Every truly extraordinary nonprofit and public sector CEO I’ve observed over the years has made leading strategic change a top priority, wearing what I call the “Innovator-in-Chief” hat. In a rapidly changing and frequently quite challenging world, this makes the best of sense, of course. Just continuing to do what you’ve been doing for years, with only minor tweaks, can be a really high-risk strategy in today’s tumultuous world. But as you well know, it’s easier to talk about major change than actually getting it accomplished. Not only do many if not most board and staff members naturally resist significant change, which can cause extreme fear (often of failing at doing somewhat new) and discomfort, they’re also quite often so busy dealing with day-to-day matters that just finding the time to focus on change can be a tremendous challenge.
A member of our CEO Advisory Committee, Rich Browdie, President/CEO of Cleveland’s prestigious Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, has recorded a podcast that tells a fascinating and dramatic change story: BRI’s making the strategic decision to exit its traditional nursing home business, not long after opening a state of the art home. Rich embraced the Innovator-in-Chief role in facilitating his Board of Directors’ active involvement in making this high-stakes, turning point decision.
Listen for yourself:
