Do you ever feel stuck? Like you just don’t know what the next best step is? Or like you are so focused on the task before you that you can’t think about how to improve outcomes?
Stephen Covey asked, “Are we busy or effective?” Sometimes I feel too busy to even explore the question!
However, what gets me out of bed in the morning isn’t the thought of being busy all day. I am motivated by being effective. But in the challenges many of us face, knowing how to be effective is just daunting.
This is why having a process is so important. I can remember participating in a community leadership development program in rural Wyoming when Rhonda Shipp, the amazing founder of this program, stated, “It’s all about process.” I will admit at the time I didn’t know what she meant. It was years later as I was working on complex issues like preventing underage substance use or improving traffic safety that I started to understand the wisdom of her words.
For every challenge, there is content and process. For example, in traffic safety, the content is all about understanding safety outcomes, factors that contribute to crashes, and how we can reduce risk factors and grow protective factors to change outcomes. But separate from the content is process – the steps that I, as a stakeholder working on this issue, take to improve traffic safety.
We at Banyan Collaborative have spent decades focusing on the process. We have studied various change process research and worked on a variety of issues. During this time, we have honed our understanding of the steps, activities within each step, and skills needed to address complex issues. These steps, activities, and skills transcend issues and guide practitioners on what to do next as they navigate complex issues (which need to be addressed differently than traditional problem solving approaches).
Are you feeling stuck? Overwhelmed? Frustrated at not improving outcomes? Please contact us if you would like to explore how we could assist you.