In my work with organizations, I focus on providing services to help them excel at their mission right away. But I often find myself wondering what risks and rewards may await our clients down the road, and how they can position themselves to meet them.

History offers many lessons about the need for organizations to periodically re-invent themselves. Once in a while I fantasize about being a consultant to famous leaders of the past who faced golden opportunities for their organizations– like the railroad barons of the late 19th and early 20th century. They were undisputed masters of their world, and very confident in the way they perceived their mission: “We lay rail, and America takes the train.”

I would love to have been able to whisper in their ears, “OK, you’ve had a good run, but have you heard of that young Henry Ford guy? Have you heard what he’s building in his garage? Just spitballing here, but maybe you want to rethink that “we lay rail” mission of yours a bit. Because if you don’t tweak your definition of yourself you’re in for a nasty surprise. Maybe instead of defining yourself strictly in terms  of rail, try thinking a little bigger. Something like ‘Whenever America makes a move, it’s on us.’ Because without a broadened mission and a shift from rail to transportation, before you know it you’ll turn into… Amtrak.”

The failure of the railroad was not a lack of resources—they had more money than they knew what to do with. It was purely a failure of vision.

So, how does this vision thing apply to an organization like yours? Well, let’s take one sector we work with that has opportunity pounding on its door. I refer to community coalitions, particularly those dedicated to drug and alcohol prevention.

Drug-free community coalitions represent a vital movement in a particular branch of prevention. As a whole, over the past decade they have grown stronger and more influential in their communities. And that is a great accomplishment in itself.

But for some coalitions, and you know who you are, it may be time to think hard about seizing the opportunity to take the kind of evolutionary leap that those railroad barons never mastered: Ask yourself if it’s time to raise your game as a coalition, to become a player at a larger table, and to increase dramatically your positive influence upon your community.

In short, I urge strong and vibrant coalitions to consider building upon their strong foundation as prevention advocates and evolve into community wellness coalitions.

Wellness? Yes, indeed. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act—which, as of last week’s Supreme Court ruling, is a matter of settled law— there is now a greater focus on prevention and wellness than at any time since I began practice as a clinical psychologist back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. In fact prevention services are now effectively baked into the business model of community hospitals—and that creates an opportunity for a battle-tested community coalition to step up, not only as an advocate for your community, but also as a provider of prevention programs targeting wellness.

A great resource to learn more about this once-in-a-generation opportunity is SAMHSA’s publication, Coalitions and Community Health: Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care. Targeted to DFCs, here is a brief sample of the message of the paper, taken from the executive summary:

“[S]ubstance abuse prevention coalitions are particularly well positioned to support community efforts. Their deep roots and expertise in building local collaborative partnerships to improve community health illustrate the role coalitions can play alongside providers and community groups in the integration process. … These [coalition] strategies, in combination with efforts to integrate behavioral and physical healthcare can further improve prevention, screening, and treatment for substance abuse disorders and ensure a fully comprehensive approach to addressing local substance abuse issues.”

So don’t be a railroad baron—  start a forward-thinking conversation with your coalition!