Creating Alignment - wayne centrone

My wife and I voted last night. It was invigorating. Now, perhaps more than ever before - voting feels like the most important civic responsibility we have. 

I don't usually disclose personal information on this Blog; and I very rarely broach politics. This is, however, not a normal time. Everything has changed. The world as we know it (thanks, R.E.M.) is just not the same. We need an alignment. We need a commitment from the highest political offices and most powerful and influential leaders to chart a path to a future grounded in integrity, honesty, and humility. Too much is on the line, and too many people depend on such leadership to survive.

We're taking alignment very seriously at HBI. Over the past couple of months, we've been digging into conversations at many levels of our organization. Deeply considering our vision, mission, and programmatic focus. We've asked important and timely questions like, "who will Health Bridges be in the future?" and "what values will we need to demonstrate that commitment?" We've reviewed our programs and projects and considered how we've demonstrated objective outcomes.

So, what has all this discussion and exploration shown? It's been incredibly powerful to look across all our work - and align the activities with the outcomes we are seeking to generate. We've used a set of organizing principles to help drive this process. This includes seeking to define the "end game" for HBI; and, strongly considering what uniquely qualifies and positions us to have the biggest impact from our work.

These exercises can seem a bit like navel-gazing. They can feel like a relatively low impact activity. We've found just the opposite. The many hours we've spent have given us alignment as we have never had before. 

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing what we've learned. We'll be releasing our new vision, mission, and values statements. We will share our updated organizational logo and we'll even roll-out a new website. 

Why are we doing this now? Certainly, the pandemic has helped shape clarity - but more than any event or experience, our clarity has come from a deep desire to create the sort of alignment that will allow us to best bring our gifts, talents, and resources to create a world where every child living in the experience of poverty, disenfranchisement or marginalization has access to health, hope, home, and purpose. 

Because now, more than ever, far too much matters, and far too many people need our clarity and alignment. 

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