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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
Email:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
Web:

http://www.tomromito.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
Web:

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

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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:

http://www.tomromito.com

10

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:
thomasmromito@gmail.com
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

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