Scheming   4:10

v                 Introduced by Pauline Thompson

Ø   “Scheming” is a good word for this. Scheming should not be sneaky, or devious.

Ø   Have a solid direction in mind, and you will get there.

Ø   We did scheming instead of ‘Planning’… planning implies structure, so we did “strategic scheming.”

Ø   You need to know your political friends, and who is going to sabotage you. Consider everyone… stakeholders are more than members and customers. It is the neighbours and everyone else impacted by your organization.

Ø   You need friends to be successful

o   Friends are the people who are going to go to bat for you

o   Remember that your friends are often the assistants to bureaucrats, secretaries in organizations, or the people who lost the last election, etc.

o   Keep them in mind, remember birthdays, etc.

o   Why is your project important to them

Ø   Fundraising is more like friend raising

Ø   It is your network, your database.

Ø   You have to be clear what that chicken will taste like, and make sure they can almost taste it.

Ø   Some projects won’t work. Pauline referred to “the Project from Hell,” and is still working on it. The outcome was predetermined. After 2 years she cannot come to that outcome. It won’t fly. “You cannot teach a fox to shoot a gun.”

Ø   Do your homework. What will take it off the rails?

Ø   Who have you not talked to?

Ø   Authenticity… and all the people who will say it is authentic.

Ø   Initial planning… you have to pull all the elements together.

Ø   You need to know where you are going.

v        Round Table Discussion   4:15

v        Round Table Presentations      4:25

v        Summarize      4:55

o   Patricia Darling

Ø   Sometimes the leader may not have the skills

Ø   Scheming is fostering relationships

Ø   Scheming has to do with timing

Ø   Earn and merit support

Ø   Ask yourself about who cares about this project

Ø   Ability to take risks

Ø   Deal making, takes special skills, make sure you have a good deal maker on your team.

Ø   Need to refer back to your objective and goals

Ø   Don’t get too clever

Ø   Keep the creative process close to the scheming

Ø   Identify the best members of the team for the job… develop the team for success

Ø   One person to have the overall picture

Ø   Necessity for somebody to do the quantifiable resources

o   Jane Fernyhough

Ø   There are many paths, don’t shut doors

Ø   Need to motivate

Ø   Need to express benefits to politicians and funders

Ø   Need to provide ownership

o   Sandy Blair

Ø   Who is the client? Find a champion among the client’s people

Ø   Pick your moment, know when to react

Ø   Need patience

Ø   May need a diplomat

Ø   Have the right people in your organization

Ø   Need to know how to reach the power brokers

Ø   Who are the competitors, or other competing projects in your institution

Ø   Be flexible, add something to your situation

Ø   Be aware beyond your little zone

Ø   You cannot win them all

Ø   Release information to the various constituents

o   Jordan Levine

Ø   Scheming is a process necessary to make things happen

Ø   Persuade

Ø   Manipulate… in a sincere manner (laughter)

Ø   Integrity… of leadership, because when it comes under scrutiny, it should not fall apart

Ø   Teaming… critical

Ø   Reality… work smart… be able to step back for perspective

Ø   Deal with “it”… or “it” will deal with you.

o   Bob Eberle

Ø   Have everyone else scheming for what you want

Ø   The feasibility study should be honest

Ø   Question about honestly knowing/testing the results

Ø   Optimism can blind you

Ø   Scheming is part of creative process

Ø   Governance is a very important part of the process

Ø   Respect is necessary

Ø   Scheming is more than a plan because it puts action into the plan.