Author: whatifconcepts

Empowering those that inspire so they can excel at the work that matters.

Dunbar’s Law

Dunbar’s Law says a group or tribe can manage no more than 150 relationships before it needs to split into two or more groups.  Seth Godin’s blog post places the theory in context.  If we can only maintain 150 relations (maximum) then who is in the tribe (no Facebook and Twitter do not equate to a bonus).  Be purposeful when building the tribe, no room for those who do not bring something remarkable.  Start by asking who inspires and who impresses.  Those who inspire are doing something for the greater good that impacts others, the impressers might have great stories but do they add value to the circle?  We do not need everyone and cannot maintain a relationship with them anyway so select wisely.

Nonprofit Gives Day

December 4th, 2012 is Nonprofit Gives Day in many states.  It is an opportunity to support the social sector.  The purpose of the day is to draw the public’s collective attention to the work of the social benefit sector and encourage community members to give.  As meaningful as the contributions may be there is a more important task, each nonprofit is granted a chance to connect with individuals who make a donation to their cause.  Many of the financial gifts are small in amount.  However, each contributions is an opportunity ready to be amplified.  If the receiving organization can respond authentically and demonstrate trust they have the opportunity to move an individual from donor to member of the organizational tribe.  The difference can be equated between two forces, manipulation and inspiration.  Most social sector causes will use Giving Day as a way to manipulated a gift (increased awareness,  a call to action, and permission to contact their community with broadcast communications).  A few will inspire by transforming contributions into an experience that connects donors with those that share their belief.  Inspiring take far more work but done successfully it sets one apart from the crowded school called “we have a need.”  

Looking to get started?  The razoo and Case Foundation commissioned a report to measure the effectiveness of giving days in 2011 on greater Washington.

Perspective

In my youth I wrestled between alpine or cross-country ski racer.  One certainty was that I was not going to be a nordic ski jumper.  For alpine race training we would use the outrun (the landing area) of a 50-meter jump as an area to practice our downhill aerodynamic technique.  The experience of pointing the skis straight for a four second ride straight down the steep pitch was heart pounding enough that I could not imagine adding the in-run and then springing into the air to soar over the contour of the outrun.  A few years later I had the opportunity to visit the top of the Olympic 90-meter jump tower in Lake Placid, NY.


I recall standing on the platform and being quite convinced that no sane person would willingly place their skis in-line and swoop off to defy gravity for a hundred meters of flight.  Talking with a couple thirteen year olds who were preparing to jump from the “smaller” 70-meter facility we learned that they had made the first attempts on the big hill around the age of eleven.  The enthusiasm of youth defeated any self-preservation circuit breakers.  Their normal was based on experiences that had expanded their perception of reasonable activity far beyond mine when it came to the concept of flight and skiing.

What activities do you participate in that are unimaginable to others?  How can you use your perspective to inspire others?

A Year Ago

A year ago this week I returned with my family from living abroad for a few months.  Arriving home to the trappings of Thanksgiving and Black Friday was an explosion to the senses.  Everything felt refreshed.  It had take a couple months to break routines and focus on a different approach.  A year later I am able to measure what new ways of being have moved forward and which did not stand the test of reintegration.  It has been a powerful experience to adventure in the arena of change.

This Is Not Right

I was running this weekend in Anaheim, CA.  Ten minutes from the manicured pathways of Disneyland Park I jogged into an underpass below Interstate 5.  Halfway in the concrete tunnel I literally jumped over two people sleeping on the walkway.  They had placed their shopping carts in such a ways as to create a small barrier but the traffic noise was deafening, a minor inconvenience I imagined to avoid the overnight rains.  When I came back a half-hour later one individual was sitting-up staring towards the sun that had started to break out of the thin cloud layer.  I thought, ‘this is not right.’  In the shadow of one of the iconic family vacation experiences sit individuals pushed to survive each day with no thought of vacation or luxury.

What questions should we be asking about priorities? What actions would have the most impact when it comes to extinguishing homelessness?