Right now, I can’t plan any lawn parties for a lot of my friends that have made a choice to have children. Like that bird that returns to Capistrano each year, my child rearing friends make their annual trek down to Disney World to swelter in long lines and to spend their hard earned money on varied trinkets that only a plaintiff look can hope to secure.
Disney World.
Disney Land.
The Disney Empire.
As of late, behind the placid façade of Epcot and the Magical Kingdom, there has been a battle in the Disney boardroom that would make Attila the Hun’s blood run cold.
Michael Eisner, Disney’s outgoing chief executive officer, left an organization with a contentious board of directors, a stalled “Disney World China”, and declining stock prices.
Enter Roger Iger, the new chief executive officer.
Iger knew that he had to stabilize the board and increase shareholder value.
He did both.
How?
“He understood tradition. He honored tradition. He was not bound by it”
The Roman Catholic Church shares many points of commonality with a long established company like Disney. Like Disney, the Roman Catholic Church operates within a management paradigm that is chiefly driven by and informed by tradition. As the very heart of the faith, of the organization, rests upon immovable truths, these points of theology can inform management pedagogy.
Ask yourself how many times you have heard these things in a meeting within your chancery:
“Like we did last year … “
“We have always done it that way …”
Now, take a look at your annual appeal program. Open your operational calendar from last year and compare it to the same calendar you may have used five years ago.
Is there any difference?
Probably not.
Now open your “year end” appeal analysis from last year and compare it to the same reports from the past five fiscal years.
Is there any difference?
Probably.
And not for the better.
Our challenge as diocesan development directors is to embrace innovation without creating alienation from those managers who must approve those changes to our annual program.
If a mouse with gloves can do it, so can we.