The sustainability assessment gives you the “what,” a snapshot of where your organization stands today across key dimensions of long-term viability. But strategy asks the bigger question: Where are we going, and how will we get there?
Moving from assessment to strategic planning involves essential shifts…..
From Observation to Prioritization
Not every insight becomes a goal. Use the report to identify a handful of key areas that matter most now, whether that’s shoring up leadership alignment, rethinking funding stability, or addressing workforce sustainability.
From Metrics to Meaning
A score is a starting point, not a story. To truly understand what the assessment is revealing, organizations must go beyond the numbers and connect the data to real-world context.
This means:
- Bringing in lived experience: Invite staff, clients, or partners to reflect on what the scores represent in practice. Does a “moderate” score on internal communication reflect information overload, unclear roles, or something else entirely?
- Layering in additional data: Use complementary sources like HR metrics, financial trends, program outcomes, survey results to validate or challenge what the assessment is signaling.
- Understanding nuance: A high score might still mask internal strain. A lower score could reflect growing pains during a period of innovation. Metrics tell you what’s happening and conversation helps you understand why.
When data is paired with experience, reflection, and dialogue, it moves from static evaluation to meaningful insight. And that’s what strategic planning depends on: shared understanding, not just shared documents.
From Reflection to Action
The assessment should shape (not dictate) your strategic plan. Think of it as your organizational health check. The strategy is the fitness plan that follows.
So—What Comes Next?
Wherever you are, coLAB is here to support that next step, whether it’s clarifying priorities, convening stakeholders, or designing a plan that reflects where you are and where you’re ready to go.
- Maybe your organization has just completed a sustainability assessment and is wondering how to act on it.
- Maybe you’re looking to debrief the findings, host a board discussion, or engage staff in interpreting what the results mean.
- Maybe you’ve outgrown your current strategy, or maybe you never had one, and need a facilitated process to chart the next chapter.
- Or maybe you’re just sensing that it’s time for a conversation about what’s next.
Ready to get started?
Begin with a single conversation, a focused domain, and the courage to ask, “What do we want to grow next and what will it take to sustain it?”