by Peter A. Arthur-Smith, Leadership Solutions, Inc.®
“Most people give up when they’re just about to achieve success. They quit on the 1-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.” Ross Perot (1930-2019) – self-made billionaire obituary, New York Times, July 2019.
Sustaining any organization is a major challenge. For potential Sheltered-Enterprise Communities, it will take a whole other level of commitment owing to the nature of such populations. Consequently, if we can understand how to accomplish sustainability with these, it will increase our likelihood of pulling it off at many other levels, too. Besides, there are so many other ongoing societal challenges that remaining focused on this one, while others continue swirling around us, presents an extra degree of commitment and determination.
Like any other breakthrough project, it means: A) Going for the long-haul at the outset, B) injecting fresh leadership talent at regular intervals, and C) remaining focused on the longer-term societal pay-off.
- Going for the Long-Haul – In this writer’s view no city, county or community should ever invest their professionals’ time and limited resources into Sheltered-Enterprise Communities (S-ECs) unless they are willing to devote at least five years toward making a substantive impact.
As outlined in any organization growth cycle, which is in reality in the form of an upward spiral: the start-up phase, opportunistic growth phase, and strategic phase requires different types of leadership attention at each level. Each phase has its own unique challenges and, it’s safe to say, will require a different strategy for each segment. In the case of S-ECs, it will require tremendous professional leadership focus and stamina, especially during the start-up phase when there are likely to be several setbacks. Hence the social worker professional and volunteer financial, legal and organization professionals will need to pursue their assignments without blinders on.
Indeed, there may be every reason to replace them every eighteen to twenty-four months to mitigate against burnout: so careful selection, education, mentoring and encouragement should be afforded to such a team of professionals. They should also utilize our recommended Simple Success Strategy (SSS) and Operational Streaming format, as outlined in prior articles, to simultaneously but discretely focus on monthly execution, quarterly preparation, and ‘thinking through’ beyond those timeframes. Such tools will help keep them grounded and appropriately riveted, as well as more optimistic about their overall success. Eventually, as the S-EC takes-off, it will enter into a Strategic Streaming format – again, explained in prior articles – and will concentrate on quarterly, annual and three or five-year cycles and beyond.
Most important will be the link between milestones accomplished and prudent celebrations to stoke their team’s spirit; which will include the S-EC’s Operating team of Pathfinder, Optimizer, Innovator, Acquirer, Operator, Promoter and Human Factor – all drawn from the community itself, as imperfect as that will be.
- Injecting Fresh Talent – The full-time social worker professional and volunteer professionals that form the advisory board to the S-EC Operating team, should be given every reason to stand-down from their roles after eighteen to twenty four months: unless they explicitly wish to remain in place to see their efforts through.
They can become coaches-mentors to their replacements and even advisory members to the ongoing advisory board for a period of time. Transitioning to new full-time or volunteer professionals should be
somewhat staggered to aid experience continuity. Such fresh efforts and eyes will help foresee glitches in any existing approaches and therefore make vital adjustments; along with their S-EC leadership members.
- Keeping Focused on Long-Term Societal Pay-Off – In an ideal world such homeless and downtrodden communities shouldn’t exist at all, although, due to societal imperfections, economic cycles, ‘creative disruption’ factors, generational changes, human failings, and political whims, unfortunately they do.
It’s a question of setting aside different political interests and dealing with the realities of community breakdown. There will always be a human spectrum of people who fall into the fringes through social reasons or mental illness; sometimes for a momentary period in their lives. As we tackle this apparent waste of dis-enfranchised human talent by creating S-ECs, perhaps we will even better understand the root causes and change societal dynamics accordingly.
However, faced with such random homeless and downtrodden communities, action is necessary for the good of all. If these S-ECs become established, drawing upon whatever leadership talent these communities possess; they will separate misguided, able-bodied people from the mentally ill over time. The latter will be attended to and absorbed into current federal, state and city mental health services. The remaining human potential will be refocused on helping to take care of their shelter and income needs. That’s the intent of these S-ECs: for these people to contribute to their own well-being rather than act as a burden on society.
There’s every reason to expect that as some of these people regain their confidence, learn how to handle certain responsibilities, find some stability in their lives, and re-discover their talents that a good number will return to regular society. Consequently, any initial group of S-ECs will gradually downsize and merge with others until they’re almost extinct…But it will take time: there’s no magic wand. Such reductions could occur over a 5- 10 year period of time, with less and less financial burden on city, county and community budgets.
By that time, societal norms and needs may have somewhat changed and new solutions will likely become available. These current ad-hoc homeless and downtrodden communities are a phenomenon of our times: just as the Bowery homeless were in New York City at the end of the nineteenth century – caused by soldier flotsam from the American Civil War. In the past we have dealt with ad-hoc hippie or refugee communities. Approached in the right way, with a degree of human compassion, along with enlightened leadership, there’s no reason why this societal issue cannot be dealt with by a humane and thoughtful manner. We just need the will and the way.
The irony is – as outlined in earlier articles: the name of the game is for regular commercial, sporting, non-profit, institutional or government entities to thrive, expand and make a valuable impact on society over time. In the case of Sheltered-Enterprise Communities, their success will make them virtually extinct over time.
To learn more about Sheltered-Enterprise Communities, talk with: