“By focusing on 4 clear metrics, we have much more
insight about how we are achieving our ultimate mission.”
-Bill Hoppell, President of Cincinnati Nature Center
|
Client Success Story – Cincinnati
Nature Center
Background:
Cincinnati Nature Center, founded in 1965, is one of the top 10 nature
centers in the US, with 16 miles of trails, 1600 acres, serving thousands
of members and school children every year. Their mission is to inspire
passion for nature and promote environmentally responsible choices through
experience, education, and stewardship to ensure a sustainable future.
Problem:
While creating another three-year strategic plan, the organization discovered
that simply creating a plan wasn’t enough. One conversation with
Pathway Guidance helped the team realized they still lacked the clarity
of exactly who they serve and where they could be best. Even with this
realization, the Board was skeptical that another consultant could make
a difference. So, they tried to do it themselves and six months later,
the team turned back to Pathway Guidance for a more formalized engagement.
Pathway Guidance Solution:
The Partners of Pathway Guidance immediately began leveraging the good
work already completed, and started asking hard questions. The Nature
Center was able to drill down into what really mattered to their mission.
Using the team’s strong hypotheses, Pathway Guidance helped refine
a Strategy Map identifying key goals and priorities, which led to a Balanced
Scorecard to keep the team focused on the right activities. Pathway then
worked closely with the four senior leaders to develop Performance Maps,
aligning their individual work directly to the organization’s goals.
In the end, Pathway helped the team focus on what was really important,
and aligned the people to take action to intentionally further the organization’s
mission.
Outcome:
The work Pathway and the Nature Center did together didn’t fundamentally
change the mission of the organization. It did, however, transform how
effective they are in delivering that mission. The new focus is a constant
reminder to the team of their goal to engage members. According to Bill
Hoppell, President of Cincinnati Nature Center, “All our strategies
are focused there. And, when we fall into old habits, we catch ourselves
and realize we shouldn’t be doing that. By focusing on four clear
metrics, we have much more insight about how we are achieving our ultimate
mission.” |
