Good Morning! Thank you, Jon for laying out our strategic direction as we head to Destination Success. A lot of us in Cooperative Extension have been busy planning for this destination for a long time. Some of us have been sitting back waiting to see what we came up with. Others have been busy helping to plot the direction and still others have waffled between work and wait.

The news is “The Waiting Is Over!”

Now is the time to get to work. Getting to work means that there is something for all of us to do. Not just me. Not just Jon. Not just Karen or Sheilda. This is work for all of Cooperative Extension.

Some of you might be uncomfortable with the recommendations that Jon just outlined. BUT, I assure you that we have listened to people both inside and outside the organization and we have made the right decisions and decided to start this journey with the right tools and equipment.

We’ve decided against taking the easy way out. We’ve thought long and hard about where we wanted to go. We feel that the early choices we’ve made will definitely build a firm foundation for us and, will assure us that we have the right tools in our suitcases.

But doing the right thing isn’t always the easy thing to do!

Let me begin this morning by telling you a little story. There was a little town about halfway up a mountain, located in a deep bend in the road. To get to the town, you had to navigate a hairpin turn. The hairpin turn was a terrible hazard, and, about once a month, some car or cars would fail to make the turn and go flying over the edge and down into the valley below. It was awful!

All of the town’s citizens realized they had a problem and they want to do something to correct the situation.

 The town council gets together and they look into how much it's going to cost to re-grade the road, put in signs, and install a guard rail--in other words, make the situation safe. Well, it's going to be really expensive. In fact, it's going to be so expensive that they decide they just can't afford it. But the cars are still flying off the road and people are getting hurt. They don't like that, and they want to do something.  So, they solve the problem of the dangerous road in what they believed was a less expensive way.

So, they put an ambulance in the valley.

This is a great story because it shows how hard people will work to avoid solving their real problem.

Jon and I, working with Sheilda and Karen as co-chairs of the Core Team, made sure that we didn’t take the easy way out. We looked internally and externally at Cooperative Extension and we saw some things that we didn’t like and some things that we did, and we made a commitment to change. Not to put an ambulance in the valley, but to re-grade the road, put up the correct signage, and to install a guard rail. The plans have been made. It’s up to us, all of us, to make sure that we do what it takes to solve our problems.

Cooperative Extension began as a group committed to solving the problems and issues plaguing this state. That mission has not changed. What will and is changing is how we do our most basic work.

Some of you are probably thinking:

“This doesn’t have anything to do with me. They are talking about programming and I just answer the telephone.” Or “they are fixing this program, and my programs are already excellent.”

Let me assure you, that we are all going to be involved in re-grading Extension from top to bottom.  Starting, from its front door to its back door and all of the offices in between. This change affects us all.

About now, you should be asking yourself, “What can I do? How can I change my way of working to make sure I’m headed to Destination Success?”

Here are some things that I think will help.

First, before you head out on a trip you need to know where you are going. You need to know your destination.

When I came here today, I knew where I was going. I got the gas I needed. I left in enough time so I wouldn’t be late. I knew which road I needed to take. I had directions to the office. I had all I needed to get here successfully.

The same notion holds true for how we work in Cooperative Extension. When we are considering our work, we need to think about where we are trying to go. What are we trying to accomplish and what will it take to get there?

This means you need to know the problems that exist within your communities. Why do an investment workshop in a community where hundreds are being laid off. Investing is not their priority at this time. They need help with working with creditors. They need help in determining what to do with severance packages, if they are offered. 

Keep abreast of your communities and their needs. Make sure you have active, diverse and fully functioning advisory groups.

Let me say this again, make sure you have active, diverse and fully functioning advisory groups. Use them to help develop effective programs. Don’t just find a group of people to meet with just to say you met. Have productive meetings that help plot and plan your direction. Make sure that the work you are doing is in line with Cooperative Extension’s mission and strategic priorities.

One of our strengths is our ability to be flexible enough to work with various communities. But this trait is also a weakness. As a result, we are so different in every county, that it’s hard to recognize that we are all the same organization. Before you take on a new task, make sure that it’s in keeping with the things that we do best.

Make sure we are the right people for the job. See if this is something we should take the lead on or if this is an opportunity to partner. But don’t just partner at any price. Make sure we are entering strategic partnerships. Get a clear sense of where you are headed before you take off.

Second, as we head out on this journey, let’s make sure that when we arrive at our destination, we have a purpose! I have a teenage son and like most teenagers he and his friends like to hang out at the mall on Saturday night. They aren’t buying anything in particular. They aren’t waiting to eat. They aren’t waiting to see a movie. They just want to go to the mall.

In Cooperative Extension, we can’t afford to just go to the mall. We need to know that where we are going has a purpose. Or for our purposes, that where we are going will solve a problem, change a behavior or get us a measurable impact.

Sometimes I look at the information in the ERS system and I come away amazed at our successes and impacts, as well as our lack of them. Sometimes I question, “Why did this person do this program and second, “Why did they report this in the system?” What we need are measurable impacts, not information on activities.

Jon and I have talked and we have agreed that we are going to examine the system so that we make sure that we ask for and get the information we need, so we can show our funders and partners that we continue to need their support and that we have been good stewards of the money and support they have provided us. Those changes are in the works.

But you also have to make sure that you are holding up your end of the bargain. If you are riding shotgun with us on this destination, don’t sit back, if we need your assistance. Do the work that fits within our mission and strategic priorities. Make sure you are doing work that solves a problem that exists within your county or community. Move from activity focus to solution focus. Don’t think in terms of the role you can play, look at integrated ways to solve the problem. Look for ways we can begin to function as a team.

This doesn’t necessarily mean take on more work. It means make sure that the work you are doing is the work that needs to be done.

Third, when you head out on a trip, make sure it’s an adventure. The Disney Company spends an enormous amount of time and energy making sure that your visit to Disney is an experience. They make sure the grounds look perfect.  All the employees have smiles and offer good customer service And the company has policies, training and repercussions to ensure that level of good customer service. The rides at Disney are operating effectively and your stay is all you dreamed it could be.

If you fail to measure up to the Disney standards there are repercussions.  Everyone is accountable!

Cooperative Extension needs to do some of the same things. Think for a minute. If a customer comes in our front door, calls our office or attends an activity, are they assured of an adventure? Maybe I should rephrase that, are they assured of a positive experience. One which they will leave or hang up and tell others about. If not, then this needs to change!

Another story: Let’s suppose! If a person on my staff were to call a county office and ask to speak with one of the agents, he or she would probably get a very pleasant receptionist who might tell them that the person they needed wasn’t in.

But, then she might proceed to say that the person they needed was away on personal business or maybe even in the parking lot fixing his car. Saying “he’s not in” and taking a message with the name of the caller, call time, phone number and what the call was in reference to would have been sufficient. 

Imagine how you’d feel if you called looking for a person to help you out of a bind to find that the person, while on the payroll, is in the parking lot working on his car.

Similarly, we have programs that don’t start on time. We have events and activities that are poorly planned and executed. Programs and brochures that might look cute, but fail to offer the needed information, that a person would need be successful.

All of this needs to and must change! We need to make sure that our customers have a pleasant experience every time they call, visit the office, attend an activity or find us on the Web site. Make Extension a positive, beneficial experience for all our customers.

The Fourth and final thing you need to do when you are planning a trip is to have fun. Let’s face it, we didn’t get in this work because it was glamorous or paid an enormous amount of money. We do this because we love what we do.We do this because we like changing people’s lives for the better. We do this because it’s our passion.

When I was looking at some of our latest impacts, I listened intently as the people talked about the difference Extension has made in their lives. They talked about the individual agents and other staff members who helped them change their lives. I couldn’t help but be proud of our of organization when I heard a former homeless, crack addicted mother talk about how one of our financial literacy programs helped her get a house for her child and how she’s now off drugs.

Or of a father who’d lost custody of his two children, talk about the simple joy of reading a bedtime story to his children now that Cooperative Extension has helped him get his family back together.

These testaments are why we are in this line of work. We love it. And anything you love, you do whatever you can to make it the best it can be. T

That’s what we are doing as we change Cooperative Extension! We want to protect that that we love. We want to make sure that we continue to make the kinds of impact we’ve made on this state for almost 100 years. We want you to continue to be part of this fantastic journey.

So please, join us as we head toward Destination Success!