Develop Court Sense | Applied Wisdom for Nonprofits

Develop Court Sense

Episode 04

Develop Court Sense Podcast

In the nonprofit sector, court sense means understanding the environment that impacts your organization. Look up, look forward, and look around to anticipate problems and adjust your strategy.

View Course Module →

Court sense for nonprofits

In the nonprofit sector, "court sense" means understanding the environment that impacts your organization. You can't hone your court sense in a vacuum — or an echo chamber. It's valuable to take time regularly to step out of your comfort zone, and out of the weeds of daily tasks and pressing issues. A disciplined way to put your court sense into play is through annual and multi-year planning cycles.

Your job is to look up, look forward, and look around. Be ready to react to changing conditions and threats, and to identify new opportunities to innovate and to take risks. To thrive in a complex world, you can't just slog forward every day checking off boxes in a linear fashion. You have to anticipate problems, process new information, and adjust your strategy. This is systems thinking. And systems thinking requires court sense.

Driving forces

In thinking about the long-term direction of your nonprofit, it’s critical to assess driving forces. Driving forces include demographic shifts like the rise of millennials, issues surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the global interest in reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Micro driving forces can be unique, possibly fleeting opportunities, such as a community partner’s strategic program shift, changes in tax law, or a lapse in government funding.

With “court sense” you’ll see everything that’s happening around you, and can rapidly adjust to change.

— Jim Morgan

With court sense you'll see everything that's happening around you, and can rapidly adjust to change.
— Jim Morgan

Conversation Starter