Does it pass the champagne test?
- Sat, July 09 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
In the book Switch, one of my favorites, Dan and Chip Heath have great advice on setting a clear goal: It must pass the champagne test. In other words, is your destination clear enough that when you get there, people will know to crack the bottle of champagne and celebrate?
What is your organization’s champagne test?
Focus on the end result, not the how-to. We’re not here to decrease malnutrition: we’re here to make sure every child in school gets lunch. We’re not here to reduce unemployment, we’re here to put 100% of adults in our community in a job. You get the idea.
The clearer the destination, the more obvious the paths we choose - and the more inspirational the journey.
Comments
This is a good thought on presenting your mission in the positive rather than the negative. I gave some thought to this and sent it out to my staff. Thanks again for the stimulation.
We really must pay attention to being clear and non-intimidating when communicating with both our parents(participants), donors, and volunteers. We are guilty of permitting the academic jargon and what appears to be simple language of math take away from clearly articulating our goals, vision, and results. Working diligently on changing that habit.
When I first saw the headline I thought, “What could this be about?” But I think the champagne test is a great metaphor. We need to start thinking about our objectives, goals, and mission statements in terms of the positive influences we have in our communities. Thank you for making this point so succinctly. This is a great post.