Killing Your Sacred Hows

Most CEOs I talk to are alert to “mission drift.” They don’t want to unintentionally meander away from the what and why of their work.

But another risk threatens the leadership and efficacy of most nonprofit CEOs. 

Unconsciously, they conflate a way of doing things with the reason for doing things. They try to avoid “method drift.” 

Our organizations are addicted to our methods, and we don’t like to change them. 

These are your Sacred Hows. 

And you need to kill them. 

This came up in a recent conversation with Curtis Chang, the Founding Executive Director of Good Faith. Initially, Curtis started Good Faith to consider how faith-based organizations can and should function, then moved into mental health dynamics in the sector. He wanted to produce helpful content, not his own brand: "Nobody knows the founder of Target. The founder of Target is not a brand name. The store is a brand name, and that's what I envisioned for Good Faith."

But as he continued to refine the focus and methods of Good Faith, he saw the need to build a higher profile initiative called The After Party with Russell Moore and David French.

Many CEOs treat a change in methods like a crisis rather than a natural part of organizational growth. But Curtis asked a vital question: “How do you make these pivots (and remain) true to our mission?” This question is at the crux of changing your methods to better accomplish your mission. It is essential to both avoid mission drift and kill your Sacred Hows. 

I frequently hear from CEOs about this: