An Excerpt from Marshall Goldsmith's blog:

Recently, the following question was posed to me: "I work in strategy and business development within a major university. How can I change our mindset from a non-profit to a profit mentality?"

This was such a provocative question, that I thought I'd share my answer.My first response is that this person should rephrase the goal!I served on the Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation (now the Leader to Leader Institute) for twelve years. We have worked with thousand of leaders in non-profit organizations. Many would be annoyed by the very wording of the question.

The question implies that "profit mentality" is good -- while "non-profit mentality" is bad. Peter Drucker believed that many of the greatest leaders he had ever met (including Frances Hesselbein, former CEO of the Girl Scouts) came from the non-profit sector. The idea of changing one group of leaders to more closely resemble those in another sector will not sell very well. Several decades ago, I was a dean. From my experience with professors, I strongly believe that many faculty members would rebel at the very idea of having the strategy of their university copy the strategy of a for-profit institution.

Putting aside the wording of the goal, my guess is that the intent is to make the university more focused on results -- and less on process or activities. Drucker would applaud this desire to make this change happen.

Here are a few suggestions for those looking to make their institution more focused on results:

- Involve key leaders throughout the institution -- as well as their key stakeholders -- in clarifying the strategy. The more the strategy comes from them (not you), the more likely they are to be committed to making it work. Without their commitment to the strategy -- and its execution -- the institution won't get the results that it needs.

- Work with them to paint a picture of desired outcomes.

- Focus on results that are actually measurable -- not vague generalizations. Set clear timelines.

- Hold leaders accountable for achieving results -- and describe what this accountability will actually look like.

- Make peace with what you cannot change. Focus only on differences that can be made. Don't waste your political capital on debates that you cannot win.

- Read Peter Drucker's Managing the Nonprofit Organization for many more ideas.

Life is good.

Marshall