What drives our desire to be of service? Are we keeping score? Do we react to others? Is it a fulcrum for leverage? Are we intending to be a force for good?
Authenticity is saying what you believe and acting in a consistent manner. I prefer to know that another party’s service is based on reciprocity. Of course, we aspire to unconditional service, but circumstances create unlikely scenarios and reactions.
What might we learn from the decomposing light demonstration? Our perspectives change when we eliminate certain inputs from our environment. Nonprofit organizations that hold a planning retreat but decide not to include all staff members or to refrain from inviting the advisory council are effectively narrowing the range of ideas that will be illuminated. We do not have to invite everyone to every session, but when we are deliberately seeking a generative mindset, it might be valuable to pair people who do not meet in typical sessions.
How might our willingness to seek out weak ties actually strengthen the process?
We can map out our route until we cannot. There is a moment at which our planned itinerary contains a gap or uncertainty. It may appear that we are traveling a continuous path, but serendipity and detours will appear, even in the most detailed schedule of events. How might we expect the unexpected and embrace the elements of our plan that fall into place?
Have you noticed how a different perspective can alter our mindset? A call from an unknown number that turns out to be an acquaintance that we have not spoken with in some time becomes a reward. A wrong turn that diverts into a shortcut and delivers us back on our intended route. A change of aircraft that converts our middle seat into an aisle seat in the exit row with ample legroom. We are quick to judge and adopt a protective mindset. It can be challenging to embrace uncertainty, even when it leads to a favorable outcome.
When we get a chance to view our surroundings from a new perspective, it can be disorienting, but it also reveals a dimension that was unavailable when we were hyperlocal.
If we only look for the open straight road, we are likely doomed to remain in the flat terrain. However, if we take a path that includes switchbacks, our chances of reaching higher ground and gaining perspective are greater. Straight roads allow us to cover more distance. Switchbacks provide us access to the viewpoints.
Have you ever considered how the English alphabet appears when viewed from above? Once considered, we have added depth and dimension to our deliberations. Sometimes it is not the answers but the questions that have the greatest impact on our journey.
Are we trying to engage customers, or are we assisting them to navigate a journey? Can it be both? Is it often one versus the other? Should we write off the organization if the fundraising team does not align with our expectations? Or do we recalibrate and focus on the impact that the programs deliver to those who it serves? Should we call off the expedition because of the behavior of one team member? If it is dangerous and jeopardizes health and safety, perhaps we must. If the team member brings a different approach, perhaps we can find another point of convergence to bring us closer to our collective goal.
Seth Godin’s blog post put it more definitively.
Once you begin sprinting in a cycling race, the rules dictate that you must hold your line to the finish. In practice, this makes sense. However, add a pack of cyclists generating 2,000 watts of power and moving at 40+ mph, and the realities suggest the group moves organically. However, if a rider moves erratically or intentionally endangers others, officials are supposed to relegate the rider to last place in the sprinting group (or disqualify them). The reality is that almost every large sprint contains movements worthy of relegation. The reality is that the rules get applied haphazardly.
How we navigate the reality of our work and the proposed guidelines is up to us. Our character is defined by both our results and how we navigate our work.
Want to test your organization or individual values? Consider the lottery test. If you win the jackpot payout, would you remain true to your core values, or would you “exchange” or “upgrade” your guiding principles to something perceived as in alignment with your new financial stature?
We build trust and loyalty by stating what we believe and then acting consistently with those beliefs. Loyalty and authenticity cannot be purchased; they are earned.
If you want people to sign up for a unique journey, being honest in your help-wanted sign forms a basis for trust. If we hide the difficult parts in our help-wanted advertisement, we might assemble a team that will fracture when we wander off course.
What-if-concepts 