AN URGENCY TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF THE GLADES

Former County Commissioner Maude Ford Lee, Palm Beach State College and the American Cancer Society have what in common? That’s easy: Service to the community. So what do they have to do with NOAH?

In a relationship-building exercise led by workshop facilitator Dr. J. Otis Smith during NOAH’s annual retreat, he broke participants into groups, primarily mixing staff with board members to get people familiar with others in the room who they did not know well.

He gave each group the task of naming a person or institution in Florida that each member of the group knew. Group members would have to give details on what they admired about the person or institution.

Every person or organization chosen was known for providing a service to the community, including the three examples above.

The fact that service providers -- whether people or institutions -- are most admired among NOAH’s leaders is reflective of how those leaders see themselves and their roles in the community -- as service providers. It shows their work is where their passion is. People tend to emulate those they admire and NOAH leaders admire people and institutions with a track record of aggressive and passionate leadership. It sheds light on the admirable service track record that continues to develop from NOAH’s own leaders.

But service was not the only key word during the retreat. Urgency was another. It was the first word Smith wrote on a large easel pad and posted on the wall.

It was a word that Smith and NOAH board chair Edna McClendon referred to throughout the morning as NOAH seeks solid footing in a shaky economy trying to lift itself from a global recession and financial crisis. The message was clear: Now is the time to move. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to change. 

Smith referred members to Jon Kotter’s book, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. He highlighted several themes from the book:

• Urgency
• Guiding team
• Vision strategies
• Effective Communication
• Remove Barriers to Action
• Establish short-term wins
• Wave after wave of change
• New Culture Elements

Following these guidelines can help NOAH refocus its energy on meeting its core goals, Smith said. “NOAH has always had dips in the valleys and gotten back to the top of the hill,” Smith said. “Look for the positives in the peaks.

He wanted to be sure, as members of the organization focus on the tremendous amount of paperwork required of social service agencies in accounting and maintaining certifications, licenses and accreditations, that staff and board members remained connected to each other and to NOAH clients who should be engaged in the change.

“The most changes people make, they make because they are emotional,” Smith said. We must look for the emotional connect. We must make people know: I can do this. If I believe you are going to help me, then I’ll give you room to help me. ... It’s called discretionary effort, that’s what we’re trying to get to.”

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