to get the water flowing, the electricity hooked up, the phones turned on; how to raise four walls and put a roof over our heads; how to properly hang out our shingle in the competitive world of social betterment.

'Nuf said. Time to get to work.