When I first came to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County, California, the small agency was sinking. Attrition and disenchantment had severely depleted our board of directors. Staff morale was grim, volunteer recruitment down. Fundraising had slowed to a desparate trickle. A once healthy reputation in the community had become anemic, and was further threatened by a potential sexual predator case involving a volunteer trainee. The number of families we served was dwindling because we had little capacity to offer them meaningful help.We were on the rocks and taking on water fast. BBBS was in danger of becoming irrelevant. That's what happens when missions go unfulfilled.
I was then a vice president for Shearson Lehman Bros. over the mountain in San Jose, at the tail end of a lucrative but otherwise unsatisfying career in securities brokerage. Like BBBS, I needed a big change—something to recharge a weary spirit, to find my compass and fill my sails. Maybe it was serendipity, or maybe dumb luck. When I saw the BBBS posting for executive director in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, I had to apply. When I interviewed with the search committee, they outlined their troubles and spoke of their hopes for recovery. But I must have been wearing my rose-colored glasses that day. When I accepted the job, I had little idea of what lay in waiting.
On Day 1, hard truths greeted me at the door and for months squatted like dangerous stowaways in my office. But, thanks to the unflagging gumption of key staff and board members, we didn't abandon ship. Instead, we took a collective deep breath, rolled up our sleeves and got busy together. It was an immersive adventure in "bootstrapping"—improvisational problem solving, developing expertise on the fly—getting the job done when all you have is a good idea and the chutzpah to ask: "What if?" Within two years, we had patched the breeches in our hull, sent our unwanted guests packing and turned our course around. We even survived the Loma Prieta earthquake, stronger and smarter, confident in the future.
The next page illustrates the steps we took to make it happen. It's a snapshot, a "mindmap" of relentless optimism. (more) 
