We just finished an intentional and strategic planning session with one of our favorite partners, the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. The Club asked us to help facilitate the retreat and put together an action plan for the next year that would help them make mission-based decisions and prepare for the unknown future. This two-day event was a mix of good food, laughter, remembering, and planning for the future. Here are some tips from our time with the Club.
Planning Begins and Ends with Relationship
We’ve been talking about planning for years. We’ve worked with the Club for 20 years… and we finally did it.
Trust
Create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing what is on their minds.
Food
Feed people and feed them well. The Club hired a community member who was raising funds for cancer treatment. She and her mom prepared our food and gave us lots of smiles and love.
Flex agenda
We had an agenda, but we did not stick with it.
We created a pre-workshop survey, but it wasn’t completed.
We originally reserved a cabin that was inaccessible with the snow.
We had no heat and very limited space and seating.
We thrived and created a plan anyway.
Give it all away
We bought Pendleton items, made lavender salve, art supplies and more - the blessing is always in the giving.
Keep Going
We left our retreat better than we were before we started. We are different in some ways.
While news headlines tell us stories about funding issues, layoffs, inequities, and discrimination, we are united in how we want to live now and in the future.
Create a Tangible Plan
We worked on four goals and some objectives. These will be shared and used to guide decisions in the next year. We did not get to the succession planning, but we have a template they can use to start this process.
Here are some tips from last week's meeting that might help you plan and envision a bigger and brighter future.
Check out the Intentional Planning Template we used with the Club! This simple table is an easy way to document where you are and where you are going. Check out the Intentional Planning Template with SMART objectives to guide your work.
Be generous! We made lavender salve from Lake Drive lavender. We purchased beautiful gifts at the Pendleton shop, and some homemade bags. Thanks to our excellent cooks, we had the best food all day long.
Remember to remember. We are walking on a path through unprecedented times. We must not forget why we are here, who we serve, and why it matters. Our Circle of Remembering exercise is just one way we remember; each ribbon represents a person, activity, or experience from the hearts of participants.
Don’t live in fear. Many programs and organizations are fearful that their programs will be eliminated due to changes in federal funding. We believe that Hope is what we need, and when hope is supported by goals, agency, and pathways, we will be successful and make a difference through mattering and legacy work.
I see the wisdom and silent knowledge from elders, grandmothers, and survivors. I feel connected to a greater purpose that will continue to unfold because of the intentions shared, and the stories remembered. Impactful strategic planning is transformative, it’s a lot like making banana bread.
Make Banana Bread
The strategic plan process and the result are equivalent to one of my favorite recipes. This recipe comes from a grandmother. It’s the best banana bread in the world.
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
6 well-ripened bananas – mashed
4 whole eggs – beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of soda
2 cups of coarsely chopped nuts
Mix together sugar and oil. Add bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour,
salt, and soda and sift into banana mixture. Mix well. Add nuts and mix.
Spray the bottoms of two large or three small loaf pans. Bake at 375° F for 45 to 55
minutes and until the tester comes out clean. Do not under-bake, or the bread will fall. Cool on a wire cake rack.
To prepare it, I buy bananas a week in advance. They sit on the counter until they are nearly black. I review the recipe to ensure I have all the ingredients, a baking dish, and a working oven. The next step is to start mixing. Then put it in the oven and wait. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool. Slice it and share it with your favorite person. Every ingredient adds something to the bread. You must take action and eat it within a few days.
The strategic planning process is a lot like making banana bread. It just requires a recipe/plan and the right ingredients/resources.
We also stopped to see our good friends at the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, take in the sights from 10,000 feet, and enjoy some time with a beautiful rez dog called Itsy.
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