The One Thing revisited

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What would it take to turn your organization around? What would you describe as the one thing that is most important to shift your current status from surviving to thriving? Over a decade ago I was part of a team to develop the strategic master plan for Northern Marianas College. The committee was composed of leadership from staff, faculty and administration, and I was the Faculty Senate President at the time. I went to bed one evening thinking about the discussion that day. The next morning I awoke from a dream, wrote down my thoughts and called it “The One Thing…”
When the team met again, I shared my thoughts with them in order to stimulate some discussion about how we could realize the dream, and the College could position itself as a vital community asset and help stimulate economic growth. We did talk about it, but there was no agreement on what “the one thing” was that could turn things around. In the ensuing years I have seen NMC go through many changes, but we are no closer today to realizing the dream I had of the College in 1999. Many of the challenges we’re experiencing today were the same challenges we faced over a decade ago; however, I still believe it’s not too late for the College to discover “the one thing” and become the example for positive change in the community.
I thought it would be interesting to get comments from individuals working at NMC, so I sent out an email to all the accounts at the College asking for their thoughts on what they feel “the one thing” is that would be the catalyst to turn things around at the College and positively impact the community. Here are their thoughts, with permission from some to include their name. As you read through them, ask yourself if any of the suggestions could benefit your organization and make it a better place to work, or add more to the lives of those it serves.
One respondent wanted to emphasize that NMC was built by the community, for the community, and to benefit the community. It is a public institution that serves individuals locally and abroad; however, the most immediate benefactor of NMC’s work is the local community.
Dave Attao believes that the College should become the center for community transformation – meaning that everyone and any organization can interact with the College “to fulfill or exceed their needs and transform from one former being or entity to a transcending one.”
Others felt that the College should transform itself by developing or enhancing specific traits. A couple of people said that “honesty” is a critical trait that should be the foundation of everything the College does, and it should be personified by its leaders. Frank Sobolewski went so far as to quote a scripture: Do not tell lies to one another (Colossians 3:9). He then prophetically warned that if “NMC is not completely honest with each other, with the Board of Regents, the CNMI Legislature, the Governor, the general public, and WASC, all the rest of what we do in terms of trying to turn NMC around will be doomed to failure sooner or later.”
One individual mentioned the importance of transparency internally as well as on a community level. “Internal audits would be beneficial to measure morale as well as fiduciary responsibility by making key management aware of potential misunderstandings of a particular situation/incident where quality and conduct were not meeting the desired level of expected performance and productivity within a given department.”
Two individuals who did not give permission to use their names mentioned a trait that I thought was insightful: humility. All individuals and organizations will make mistakes, but rarely do they have the humility to admit them, learn from them, and become better in the process.
Two others believed that the one thing is actually a person…specifically a leader. Bruce Johnson mentioned that, as with any successful organization, change will occur through an outstanding leader who is “strong, smart, decisive, imaginative and fearless. George Patton with a Ph.D.”
Geri Willis brought up the point that everyone at the College plays an important role and for NMC to realize the one thing, “all the cogs of the wheel need to be working together toward a common vision, not in isolation, to be successful and reap the benefits.”
In order for people to get on one page and move toward a common vision, a paradigm shift is necessary to realign the culture at the College. Dawn Chrystal Revilla mentioned that for people to understand their roles within the institution, the College must examine everything it does and ask how it serves our students and “assists them in their educational and personal development.” She had the opportunity to work at a division of an institution that adopted a “student centered philosophy” as one of its core values. The steps that were taken to fully live this philosophy empowered individuals to do the right thing with the programs and assets with which they were entrusted.
I believe that many of the comments above can be applied to any organization in the CNMI to make it a better place to work and more importantly, allow it to better serve its customers. In reality, it will take many things to create the change that is necessary to improve and progress; however, what do you believe is the prime factor that is required to realize the dream you might have for your organization? Ask individuals within and outside your organization and you might be surprised by the great responses you’ll hear. Implement the “the one thing,” and you’ll soon start to realize the potential your organization has to add more life to everyone it touches.

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Below is the document that I refer to in the article above. It was included as the forward to the NMC Strategic Master Plan.

The One Thing…
by Rik Villegas

Last night I dreamt I visited a wonderful college on a beautiful, tropical island in the Pacific. As I met with the individuals who worked or learned there, I realized everyone was happy and felt fulfilled in their life. In fact, if you were to ask anyone what they liked most about the college, he or she would say in a nutshell that the college gave them more life.
Students got more out of life because those who graduated were able to get top positions in companies they worked with. Those still attending college were happy with the education they were receiving because they knew the faculty and administration valued them through excellent instruction, the best educational resources, and superior support services.
The faculty and staff felt more life because they were valued by the administration through the excellent support they received in their assignments. They were not only compensated well for their efforts, but they also received a number of non-monetary benefits that made the college a very desirable place to work. Turnover was low, and the quality of education was high because of the premium the college place on hiring and keeping the very best individuals.
The administrators were especially pleased with the smooth operations that were apparent at the institution. They also felt respected by the faculty, staff, students, and community because of the benefit the college offered to the island as a whole. The directors and department chairs quickly and easily took care of almost all of the minor problems that might occasionally occur. This allowed more time for the administrators to focus on planning, and directing the college. It also allowed more time for them to meet with individuals and develop positive relationships with the college personnel and community leaders. Even though the institution had doubled its size in a few short years, there was a family-like spirit that pervaded.
The community felt more life because only a few short years ago they were experiencing an economic downturn that threatened their happy way of life; however, the college was able to do one thing that eventually turned the economy around. Not only did it help the economy, but the college became the institution of choice for high school students and nontraditional students pursuing a degree. This allowed more money to be circulated in the local economy, and more money to be invested for educational excellence. It became a continuous loop of good things getting even better.
Because of the one thing that the college did, the legislators began to realize the value of the college to their children and the community. They changed their attitude from trying to cut the budget of the college to finding more money they could invest in the institution.
Just a few years earlier, the college had been struggling with many issues. The pressures were great and everyone’s morale was low. However, when the solution was found, it changed the whole perspective of the college.
This one thing was like a match lit in the darkness of despair, and it not only brightened the hopes of everyone—it also caused the whole island to believe there was a solution to their economic problems. The college became a leader to the government and community’s businesses for restoring economic stability and adding more to everyone’s life. The one thing was… (I woke up just then. However, the dream could continue, but I think it will take others who are also dreamers to help realize what that one thing is.)