Whenever I am considering making a big shift or decision in my life, I always seek the perspective and insight of people who know me well or have expertise in that area. The same holds true for Center for Health Progress. It was important for us an organization to seek the guidance and facilitation of a consultant in order to establish our 2018-2020 Theory of Change and Strategic Framework. All this work is in service to our long-term goal that people who experience health inequities due to historic and systemic injustices have access to timely, high-quality, and affordable health care services that meet their needs. As Joe discussed in the first blog post of the year, we undertook an extensive and intentional process to develop the theories and frameworks that informed our decisions to focus on a specific set of goals.
Without the guidance and facilitation of our consultant, we would not be where we are today; with clarity of our goals, purpose, and direction. As happens in organizations, and in life, it is so easy to get bogged down in the details of our own worlds that it is hard to look up, take stock, and be honest about where we are and where we need to be. As the saying goes, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. By working with someone with the expertise and skills to ask the big questions and facilitate our process, we gained perspective, deconstructed our assumptions, and ultimately led to a plan that we are proud of and excited about.
Over the past several years, our team has guided organizations across Colorado to do the same. Our trained facilitators have worked with collaboratives in the mountains and along the Front Range to identify their plan for improving the health of their communities. For example, we facilitated a strategic planning process for an agency that has been around for decades. Through our expertise and partnership, they were able to realign their values, vision, and goals, and develop the next iteration of their strategic plan. We also have facilitated convenings of diverse organizations to develop plans and goals for future collaboration. As “outsiders” in these situations, we have effectively supported groups to work through tension and challenges in service to the bigger picture. We are able to help uncover commonsense solutions to complex challenges and get closer to working toward health equity.
We love to support organizations that seek to improve the health and lives of Coloradans. Our team includes experts in strategic planning, convening and collaborative facilitation, community organizing, communications, and public policy. And we would love to support your organization, too! I am sure we can all relate to a time when we wished we had gotten insight from someone else before making a big decision. Don’t let the same thing happen to your organization. If you are interested in learning more about our work in this area, you can contact me or check out our website for more information.