Our New Strategy

Mary-Ann Foxwell, Chief Executive

Introduction

I’ve been writing this blog in my head for almost a year. This is slightly less than the time I’ve been in role, and the same time as it’s taken for our strategy to emerge. I’ve wanted to write about our strategy development throughout this time because I’ve wanted to share my (counterintuitive) good fortune at becoming Chief Executive (CE) in an organisation without one! 

Now our five year strategy is published I finally have the opportunity to share why its development has been such a joy. I’ve clustered my thoughts under seven headings:  

Dustless, and mine (ours). 

Strategies tend to be long and wordy and often dusty (and therefore meaningless), and if one had existed, I would have been obliged (as a new CE) to have got it out, blown off the dust and used this document as my road map. 

In the (unlikely event) of my inheriting a brilliant, concise and inspirational strategy it would have been someone else’s. My predecessor would have done the listening, the reading and the thinking. It would have been their baby, not mine which (I’m not proud to say) may have reduced my investment. 

Fresh, clear, eyes 

Without any document, or planning framework at all, I had no choice but to explore the organisation well, listen hard, and trust colleagues as I gathered my initial thoughts (which actually looked like an office covered in flip chart paper and notes) and pulled together a plan that would see us through the first 12 months of delivery and development. This early careful attention gave me deep roots, quickly. It also gave me reason to repeatedly reflect and share ideas with our trustees - which was useful both to check my understanding and to involve them in ideas as they emerged. 

Asking Externals 

The development of our strategy also helpfully gave me a ‘calling card’ to use when introducing myself externally. It allowed me to ask our voluntary, community, NHS and Local Authority partners what they think of us as an organisation. In this way I found out what in their opinion we should build on, what we can do differently, and what else we should do.  

Involving the Whole Team 

Strategy development became Business as Usual (BAU) for me and the senior team from month two – it connected us. We pooled research, shared knowledge and talked about our current delivery. Staff have given their opinions many times over the past 12 months; collectively, individually and in groups. Our Director of Services led a significant and impressive older people’s consultation programme – the results of which are central to the final document.  

Sharing a Page 

After six months in role all this information got played-back to trustees at a Strategy Day. This session put us all (exec and non-exec) on the same page. At that time, we had a relatively new Trustee Board including a chair and vice chair designate, and two new members of our senior team. Strategy development, it turns out, was the best induction for them as well as me. It ensured we all knew our community profile, understood our service delivery data, our reputation, local context and most importantly what older people in East London want.  

Together, on that day, we got clear sight of how our work could fit under the four priorities that older people had given us. Our current and future delivery plans sit beneath these pillars perfectly and this makes our strategy wonderfully simple. Everything we do will enable older people in East London to: Be independent, Be informed, Be connected and Be heard.  

Accountability and Ambition

And so, we have a document that sets out our ambitions for the next five years. Now it’s (metaphorically speaking) in my hands I am able return to the many people who so generously gave me their time and say ‘Look! You said and we are doing!’. Our commitments are pleasingly simple, ambitious and very explicit, I expect us to be held to account for their delivery. 

Similarly, my colleagues understanding of, and investment in, the strategy is clearly shown by the enthusiasm and care they are putting into developing delivery plans. We developed it together and will deliver it together; our expectations of each other are clear. 

Importance

I began by saying that developing our strategy has been a joy. Obviously (although nice), this is not actually what is important. What is important is its delivery, and the difference we make as we strive to deliver our vision. Our work, providing impactful support to older East Londoners, has never been more needed in our locality - where pensioner poverty is the highest in the country, loneliness is endemic, and statutory services are stretched to breaking point.  

What I hope is that the significant investment we've made in the development of this new strategy gives it the roots it needs to enable the delivery of our vision. And that in five years we will have significantly moved East London towards being a place where people age well, and where older people live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. Being able to see real progress towards these goals is what will deliver the real joy to us all. 

Read our new Strategy here.