As spring approaches and fiscal year-end draws near, many organizations find themselves reflecting on what comes next. Strategic planning can feel overwhelming, especially when teams are balancing reporting, shifting priorities, and an evolving landscape. But what if strategy wasn’t about producing the perfect roadmap, and instead about aligning around a shared compass that helps guide decisions through uncertainty?

The title of this article is intended to be provocative. Yet, our team conversations, conference discussions, and partner engagements have consistently grappled with questions relating to changing political and societal landscapes, both locally and globally. Many leaders are now asked to work differently, pivot,  and to reframe their “heart work” in ways that create a tension between providing services and maintaining values. Decisions often feel heavier in today’s context; strategic or operational decisions that once felt technical now feel like they carry greater consequences for people’s safety, dignity, and belonging. In this context what is “good work”?