How can you work with your board, donors, staff and other stakeholders to introduce significant change without alienating long-term supporters? How can you shift from seemingly endless consultative processes towards action and results? How do you ensure that new visions for your organization honour the past, but are not constrained by it? For example, in the corporate world, turnarounds are often achieved by hiring a new leader, firing staff, and changing the board. Here are the five good ideas that can help social purpose organizations take practical action to achieve meaningful organizational change. Paul Davidson has held leadership positions in the public, private and voluntary sectors. He shares his experience and lessons learned from leading turnarounds in each sphere.
Five Good Resources:
- Between the Breaks… Live!, a recording by Stan Rogers, 1979 Fogarty’s Cove Music, especially The Mary Ellen Carter for its sheer grit and determination.
- My Final Hour, an essay by Margaret Laurence, found in Canadian Literature, Issue No. 100 ed. W. H New, Spring 1984. For its passion, urgency and integrity.
- New Year’s Day Address on Assuming the Presidency speech by Vaclav Havel found in Lend Me Your Ears, ed. William Safire, WW Norton & Company, 1992 New York.
- The Cult of Efficiency, Janice Gross Stein, House of Anansi Press, 2001, Toronto.
- Getting to Maybe; How the World Is Changed, by Frances Westley , Brenda Zimmerman and Michael Patton , Random House of Canada, 2006 Toronto.
Paul Davidson
Executive Director, World University Service of Canada
Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada since 2009, has played leadership roles in the public, private and voluntary sectors. He was executive director of World University Service of Canada from 2002 to 2009; WUSC is now active on over 70 campuses across Canada and in over 17 countries. Previously, Paul spent seven years in the Canadian book-publishing industry, including five years as executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He also served from 1998 to 2004 as a volunteer on the board of the ALS Society of Canada. In the early 1990s, Paul led the Toronto office of a government relations firm following three years as a political advisor to Ontario’s Treasurer. He holds an MA from Queen’s University and a BA from Trent University.