Author: whatifconcepts

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

Circles

With all the excitement around Google+ and the circles feature it reminded me of the circle strategy being used by the social sector as a way to manage advocates and advisers.  So often, large advisory boards or councils are created as a place to keep those who are important, influential, philanthropic towards ones cause but may not be ready, willing, able to serve on the board.  As the names and influence grow these councils can become challenging to steer, especially when there was dissension about organizational strategies.  I have watched founders and key supporters on advisory councils that were inactive suddenly leap into action to ‘save’ an organization from a decision they deemed harmful or inappropriate.  This can cause a lot of anxiety and diplomacy for a Board Chair and CEO.

One way to address the adviser role is to create circles.  For example, there might be President’s Circle.  Individuals the President can call upon to seek advice and council.  Communication and engagement does not need to be scheduled but if the request for input is sincere and meaningful, the advisers stay connected.  Usually this is a group that requires a meaningful touches and communication but may not meet as a formal body.  Board Chair Circle, Development Circle, Marketing Circle, Volunteer Circle, Community Cirles are some common examples.  Appropriate staff or board leadership can facilitate these circles.  It also provides a nice vehicle to connect to advocates who have specific talents and are willing to be a resource for the cause.

What circles are you formally or informally managing?

Brillant

Guy Kawasaki got a behind the scenes tour of Disneyland.  He relayed some remarkable facts.  For example, how many people are pushing brooms at anytime around the park?  You know the park that never has visible litter and is known for is cleanliness.  Take a guess?  Most likely you need to divide your estimate by 10 to get to the number 8.  How is that possible?  If every cast member is responsible for maintaining a clean park then you only need a few janitors to sweep and pick-up trash.  Here are a few fun facts:

  • 6-8 weeks to train and orient janitors and parking attendants because they need to know the answer to just about every question.
  • Main Street is built on a 5/8th scale so the guests feel more important.  How many corporate headquarters downsized to impress their customers?
  • For every child entering the park there are four adults.  You cannot build a park that is only for youth when they represent the minority.  It is also a beautiful business model since the adults pay a higher entrance fee.
  • Being green means being committed.  Air compressed firework launchers and battery charged floats to name a few.
  • Rides being programmed with multiple scenarios encourage riders to return.

Disney is committed to cleanliness, friendliness, and safety.  What is your cause known for?

Thru or Section Hiker

There are two types of hikers who complete the Appalachian Trail, thru hikers and section hikers.  Thru hikers commit to a six-month period and hike the trail in one spring to fall time frame.  Section hikers select portions of the trail to hike and can choose the ideal season to attempt the trail and many take years to complete the entire trial.  Both are rewarding experiences but require some subtle differences.  Does your cause allow both thru and section hikers to succeed? 

Commodity

If you are selling a Swiss Army knife there is only so much you can charge.  At some point the number of features you can add is finite before the knife becomes unwieldy.  There is essentially a set price for each model.  There are specific jobs that a Swiss Army knife is perfectly suited to but there is also other jobs that need different tools.  What are you selling?

A Whole New Horizon

Take a lesson from Thomas Jefferson on strategic planning.  He completed the Louisiana Purchase and then sent the Corps of Discovery to the region to map and document the new territory.  President Jefferson directed Lewis and Clark into the wilderness with a scientific and commercial purpose.  He did not micromanage and the corps was out of touch while on its mission for two-years.  Jefferson had the vision and then empowered his agents to make it a reality.  Perhaps this was the equivalent of John F Kennedy’s vision of a man on the moon.  Set the goal and allows those with the right talents to map the course.

The Secret of Pacelines

I rode in a great cycling event today, the 4 Summit Challenge in Cascade, Idaho.  One of the interesting things that happens in larger events is that a paceline forms.  Each rider spends a minute or more at the front driving the group forward and everyone behind gets the benefit of their draft and save 30% on their energy output.  In a well practiced paceline, each rider rotates down one side of the line and then works their way to the back to the front of the line.  Ideally, when you are at the front your job is the maintain the speed and power that the previous rider established.  Being consistent prevents gaps forming and surging.  With an unpracticed group, their is a desire to demonstrate ones form and surges are inevitable, actually costing more effort as the paceline varies between sprinting and then coasting.


When you think about teamwork or leadership in your organization, how can each member add to the momentum of the team’s effort?  How can you keep the exertion at its highest sustainable pace?