I’ve been working hard to develop a strategic plan that will guide our team in building our nonprofit. It’s a multi-part plan that I hope will help everyone on our team collaborate more effectively. By clearly defining what we’re striving to build, we can all work asynchronously, developing each component in incremental stages. Success will require a methodical, intentional effort—step by step—following the same strategy I learned from other leaders.
Step 1: Define Success
First, I want to clarify the ultimate vision. Through our nonprofit, I aim to reach and positively influence more than 1 million people, teaching strategies they can use to develop a higher potential, no matter what crises they may be enduring. These lessons aren’t just for people in prison; they’re for anyone seeking personal growth.
Step 2: Set Clear Goals
Next, I need to develop a website that clearly articulates our mission. A well-structured site will help me bring additional people onto our team. By showcasing our goals and values online, newcomers can better understand our vision and discover how they might contribute.
Step 3: Build the Plan
The overarching plan must align with the goals and how I’m defining success. If we execute that plan well, we’ll know what to expect on the other side of this journey. Think of it like constructing a city: each new structure (or milestone) builds upon the last, creating a stronger foundation for future growth. As our plan expands, we adapt and seize or create new opportunities along the way.
Step 4: Set Priorities
With the plan in place, I’ll rely on it to teach and train our current team members—and to onboard new ones. Once everyone understands the direction we’re heading, we can begin executing the plan, building the necessary tools, tactics, and resources to accelerate progress. This prioritization ensures we focus on the most critical tasks first.
Step 5: Create Accountability Metrics
Finally, we’ll use accountability metrics, the same kind that I used to guide me through 9,500 days in prison. From leaders, I learned the importance of consistent measurement. To track our progress, I’m publishing a journal and logs that document each step I take toward achieving the goals I’ve outlined. Every journal entry will include a topic and end with a self-directed question. I encourage people to share these entries widely, including with loved ones in prison. By reading real examples of intentional living, they can see how daily decisions influence long-term opportunities.
In everything we do, we should teach others to live intentionally, focusing on solutions to problems bigger than their own lives.
I’d love to say I developed these strategies entirely on my own, but that wouldn’t be accurate. During my first year of confinement, while locked in solitary, a man I knew only as Officer Wilson shared books that changed my perspective. From Plato’s Republic to Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, I learned that I shouldn’t focus solely on my own challenges. Instead, I could empower myself by creating solutions that benefit others, too.
As I move into 2025, I intend to invest more time, energy, and resources into this nonprofit so that our entire team can make a greater impact on the world. I invite anyone reading this to share ideas, insights, or resources that can strengthen our plan further.
Self-Directed Question:
Which specific actions can you take this week to further refine and implement the strategic plan you’re setting for success—as you define success?
