What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

While Donald Trump is probably the only person who seems to think filing for bankruptcy is an attractive option for making organizational changes to a business, a lot of good has come from NSPI's expensive journey through the crucible of the U.S. bankruptcy system. Whatever they are paying Paul Meyer and Tecker Consultants, it's worth it.

The new organization, the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, has come up with a logical plan for the future. We can all learn from the process they used to develop their plan: They pruned away at the inessential until they had a well-defined mission plan. They defined the organization's core values, which will guide future decision-making. They decided on four specific areas of focus and reassigned incompatible but important functions to a different organization.

The theory part is well crafted and seems to be road worthy. But the execution part is still evolving. I'm willing to overlook the rough spots that are a normal part of organizational transformation, but I'm impatient by nature and this well-designed, structurally sound plan is a little light on the details at the moment. While it's vital for an organization to communicate regularly with its stakeholders, it's also vital for that communication to be, well, vital.

You can start now to benefit from NSPI/APSP's ongoing makeover by submitting your company to a less-painful version of the process. Do you have a mission statement for yourself and your company. Does your company have its own core values and do they inform every decision you make? Are you taking on more than you can accomplish at the standards you've set for yourself? Have you established metrics that will tell you whether or not you're succeeding. Is your staffing organized to most efficiently carry out your mission?

These are the kinds of questions asked and answered during NSPI's reorganization. Hopefully, we will all eventually benefit from NSPI's transformation from a too-many-things-to-too-many-people organization into a directed, efficient, purposeful resource for the industry.