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TOMSIOPENINTERVIEW
InterviewpreparedfortheInstituteforOpenEconomicNetworks(IOpen)
http://www.iopen.org
ImTomRomito.Ihavenoclaimtofame.Imjustaregularguy!
Likemostpeople,Ivereinventedmyselfatleasthalfadozentimesinmylife:
musician,athlete,journalist,soldier,bureaucrat,facilitator,healer.Well,Ive
finallyfiguredoutwhatIwanttobe.Iwanttobeabetterhumanbeing!
IllsharewithyousomethingIcareabout.Icareaboutorganizationsthatwantto
grow.
Yousee,manyorganizationsstruggletryingtoachievetheirgoals.Theystruggle
becausetheyfeeltheireffortsarefragmentedandunfocused.Whyisthat?Well,
thinkaboutit!Theydonthavemuchmoney,theirleadersaretired,andtheyhave
noplanforthefuture.Likeyouandme,theyrejusttryingtounderstandhowthey
gottowheretheyarenowandwheretogofromhere.Ibelievetheywouldmakea
changeiftheyjustknewhow!
Iveworkedwithmanyorganizationslikethis,andIvecometotheconclusion
thattheyrereadytochangewhentheyfeeltheyneedtoheal.
Reader,pleasethinkoutoftheboxwithmehere.Whatdoyouthinkitwouldtake
fortheworldtoheal?Thelast100yearshavebeenabloodbath.Ibelievethat
peoplehavethepowertohealeachother.
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
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thomasmromito@gmail.com
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Now,Imneitherreligiousnorspiritual.Immoreofamystic.Ipracticethe
healingartofreiki.Manyreikimasterslikemetakepartinamonthlyritualcalled
WorldPeaceMeditation.TherenownedreikiteacherWilliamRandpioneeredthis
ritual.Onthesamedayandtime,wecircletheglobewithreikienergy.This
createsacontinuousbandofhealingaroundallnations.
Canyouimaginewhatthefutureoftheworldwouldbelikeifmorepeopledid
this?ToquoteJohnLennon,YoumaysayImadreamer,butImnottheonly
one.Ihopesomedayyoulljoinus,andtheworldwillbeasone.
WhatIdlikeyoutodo,dearreader,isinvestinthetechnologiesavailablethrough
theseinterviewsattheInstituteofOpenEconomicNetworks.Theseresourcescan
beastartinbringingpeopleandorganizationstogethertocreateaworldwide
healing.
So,youmightsay,Whatelseareyoudoing,Tom,towardthisend?
Well,Ibelievethatorganizationscangrowbybuildingonwhattheyalreadyknow.
Ihelpthemdothisintwoways.
First,Ihelpthemcreateadialogue.Itsbeenmyexperiencethatinmost
organizations,peoplealreadyhavetheknowledgetheyneedtogrow.Asa
facilitator,Ijustpullitoutofthem,getthemtoshareit,andincludeeveryonein
theprocess.Gettingthemtothinkandacttogetherbuildstrustamongeachother
andwithme.
Ialsoworkwithorganizationstohelpthemcreatetheirownbrand.Every
organizationhasastorytotellthatexplainsitsreasonforbeing.Theyjusthaveto
turnitintoaction.HeresanexampleofwhatImean:
In2007,IfacilitatedastrategicplanningprocessfortheAutismSocietyofGreater
Cleveland.Iaskedthemwhytheywantedtodostrategicplanning.Theysaid,
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
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Itsmandatory!Ourconstituentsareourchildrenwithautismandtheirfamilies.
Wehavetodiscoverawaytobuildqualityoflifeforthem.Thatintention
enabledthemtodevelopcorestrategiestoachievetheirgoal.Improudtosaythat
theyrestillusingthesestrategiestothisday!
Istartedfacilitatingin1991.Atthattime,IwasacivilianemployeeoftheUnited
StatesCoastGuardinCleveland.TheCoastGuarddecidedtoholdaconferenceof
CoastGuardunitsthroughouttheGreatLakes.Thisconferencewasgoingto
requireacadreoffacilitatorstomanageinputfromthepeopleattendingthe
conference.TheCoastGuardsoughtoutpeopleontheClevelandstafftotakeon
thejobofservingasfacilitators,inadditiontotheirregularduties.Iwasoneoften
peoplewhoacceptedthechallenge.
WespenttwoweeksinWashington,D.C.undergoingtrainingwithaconsulting
firmcalledOrganizationalDynamics,Inc.Therewelearnedthemechanicsof
facilitation.WhenwereturnedtoCleveland,weplannedourroleforthefirst
conference.
About100CoastGuardmenandwomenfromaroundtheGreatLakesattendedthe
conference.Weassembledtheminsmallgroupsofpeoplewhorepresentedsearch
andrescuestations,aidstonavigationteams,andCoastGuardcutters.Thenwe
gatheredinputfromthesegroupsusingquestionswehaddesignedtolearntheir
concernsaboutthesupporttheyweregettingfromtheCoastGuard.Duringmy
tenurewiththeCoastGuard,Ifacilitatedmanyotherworkgroups,includinghuman
relationscouncils,civilianemployeemeetings,anddepartmentalmeetings.
IdiscoveredmytruenichewhenoneofmyCoastGuardcolleaguessaidtome,
Whenyourefacilitating,youreinyourelement.Itjustseemedsonaturalfor
metostandinfrontofgroupsofpeople,bringforthwhattheywerethinking,and
organizeitonflipchartpaperbeforetheirveryeyes.
NowIvesaidthatorganizationscangrowbybuildingonwhattheyalreadyknow.
Ipracticethreewaystohelpthemdothis:TeamBuilding,ActionPlanning,and
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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StrategicPlanning.Allthreeapproachesaresimilarinthattheyachievethesame
outcome.TheydifferinthatIcantailorthemtohelporganizationswithdifferent
needs.
Now,Illsharewithyoucontentaboutmypractice.Illspendafewminutes
talkingaboutmythreecoretopicsandanumberofsupportingtopics.
Myfirstcoretopicisteambuilding.Icanapplyateambuildingapproachto
organizationsthatconsistofcohesivesubgroups,suchascollaboratives.This
workswellwhenacollaborativemeetsforthefirsttimebecausetheywantto
becomeateam,butdontknowhow.IemployanexercisethatIborrowedfrom
PeterSengesbookcalledTheFifthDisciplineFieldbook.Thisexerciseis
appropriatefortheuseofbreakoutgroupsandtakesaboutfourhourstoconduct.
Idivideeveryoneintheorganizationintofourgroupsanddirectthemto
congregateinseparateareas.Iassigntwogroupsthequestion,Inordertobecome
theorganizationthatyouwanttobe,whatdoyouneedtodothatyourenotdoing
now?Itellthemtogenerateideascalledvisionitems.Iassigntheothertwo
groupsthequestion,Inordertobecometheorganizationthatyouwanttobe,what
doyouneedtododifferentlyfromwhatyouredoingnow?Itellthemto
generateideascalledchanges.Thegroupsgenerateasmanyvisionitemsand
changesaspossiblein30minutes.
Allfourgroupsreassembleandreportbacktothewholegrouptheirtopthree
visionprioritiesandchangepriorities.Withmyhelptheyconsolidatetheir
prioritiesintoonelist.
Finally,withmyhelp,thewholegroupdevelopsanactionplantoimplementtheir
priorities.Theactionplanincludeswhattheyaregoingtodo,whoisgoingtodo
it,andwhentheyaregoingtodoit.Someonecommitstochampioningeachaction
item.
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
http://www.tomromito.com
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IfacilitatedtheMinorityHealthRoundtableofGreaterClevelandthisway.Iran
intooneoftheroundtablemembersyearslaterwhosaidtheyweresoexcitedabout
thatexperiencethattheywerestilltalkingaboutit!Theyhadbecomeateam!
Mysecondcoretopicisactionplanning.Idoactionplanningwithorganizations
thatarealreadyseasonedandhighperformingandjustwanttorefocustheirefforts
forthenextyear.WhenIstepinfrontofagrouplikethis,Ihavefourflipcharts
behindme.ItellthegroupthatIdonthaveanagenda.Itellthemtheydo,itsin
theirheads,andmyjobistopullitoutofthemandgiveitshape.ThenIaskthem,
So,whyarewehere?Theycomeupwithalistoffivetotenobjectivesthey
wanttoaddress.
Onebyone,weexaminetheagendaitemsandIcapturetherelevantcontentonmy
flipcharts.Almostimmediately,actionitemsbegintoemerge.Itransferthemto
anactionplantemplateshowingWhat,Who,andWhenforeachactionitem.The
Whatdefinestheaction.WhoandWhenassignaccountability.Later,Ifollow
throughbysendingtheactionplantothegroupleaderelectronically.
AnexampleofthisisanorganizationinClevelandcalledtheBrooklynCentre
Naturalists.AstrategicdoernamedGloriaFerrisleadsthisgroup.Theirgoalisto
getresidentsandbusinessesinvolvedinprotectingwildlife,plants,andtreesin
ordertohelprevitalizetheircommunity.Ivebeenfacilitatingtheirannual
actionplanningupdateforsevenyears.Eachyear,theybecomemorefocusedon
achievingtheirgoal.
Mythirdcoretopicisstrategicplanning.Strategicplanningworksbestforan
organizationthatsastartup.Ormaybetheyjustwanttocometoconsensuson
theirfuture.IuseaprocessthatIadaptedfromabookentitledStrategicPlanning
forNonprofitOrganizationsbyMichaelAllisonandJudeKaye.Thisprocess
consistsoftensteps.
Ihavefoundthatmanygroupsusethetermsofstrategicplanninginterchangeably,
andIthinkthisisdetrimentaltobuildingconsensusonanything.ThetermsIm
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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talkingaboutaregoal,barrier,mission,vision,strategy,objective,andaction.
WhenIengageagroupinstrategicplanning,Imakesurethatwerethesamepage
aboutwhatthesewordsmean.
Forexample,myfirststepishelpingtheorganizationsetitsgoal.Many
organizationsbelievethatthegoaliswhattheydo,andthattheyhavemanygoals.
Imaintainthatthegoaliswhytheorganizationexists,andthattherecanbeonly
onegoal.Considertheworldofmartialarts.Therearemanystylesinthemartial
arts,suchaskarate,judo,andtaekwondo.Allofthemaredifferentpathstothe
samegoal.Theirgoalistounifymind,body,andspirit.Instrategicplanning,I
getagrouptoagreeonwhatitsgoalis.Iexplainthateverythingelsewedoduring
thestrategicplanningprocessmustsupportthatgoal.
Recently,IvisitedMitchellsIceCreamstoreandnoticedaposteronthewall.It
said,quote,Oursinglegoalistomakethebesticecreamyouveevertasted,
unquote.Thisorganizationknowswhatitexists!
Second,Ihelpthegrouplistbarriersthatimpedeitfromachievingtheirgoal.We
alsoliststrategiestheyhaveusedorareusingtoremovethebarriers.Thisway,we
acknowledgetheireffortstoachievethegoalontheirown.
Next,wecreateastatementoftheorganizationsmission.Themissioniswhatit
does.Thenwecreateastatementoftheorganizationsvision.Thisishowitsees
itselfinanidealworld.
Next,wedevelopaplantogatherinformationfrompeopleoutsidetheorganization
whohaveaninterestinit.AllisonandKayecallthemexternalstakeholders.For
example,theymaybecustomers,suppliers,orpublicofficials.Thisinformation
helpstodeveloppotentialstrategiesforremovingthebarriersthatimpedethe
organizationfromachievingitsgoal.Iguidethegrouptowardconducting
interviews,focusgroupsandsurveysinordertocollectthisinformation.
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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Oncewehaveexecutedtheinformationgatheringplan,Icondenseallofthis
informationintoamatrixthatlaysoutthestakeholdersperspectivesofthe
organizationsstrengthsandweaknesses,opportunitiesavailabletoit,andthreatsit
isfacing.Usingbreakoutgroups,wewatchpotentialstrategiesemergethatwill
enabletheorganizationtobreakdownthebarriersthatimpedeitfromachieveits
goal.Atthispoint,thegroupparticipantsareworkinghard.
Thenwecondenseallofthepotentialstrategiesintothreetofivecorestrategies.
Thesearestatementsthatdescribewhattheorganizationneedstodotoachieveits
goal.Allotherpotentialstrategiesthatdontmakeitascorestrategiesbecome
objectivesthatsupportthecorestrategies.
Next,wemoveintotheactionplanningstep.Ifpeoplewereworkinghardbefore,
theyrereallyworkinghardnow.Aswithteambuildingandactionplanning,
someonehastotakeresponsibilityfordoingeachaction.Otherwise,everyoneis
accountable.Thatmeansnooneisaccountable,andnothingisgoingtogetdone!
Finally,Idraftastrategicplanningdocumentthatcapturesallofthesesteps.Then
Ideliverthedocumenttotheorganizationalleader.
Myactiveroleinthestrategicplanningprocesswiththeorganizationisoveratthis
point.However,Istayintouchwiththegroupandoffertohelpthemimplement
theirnewstrategicplan.
HeresanexampleofanorganizationIworkedwithwhereIemployedallthreeof
mycorepractices.Thisgrouphadaninterestinghistory.Onthesouthernshoreof
LakeErie,therearemanmadeextensionsoftheshorelinejuttingoutintothelake
calledContainedDisposalFacilities.By2000,oneofthemwasfullofdredge
fromtheCuyahogaRiverandithadbecomeovergrownwithvegetation.Many
conservationgroupsralliedaroundthecauseofpreservingthissitefromfurther
dumpingordevelopment.Theywantedittobecomeanaturepreserve.Theywere
totallyunorganizedandunfocused.Iworkedwiththemonteambuildingandgot
themtoachieveconsensusonwhattheywantedtodo.TheywereamazedthatI
gotsuchalargeanddiversegroupofpeopletoagreeonanything!
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
http://www.tomromito.com
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Eventually,theydecidedtocallthemselvestheEnvironmentalEducation
Collaborative.Ifacilitatedanactionplanningprocesstohelpthemfurtherfocus
theirefforts.Thecollaborativefinallyaskedmetofacilitateastrategicplanning
processtohelpitdecideitsfuture.Oneofthecorestrategiesitdevelopedwasto
disbandifiteverachieveditsgoalofpreservingthesite.Then,in2012,the
ClevelandCuyahogaCountyPortAuthorityopenedthesitetothepublicasa
preserve.Thecollaborativerealizedithadachieveditsgoalanddisbanded.So
thisorganizationnotonlyachieveditsgoal,butworkeditselfoutofajob!I
believethisistheultimategoalofanynonprofitorganization.
NowIlldescribeseveraltopicssupportmycorepractices.
Oneiscapacitybuilding.Allorganizationsmustbuildcapacity.Iseethisasthe
powertosurviveandthrive.EverythingIdoasafacilitatorpointsthemtoward
this.PerhapsthemostimportantfactorincapacitybuildingIknowofistheability
tomanagegroupdynamics.Icallitworkingagroup.PeterSengecallsitskillful
discussion.Eitherway,theideaistohelpagroupachieveclarityinwordsand
thought.
Yousee,manygroupswastetimebecausetheycantagreeonanything.Ihelp
themovercomethatproblembyraisingquestionsthatdonthavehardandfirm
answers.Idemonstratethisbehaviorfortworeasons.First,itgetspeopletofocus
onwhattheyresaying.Second,itencouragesthemtoaskeachotherthesame
questionsIask.
Letssaythatsomeonehasjuststatedanopinion.Imayask,Whatledyouto
havethatpointofview?Or,Howdidyouarriveatthatconclusion?When
someoneusesanunfamiliarword,Imightask,Whenyouusethatterm,whatare
yousaying?Ifthegroupseemsstuck,Imightask,Whatdoweagreeon,and
whatdowedisagreeon?
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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InoneworkshopIfacilitated,agroupmembermadeastatement,andsomeoneelse
asked,Whydoyoufeelthatway?ThisisexactlythebehaviorItrytofoster.
Itsnotascommonplaceasyoumightthink.Manygroupswillletanythingpass
becausetheyjustwantthemeetingtoend!
Anothertopicthatsupportsmycorepracticesissystemsthinking.Systems
thinkingisimportantbecausesocietyisoverwhelmedwithcomplexity.Nooneand
noentityisimmunetoit.Thisiswhyorganizationsfeelsomanybarrierskeep
themfromachievingtheirgoals.Inturn,thatswhytheireffortsarefragmented
andunfocused.
PeterSengeexplainssystemsthinking.Hesaysthattheforcesorganizationsface
areinterrelated.Theyarenotmutuallyexclusive.Soyoucantdealwiththemina
linearfashionoroneatatime.Youhavetoseehowtheyintersecttocreatea
problemandultimatelysolveit.
Heresanexampleofhowsystemsthinkingworksinmypractice.Imentioned
earlierthatduringmystrategicplanningprocess,Ihelpagrouplistbarriersthat
impedeitfromachievingtheirgoal.Usingthebarriersthemselves,wedevelop
strategiestobreakthemdown.Here,thebarriershavecreatedtheproblem,and
havealsocontributedtothesolutiontoremovethem.Thisissystemsthinkingin
action!
Irecentlycameacrossanotherconceptthatsupportsmypractice.Itscalled
ManagingtoOutcomes.AuthorMarioMorinopioneersthisconceptinhisbook
LeapofReason:ManagingtoOutcomesinanEraofScarcity.Theideaisthat
someorganizationswanttomakeadifference,butdontmeasurethegoodtheydo
forthosetheyserve.Asaresult,theydontlearnandimprovewhattheyredoing.
Tellme,whywouldanyorganizationnotwanttomeasureitsownperformance?
Well,Ithinkthatsbecausetheythinkthatmeasurementwouldbecomeanother
activity,anotherproject.Whosgoingtodothat?Everyonewhohasapassionfor
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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theorganizationisalreadycarryingtheload.So,collectingdatafallsbythe
wayside.
Toillustratethis,Illtellyouastory.AnorganizationIworkedwithhasthegoal
ofeducatingthepublicaboutconservationofthenaturalworld.Theyconduct
activitiessuchasprogramsandfieldtrips.Askthemhowwelltheydothis,and
theysay,Werecreatingawareness.Askthemhowtheyknowthat,andthey
say,Becausepeopleattendourprogramsandfieldtrips.Thisiscircular
thinking!Itkeepsthemfromimprovingwhattheydobecausetheydontreally
knowhowwelltheyredoingit.
MarioMarinoexplainsthatanorganizationlikethiscouldsolvetheproblemby
usingalogicmodel.Alogicmodelfeaturesobjectives,activities,andoutcomes.
Iftheywentbeyondobjectivesandactivitiesbymeasuringtheoutcomesofwhat
theydo,theycouldimprovetheirdeliverymethods.Onewaymightbetosurvey
peoplewhoattendtheiractivitiestofindoutwhattheythinkaboutwhattheydo
andhowtheydoit.
IbelievetheycouldmakeMarioMarinosleapofreasonifsomeonewould
championoutcomesthinking.Oncetheystarteddoingperformancemeasurement,
itwouldbecomeimbeddedintheirculture.Thenleaderswouldbeabletolookat
thedataandsay,Okay,hereswhatweneedtodotomakeadifference.
Ienjoyhelpingorganizationsdevelopafundraisingstrategy.Manygroupsthatare
strugglinghavetheattitudethatiftheycouldjustgetagrant,everythingwouldbe
okay.Iactuallyheardsomeonesay,Whatdoweneedmoneyfor?Well,some
justhavetopaytherentandkeepthelightsburning.Otherswanttopublisha
newsletterandpayforprograms.Thesethingsdontneedalotofmoney,butthey
doneedsome.Ifyourorganizationsurvivedtherecentrecession,youknowthata
steadyinfluxofrevenuewillkeepyougoinginhardtimes.
Allorganizationsshouldstudytheirperformanceinfundraising.Theyshould
evaluatethereceptivenessofpeopletheymakeappealsto.Theyshould
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
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consistentlyusetraditionalmethodslikeannualappeals,funddrives,writinggrant
proposals,anddirectappealstopotentiallybigdonors.
Icanhelporganizationsdevelopafundraisingstrategythroughteambuilding,
actionplanning,orstrategicplanning.TheapproachIusedependsonhow
seasonedandhighperformingtheyare.
Anothertopicworthwhiletodiscussisgroundrulesformeetings.Withoutground
rules,meetingscanbecomechaotic.Theyhelptomaintaindecorum.Most
organizationssettypicalgroundruleslikeDontinterruptoneanotherand
Respecteachothersviewpoint.Thesearefine.Isetafewgroundrulesofmy
ownthatIdontnecessarilyannouncetoanyone.
Forinstance,whenIfacilitateameeting,Istartthemeetingontime.Irespect
thosewhoshowupontimebystartingontime.
WhenIfacilitategroup,everyoneworks.Ipracticetheprincipleofinclusion.
ThismeansIgeteveryoneintheroominvolvedinthediscussion.Ijustdrawthem
out.Inmymeetings,nothingisfree.Ikeepeveryoneengaged,alert,and
contributingtotheresult.
Mymeetingsalsoendontime.Whentheannouncedendingtimecomes,were
done.ThatsbecauseIpushthegrouptocompletetheworkbythen.
Anotheroneofmycontenttopicsisfocusgroups.Organizationsthatwanttogrow
needtoknowhowtheoutsideworldperceivesthem.Iconductfocusgroupsto
helpthemgainthisknowledge.Todothis,Irecruitfivetotenpeoplewhoarenot
intheorganizationbuthaveaninterestinit.Ialsoscheduleatwohourblockof
timeandameetinglocation.
WhenIfacilitateafocusgroup,Iaskafewquestionstogetpeopleinvolvedinthe
conversation.Iaskpeoplewhattheyknowabouttheorganization.Iaskthem
whatitshoulddoforthem.Iaskthemwhatshouldbetheorganizationshighest
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
http://www.tomromito.com
10
priorityforimprovingitself.Iusethisdatatohelptheorganizationdevelop
strategiesforachievingitsgoal.Thisoccursduringastrategicplanningprocess,as
Idiscussedearlier.
IllsharemoreoftheinformationIvediscussedtodaywithyouandorganizations
thatwanttogrow.YoucanreadwhitepapersIvewrittenaboutallthesetopicson
mywebsite.
Beforeclosingthisblog,Illtieupafewlooseends.
Atrootinallofmyworkismyinterestinbuildingrelationships.Callit
networkingifyouwish.Ibelievethatsolidrelationshipsarethefoundationof
buildingtrust.Toillustratethispoint,Iwilltellyouanotherstory.
IwaspresidentoftheWesternCuyahogaAudubonSocietyfrom20032013.
Duringthattime,weconductedafiveyearsurveyofbreedingbirdsintheRocky
Rivervalley.Inthefourthyearoftheproject,weneededaninfusionoffundingto
keepitgoing.
Ireachedouttoseveralpotentialbigdonors.Theyalldeniedmyappeal.They
saidourprojectdidntrisetotheleveloftheirfundingpriorities.Iturnedtoone
moreperson.ThiswasawomanwhohadservedonseveralboardsIhad
facilitatedovertheyears.Iaskedherifshecouldhelpusandshesaid,Tellme
whenandhowmuch.Iwasastonished,butIknewthisneverwouldhave
happenedhadInotbuiltarelationshipwithherandgainedhertrust.
ThenextenterpriseIseeformyselfistoplanandconductaseminarforpeople
whowanttolearnwhatIknow.Iseethishappeningthisyear.Inpreparing,Iwill
seekinsightandguidancefromseriousthinkerssuchasthefoundersofthe
InstituteofOpenEconomicNetworks.
Iuseaguidelineinmycorework.ItsthekeywordSMART.Ilearneditfroma
managementcoachnameSusanCucuzza.Itsanacronymforasetofmetrics
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
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Web:
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everygroupmustobserveifitgoingtoachieveitsgoal.Anyactionagroup
undertakesmustbeSimple,Measurable,Actionable,Realistic,andTimebased,or
th
SMART.Thenoted20
centurymanagementtheoristPeterDruckergave
credencetothisguidelineinhisbookentitledTheEffectiveExecutive.He
wrote,Unlessadecisionhasdegeneratedintowork,itisnotadecision,butatbest
agoodintention.Theactiontocarryitoutshouldbeascloseaspossibletothe
workinglevelandassimpleaspossible.
AsIvementionedinthisinterview,Iveworkedwithanumberofcollaboratives.
Theytypicallyconsistofmanyorganizationswithcommoninterests,suchas
habitatpreservation,healthcare,andcommunitydevelopment.Theywanttobuild
consensusonwhattheywanttoachieve.IbringtobearmycoreworkinTeam
Building,ActionPlanning,andStrategicPlanningtohelpthemdothat.
IlltellyouaboutthemostrewardingworkIvedoneasafacilitator.Irecently
conductedastrategicplanningprocessthatinvolvedthecommunitydevelopment
officeandthecommunityadvisorycouncilontheNearWestsideofCleveland.
Thesetwogroupsaskedmetohelpthemlearnwhattheresidentsneedinorderto
improvequalityoflifeinthecommunity.Theprocessresultedinseveralcore
strategiesthatwillservethecommunityforyearstocome.Weexpecttosee
residentsandbusinessesworkingtogetheroneducation,safety,health,housing,
cleanliness,andlanduse.Wealsohopetoseejobcreationandrevitalizationof
ourneighborhoods.
Inconclusion,dearreader,pleaserememberthatallorganizationscangrowby
buildingonwhattheyalreadyknow.Alltheyhavetodoisshareitandputitinto
action!
IamgratefultotheInstituteofOpenEconomicNetworksforthisopportunityto
sharewhatIcareaboutwithyou.
Thanksforreading!
BuildingCapacityinYourOrganization
2015TomRomito,Facilitator,Cleveland,OH44109USA
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:
http://www.tomromito.com