The Missing Element: Risk

Recently I came across an article by ZenDesk discussing their acronym for creating and implementing a CSR program, and their acronym for approach, LET SEEP.   

The acronym stands for, Listen, Explore, Try, Solidify, Execute, Evaluate, Permeate.  

What struck me was third item, try: it's one of those things that seems so obvious when you see it, but can be a challenge in a business climate where everything needs to yield instant results.  When it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, you have to be willing to dip your toes in the water, and be prepared to adjust if something isn't working as expected or yielding the necessary results. 

Not every organization or mission is going to be a perfect fit on the first try, which is why knowing your ideal outcomes are so critical.  Is it the non profit's mission that your employees aren't engaged with? Are the resources not well aligned?  Or maybe you're just not getting the impact you desire?

Ideally, with proper planning, the issues can be mitigated, but as always, measurement is critical to ensure that the organization is adjusting accordingly. 

This field is emerging.  Every day there's a new piece of content, new theory or best practice worth consideration, and sometimes it can be daunting to stay on top of it.  But I love the idea that striving for perfection should never get in the way of progress.

What have you tried lately?


Dora LutzComment