Author: whatifconcepts

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

Authenticity

Could you please be more authentic right this moment?  Turn up your authenticity from a 5 to a 10.  Really stretch yourself, you can do it, right?

Turns out that faking authenticity is not possible.  You can only be authentic by stating what you believe and then take actions that are consistent and mirror your belief.  That is why we can easily understand where authentic people stand.  We may not believe what they believe but we can see what they stand for. 

It does not take a huge capital investment to create authenticity.  However it does take consistency and commitment.

Storytellers

Saw Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt in concert.  What made the evening remarkable were the stories each artist told between songs.

“Stories are our attempts to share our values & beliefs with the hopes that we may attract those who believe what we believe. This is the basis of forming a trusting relationship. Story telling, therefor, is only worthwhile when it tells what you stand for, not what you do.”        

Simon Sinek

Images

 Try searching for images of your enterprise on Google.  What comes up?  Preparing to work with a few different clients I was amazed at how many of these causes did not even have their logo, pictures of programs, facilities, or people associated with the organization in the Google results.  Why not upload a few images that will appear in search engines?

Power Seat

Is there a power seat in your organization?  One where you put the most important person.  I once dined at a restaurant in New York City when Donald Trump arrived for a quick bite.  He sat by the entrance to the main dinning room where he could be seen and greet those who were on a first name basis with him.  Gamblers prefer specific seats in Poker and Blackjack.  When I facilitate board retreats I sometimes find the seating arrangements represent the challenges and opportunities an organization is facing.

What does your seating arrangement say about your cause?

You

If the members of the staff for a nonprofit are accountable to the Executive Director and the Executive Director is accountable to the board.  Who is the board accountable to?  You?  If the members of the board are really serving as a guardian of the public’s interest then the accountability for the board goes to the general public.  Too often the board is held as the highest authority, yet it is the collective will of the citizens that has the ultimate authority.  We should never forget that those of us who serve are temporary guardians of the public’s trust.  We are only empowered by the will of those we represent.

Church Bells

Visiting the small Italian town of Sassello I noticed that the church bells sounded on the hour but slightly offset in their timing.  Each church bell chimed in s progression, one after another.  Three distinct rings set so they did not overlap.  Resident in this small valley not only knew the time but which bell was being struck, instead of a cacophony of competing tones.

What does your enterprise do to make sure its unique message is heard by the desired audience without being lost in the noise?

Sacred

What is sacred in your organization?  I wonder this after having traveled to New York City for a couple days and wandered on my favorite paths in Central Park.  How did such a large tract of land become sacred and off-limits to development?  It would have been so easy to infringe on the edges, run a subway line above ground, or place more permanent structures throughout, but the park remains a bastion for nature in a world where real estates casts shadows on the very trees that add value to the apartments.
How do you preserve the sacred?  Is anything in your enterprise sacred?  Does what you hold sacred speak to your organization’s values? 
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