Who would you invite to your campout?
Your Tribe
Leveraging Identity
The Tour de France branding on the plane is evident. The plane’s Vueling Airlines branding is less obvious.
When are we willing to shine the spotlight on others so they might benefit from our platform? When does our cause gain value by being on the same stage as an organization with a stronger reputation or brand? When do we invite a key partner to join us so their work can be amplified in a way that might not be available in their normal course of operations?
Demand and Location
Selling reservations for beach chairs at sunrise and after sunset may be challenging, especially when numerous options are scattered across the beach. We might have what is needed, but we are offering it at a time when few people are interested. The breaking traffic update from the morning commute is a lot less valuable during evening rush hour. Selling new camping fuel canisters to thru-hikers at a trail terminus is an uphill endeavor.
How might we make sure we have what is needed and position ourselves where it is needed? Part of being of service is not remaining hidden.
Your Preference
Is an empty beach idyllic, or does it feel incomplete without other people to share the experience with? We can be in the same place, but external factors might shape whether we feel delighted or disappointed.
Waiting for the Right Conditions or Diverting
How long are you willing to wait before you divert from your goals? When you calculate an alternative scenario, what are the key considerations? Do you wait until external forces require you to act, or do you act based on your prediction of the future from prior experience?
In Real Life
We can be at the right place at the right time, or we can manufacture being at the right place. When we are there in real life, we get the benefit of the experience and the opportunity to share it with those who might appreciate it. When we fabricate a fictional reality, we might impress, but we lose the chance to be immersed in an experience that might shape how we navigate the future.
The Changing Landscape is Why Our Work Matters
A gravel bike route I have ridden over the years paralleled the United States-Mexico border. The border was a barbed-wire fence, and it was hard to distinguish unless one got within a few feet. On a ride this month, the border is now demarcated by a thirty-foot fence.
It would be easy to assume that this rural tract of land would remain relatively unchanged, as it has for decades. The wall’s construction has altered the landscape and several variables, including how the border is monitored and secured, migration of wildlife, view corridors from border-adjacent ranching communities, short-term economic impact of a federal construction project, improvement of dirt roads to support construction vehicles, increase in visitors, more media attention, among other changes.
When we plan, we often defer to the sense that things will stay the same unless we feel the impact of change in the current moment. One argument for asking generative questions is that they let us consider alternate possibilities without the tension of finding the answers: What else might be true? Who could be affected? What would change if this constraint disappeared? What might we be missing? Considering alternate realities offers a pathway to avoid adopting a ‘fixed mindset.’ Just because you purchased the Lego set that contains the pieces to construct the Magic Kingdom does not mean you are restricted to just one outcome or version.
How might we remember that the work we do matters, and that it is not easy because the conditions are constantly changing?
Stakeholders
When we think about stakeholders, we can get myopic. We get stuck thinking about the first name we associate with the categories associated within the above graphic. What if we think about the tenth or twelfth Community Partner or the seventh Government Agency? Who is the thirty-fifth Volunteer on your roster?
We often return to the same individuals or organizations as proxies for outreach. What if we challenge ourselves to seek out the weak ties? What if we find those who think of themselves as super fans but rarely appear on our VIP list? How might we expand our inquiry to the next concentric circle?
First Draft
The first draft is just that: a sketch with a modest sense of form. Feel comfortable with the lack of details and functionality. Embrace the ambiguity and leave room for serendipity.
Ready to Go
Just because we are prepared to take off does not mean there is a free runway. How might we recognize that a timeline is frequently the reason an initiative or a campaign fails (deadlines can be used to great effect in the right application)? We might have recently adopted our strategic plan, and our highest priority is enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders. But the projected partners have their own prerogatives, and finding the right situations might take more time than our annual goals forecast.
How might we recognize that part of our purpose is to stay in the game (infinite mindset), even when unanticipated delays make us feel irrelevant and stuck?
