I'm in the process of writing a long article entitled: Why Organizations Thrive.  The article details fifteen lessons I learned while growing the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), buttressed by my observations of dozens of other groups both in Oregon and across the country. 

Collectively, I believe these lessons are a very useful set of principles that Executive Directors can use to improve their organization's capacity to fulfill its mission.

These lessons include topics such as July's lesson:  Relentlessly focus on relationships and December's lesson:  Invest in information management systems.

You can view all of the lessons so far on my newly revamped website.   

Lesson 5 is:  Manage one big change at a time.   

Thriving organizations change.  Constantly.

The reverse is also true:  organizations that don't change become stale.   

So change is good. 

But managing change is also hard. 

Whether it involves new staff or new staff roles, new programs, or new organizational systems, bringing change to an organization is not to be taken lightly.

Which brings me to my point:  leaders wishing to push change should focus on one significant change at a time. 

Why shouldn't you just identify all the significant changes necessary and move forward on all fronts.