Author: whatifconcepts

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

The Challenge of Inequality

After viewing this talk I am convinced that the social sector may be uniquely positioned to navigate the way, addressing the issues surrounding inequality that Richard Wilkinson’s data reveals.  How do we balance the American dream of opportunity with the stark reality that those who are most well off are leaving those who have the least in the most challenging situation of any developed country?  Are we gathering the huddled masses only to leave them on the other side of the golden door?

New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus

Patron

Had it not been for Eusebi Güell, famed architect Antoni Gaudi’s genius may have never been recognized.  Gaudi’s philosophy of merging design and nature may have never made it from sketch to structure.  If Gaudi had run around trying to build a tribe of followers he may have stopped designing.  Instead he found a funders who was intrigued with his initial work (a lamp post).  Guell was a true patron who sponsored many of Gaudi’s most daring projects.  He was willing and capable of providing Gaudi with the resources he needed to bring his vision to a reality.  It is a reminder that one key individual can do more for your journey than an entire crowd.  Followers are powerful but patrons are willing to take action and invest because they share your purpose.

Are you seeking followers or patrons?  It is important to understand the difference.

One Thing
Barcelona Street Art

Ever been lost while driving?  Many of us share the same tendencies.  Slow down, sit up a little straighter, turn down the radio, and even hang-up on the person giving us directions (‘I will call you back’).  A friend’s Facebook post mentioned these attributes about her husband, the same ones I exhibit.  But the reality is that it highlights the way we are wired as humans.  We are capable of greatness when we focus on one thing.  Most of us do not want our surgeon watching television while performing a procedure, or a pilot filing their taxes when landing our plane.  We tend to miss a lot of critical steps when we try to cover multiple tasks.  Have you walked into the kitchen and stood dumbfounded by what brought you there only to recall the task ten minutes later?

When execution is essential, it is best to reduce the peripheral distractions and make sure you are navigating correctly.

Strategic Refocus

The brilliance of this camera is that you can go back and adjust the focal point after you have taken the picture.  We usually get the right subject matters in the frame but we do not always focus on the intended object.  It is a great metaphor for organizational planning.  Can the enterprise maintain flexibility to refocus on a priority that may have not been immediately identified during the planning process?  Said differently, how does your cause maintain the dexterity to focus on the right priorities in a timely manner?

Elevator Pitch

Wondering how to perfect an elevator pitch- the brief narrative you would share with colleague to communicate the impact of a social sector organization you support and think they should consider?  Checkout Kickstarter which provides a platform for entrepreneurs to pitch their projects in hope of securing the funding and move from prototype to production.  Short spots that allow those who are passionate about an opportunity to share with potential investors.  Watch a few of these clips and you will get a sense of what works and what flopped.  And you will probably find a project to fund, I know I did. 

Ready for Action?
FC Barcelona Game

Sometimes your job comes down to a few key actions taken during the course of an entire engagement.  If you are able to perform consistently during these moments then there is no concern about what you do during the other 99% of the time.  Not everyone needs to be the front person for your cause, sometimes those who are uniquely positioned to act on the enterprise’s behalf are best in a different looking position.

Volunteering Passion

My son is a huge fan of the book titled, The Name of This Book is Secret.  The first book turned into a five part series and the author Pseudonymous Bosch created a culture of secrecy around his true identity, even going on tour and appearing on national TV in disguise.  The relevant part of the story for those not looking for a young person’s book recommendation is that Pseudonymous Bosch got his start by volunteering.  He offered to be a unidentified pen pal for an elementary school writing exercise.  The student wrote a paragraph and the unknown adult authored the second paragraph. The pattern continued until a story was completed.  Only during this leap into volunteering did Pseudonymous Bosch realized he had a joy and talent for the youth mystery genre.  An opportunity to volunteer turned into a career and a journey to share his craft on a much larger stage.


Sometimes volunteering is an opportunity for a person to try a field of work without committing to employment.  By providing a volunteer position we may be cultivating the talents and enthusiasm of a prodigy or helping a person assess their interest in a field.  The organization and the volunteer may be involved in doing each other a favor which has more depth than can be readily seen.

Boomerang

After reading Michael Lewis’ remarkable book Boomerang, I now have greater clarity that the global economic outlook presents a massive paradigm shift.  Without monumental regulatory, budgetary, and political overhaul I forecast the following for the social sector:

  •  No sustainable funding models that involve local or city government.  Emergency/one-time only support from states and very scarce federal grants.
  • Greater demand that social sector organizations fill civil and social service roles abandoned by local government.
  • Significantly fewer donors.  Dollars contributed going to more restricted causes.
  • Staffing and budget cutbacks throughout the social sector.
  • Demand that nonprofit organizations do much more with far less (think 33-50% reductions while handling increased demand for service).
  • PILOTS (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) will be formalized into a taxing structures.  Large and middle sized organizations will not escape state regulators.
  • Spectacular failures of prominent social sector enterprises.  Look at your nonprofit neighbor on the left and the right, chances are one of you will: cease to exist, merge under hardship (not by strategic decision-making), or become irrelevant.
  • National federations will have to cut representation in poorly performing regions.  Large swaths of the United States will be abandoned by well recognized national causes.
  • Corporations will increasingly use the nonprofit sector as a fulcrum for their agendas.  A minority will support causes that are of the highest need and tackling the most difficult issues, most will partner with initiatives that advance the company’s marketing plans.  A final group will provide minimal support to say they are philanthropic.


It is not fun to write just a few of these prognostications.  However, the social sector has no real lobby to speak on its behalf and the decisions being made at the local and state government are being deeply influenced by those who have access.  Your city can quietly cut support for the local conservation-youth-arts group or very publicly opt out of a pension requirement for the police or firefighters.  When you realize that libraries, parks, and civic centers are being closed throughout some of the largest states, you have to consider the ripple effects are on the way to your community.  

The house is going to raise the minimum bet at the social sector casino.  To be in the game is going to require a great level of commitment for many causes.  What can those of us who are uniquely positioned to succeed in the face of the pending storm do to prepare?  Some fundamental questions:

  • Can you articulate what your cause believes?  Few people join a cause because of it mission statement but many of us get involved because it feels right.
  • Do you have the facts to measure your organization’s impact?  This does not have to be a numerical metric, however it should capture what your cause accomplishes that is absolutely brilliant.  What measurement showcases your best?
  • Have you studied what significant reductions in funding might do to your enterprise?  Or, what a massive increase demand for services might require?  Do you have a plan to do what you do best without extra capacity?
  • What is the status of your relationships with your fans (volunteers, donors, customers, partners)?  What work can be done to enhance these partnerships?  Does impending volatility help increase your commitment and activity to connect with those who call themselves members of your tribes?
  • Have you consider developing a filter to assess real-time opportunities and challenges?  Relying on a static strategic plan might by like relying on Forest Gump’s fishing strategy (before the hurricane).  Racing from place to place based on gut instinct may appear helpless to those watching from shore.
  • Have you recruited the people who are committed to the enterprise’s purpose?  When Ernest Shackelton’s boat the Endurance got caught in the Arctic ice there was no mutiny by the crew.  He posted the right “help wanted” sign when he was recruiting a crew and he told them up front that their safe return was doubtful.
  • Who is your optimist with the vision of a brighter future?  Somebody needs to remind us that the most beautiful landscapes come after the storm.  Who has a conviction stronger than forces that are running against you?

I could be spectacularly wrong about the next wave of our economic tsunami.  I think only significant commitment to compromise and willingness to enter into a period of shared sacrifice will keep us from hitting an iceberg that will force us to abandon the boat known as abated consumption.  There is also a terrific opportunity to move to the front of the pack and give your best now.  There may be attrition through the next leg of the journey but being prepared provides opportunities to excel.

One

It can take one compliment, one offer of assistance, one answer, one goal, one diagnosis for everything to change.  Or does it?  If we truly understand our purpose then the context may shift but our commitment to delivering our best remains.  We rely on change.  It must occur for us to exist.  Purpose provides us a narrative to thread together our actions in a unifying pattern.