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December 2008 RVC Column (Written and posted 11/11/08) Northwest Passages RVC Column for December Newsletters in Region 8 by John Recht, Region 8 RVC rvc8@us.mensa.org Ever since I became a member of American Mensa's board of directors I have advocated for improvements in our strategic planning process. Beneficial changes have come about in each of the years I have served, but at the fall meeting of the American Mensa Committee (AMC) we took a giant leap forward with the help of Tecker Consultants. Over the course of the weekend we reviewed our vision, mission and values, assessed our progress, and refined our goals and strategic objectives. We then practiced developing strategies, setting priorities among the strategies and action planning based on our strategies. What all this is leading to is the implementation of a knowledge based governance strategy that will explicitly incorporate the framework of our strategic plan, and in our meetings it will help us avoid getting bogged down in discussions that do not make much of a contribution to solving the important issues facing American Mensa. With the help of Mensa members, National Office staff, the Planning Committee and Tecker Consultants, the AMC will continue to refine the strategic planning process over the coming months until we meet again next March. Along the way we will practice our new focus on operating as a strategic board as we have dialogue on the major issues. As always I invite your comments and participation in the process. The Strategic Planning page on the AML web site will be a good place for you to keep tabs on our progress. Look for it in Inside AML under the tab for "AMC & Appointees." There will also be opportunities for discussion in the "Mensa Matters" section of the AML Forums (go to (http://www.community.us.mensa.org/forums/ to find it). And if you wish to write to me directly, I would be delighted to hear from you; please contact me at rvc8@us.mensa.org. The holidays have begun! On this Thanksgiving I wish to thank you all for being a part of my Mensa family, and I wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.