A whole bunch of books is not remarkable in itself. However, when the collection represents the lifetime assemblage of art history texts, as is pictured above from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, it serves as a beacon for those who share a passion for the arts. There is a fine line between hording and assembling. Hording is for our own benefit, cataloging is for the benefit of others.
Author: whatifconcepts
Danger is Different than Fear
Chris Hadfield’s TedTalk captures the value of pushing through our fears in order to see our world differently. A question he challenges for all of us is what have we withheld from ourselves in deference to our fears? Would you be willing to experience space despite the eye-opening risk? How would a moment in space forever change your perspective? What does ‘roaring silently’ sound like? What does a sunrise or sunset every 45-mintues look like? What is on the other side of your fears?
Breakaway
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A breakaway is a powerful tool. Going off the front and inspiring others to increase their pace leads to better results. Racing in the middle of the pack is not courageous. Launching off the front does not always succeed and sometimes it results in finishing behind the pack because your energy reserves are exhausted. Being out front offers a different view, a new perspective, a chance to put your strengths to work, and be vulnerable. Leading can be scary but the stories you will generate will be endless. The pack is safe but also dusty, uninspired, and the story created is a duplication of everyone else who stayed with the masses.
Transactional Philanthropy
A transaction is not a philanthropic action. Social sector causes mistake membership renewals, silent auction bids, purchasing tables at a gala, or sponsorships of programs as philanthropic. If goods and services are exchanged in consideration for a ‘donation’ then define the interaction as transactional. However, if somebody wants to support your vision by providing fuel (money, resources, talent, networks) for your journey in exchange for the stories you share and the dent you plan to make in the community, then that interaction is philanthropic. Twisting arms, offering benefits, hyping features are transactions. Nothing wrong with this tactic but defining them as acts of philanthropy is inconsistent. Most corporations no longer practice philanthropy, their transactions with social sector enterprises are approved by the marketing department who is thinking of the corporation’s positioning as well as the the nonprofit’s success. Transactions can be a powerful tool but the motivation of the contributors are different from the true philanthropist. Consider the following question, who takes your calls when you offer only the stories that come from the pursuit of our organization’s vision? Those are your philanthropist.
Internal Inquiry
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| Thanks reddit |
A culture of inquiry is essential for growth. If we remain within the same group, surrounded by similar surroundings, rehashing the same conversations we tend to replay the greatest hits. However, if we are willing to stretch ourselves and connect with others the opportunity to innovate and expand is probable. If we wonder why we cannot think of any new ideas, then perhaps we are plugged into our own power source.
Exhaustive Search
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| Circle Credit |
Recent press releases announced job positions being filled after “exhaustive searches.”. Was the time and resources committed to the search exhaustive? Was the help wanted sign so vague that it took tremendous amounts of extra effort to find the right candidates? If you announce you are looking for a house in a modesty sized town the request can be overwhelming. I do not know where to start in aiding search. However, if you can paint a specific picture (a single story bungalow in the historic district which is close to an elementary school and has a fenced yard for a dog), I can help. Exhaustive searches come when there is not enough information to start triangulating a location or person. Exhaustive produces Venn Diagrams with too many unconnected circles.
Try It
If the journey is difficult then you know there is a higher probability the result will be remarkable.
Probability & Proximity
There are no guarantees that you will win or succeed. Even the 1992 US Olympic Basketball Dream Team inherited a statistical chance of failure. You can do a lot of things that give you a higher probability that you will surpass your goal. Matt Jordan makes the case for increasing the probability of winning medals at the Olympics based on his work as a sports scientist with the Canadian Olympic Team. Malcolm Gladwell’s, David and Goliath offers a compelling case for shaping the odds in one’s favor.
What can you do to increase the odds of success? How approximate are you to those who can mentor and inspire your development? Which journey is worthy of your dedicated focus?
Human First
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| Boise Airport |
I corresponded with Delta Airlines about the changes they have rolled-out to their SkyMiles program. The new rules favor those who spend the most money and have the highest status level. Amending the rules of their ‘loyalty’ program is the airline’s right. The response I received from Delta told me that the enhanced SkyMiles model was consistent with other companies in the travel industry. It represents the classic, ‘everyone else is doing it so we must change.’ First, not everyone else is adopting this model, Delta is choosing these rules strategically. They are trying to get everyone else to follow them to generate a new middle ground. Second, Delta has a tremendous opportunity to address areas of frustration, such as the lowest availability of award seats, customer service that ranks near the bottom, and upgrade thresholds that punishes elite flyers who are joined by their spouse or family members on a trip. Third, innovation takes risks. Building loyalty requires integrity. Delta is testing the theory that numbers matter more than people, that manipulation is greater than innovation, and that everyone else will follow it to the lowest common denominator.
As Roderick Russell suggested, be human first then optimize.
Four Year Dreams
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| The scenery helping to make the racers look good |
In my youth I often dreamed that I would earn the opportunity to compete in the Winter Olympics (an honest youthful fantasy). I was a cross-country skier which was an obscure enough sport to make my chances more reasonable than dreaming about a career in professional sports. The announcement that the Winter Olympics would receive a bonus games in 1994 to create a two-year off-set from the Summer Olympics seemed like a great opportunity for hopeful Winter Olympians. There would be three Winter Olympic games in the the decade of the nineties to achieve the one-time reconfiguration. Teammates of mine were selected to represent the US and skied in the Olympics and I never made an impression at the national level and the games represented a distant mountain range looming on the horizon but separated by far too much ground to reasonably consider journeying towards their base. Four year cycles would pass repeatedly and at least one or two of the competitors representing the US cross-country team were individuals I had competed with in college or at other events. With the conclusion of the games in Sochi I see the last of the gang making their final appearances in race bibs with the five interlocked circles. I am awed by their commitment and dedication. They have focused their efforts on an enterprise that receives two-weeks of national exposure every four years (if they are lucky).
It makes me wonder what is worth our time and effort if we were granted a brief moment on the world’s stage. If you were nominated for a TED Talk every four-years, what would be your focus? What message would you share? What impact would you hope to have on the audience? What would be your gold medal moment? What will you be doing four-years from now?
What-if-concepts 
