Looking to be at the center of the discussion regarding leading social media concepts and ideas? Take a look at the Socialbrite conference calendar.
Influence
Author: whatifconcepts
Same Seats!
Walking through the parking lot today I encounter group of students returning to their van from a school field trip. From the back of the loosely formed pack I distinctly heard the shout, ‘same seats!’ Another student chimed in with a similar response and so it was decided by a voice vote that the motion for same seats carried.
The mentality of same seats is easy to embrace. It preserves the known and controls the immediate future. If I like my seat then I am lucky. If I was neutral on my seating options then I am probably part of the silent majority. Only the few who were slammed in the seat by the wheel well or next to a less than appreciated seatmate are the vocal minority.
The ‘same seat’ flashback reminded me how young I was when I learned how to manage change. How much of this elementary school organizing strategy has carried over to my work and that of enterprises I serve? Do we literally sit in the same seats at board meetings? I worked with one organization that placed a customized tea or coffee mug at each person’s seat prior to the meeting and it was clear where the power resided (just watch whose tea was brewed first). Are meeting agendas as structured and preserved in tradition as the coronation ceremony for a monarch? Does our budget look the same every year with just a few adjusted numbers? Are the same faces tackling the same conversations? Has our mission statement stayed the same since it is etched into stone? Do we continue forward with the same programs because our founders established them?
I wonder how many causes carry forward with the ‘same seat’ mentality because it leads to a sense of certainty. What if we yelled, ‘everyone off the bus’ and took stock of who and what we had on-board. Happy travels.
Looking for some innovative ways to manage change, check out the Heath brothers latest book, Switch.
Putting the Band Together
If you were asked to put together a garage band- simply to hold jam sessions, who would you invite? If you were asked to assemble a group to play at a sold-out stadium would you change who you include in the band?
Do you find it interesting that some of the legendary musical groups split-up for no apparent reason? Perhaps money, women/men, fame, travel becomes the distraction. Then some acts book a reunion tour. Do you think it is for the fame and money or have they reconnected to their purpose?
I would suggest that if you assemble a garage band because you have a shared purpose- a love of music, a message to send, a common platform, or any other number of reasons, the purpose should carry you forward. If you never play a cord for a person outside of the garage or if you are making a living from iTunes payments the purpose does not change, however the results certainly look different.
When we began planning based on the results we risk losing a direct connection to our purpose. The results start to control us. One of the great attributes of the human existence is that we recalibrate quickly to a new reality. We can jump from poverty to lottery winner. It take little time for a person to consider their new wealth the benchmark from which they exist.
Why do you want to play music (or whatever activity inspires you)? Who shares your vision? Write it down. Invite those specific individuals who ‘get it’. Exclude those who do not get it- there are plenty of garages for other bands. Be certain. It will amplify your experience, no matter what stage you play on.
Quality of Your Relationship
What type of relationship does your enterprise have with its customers, donors, volunteers, staff, board, and community? Is it authentic and built on trust? Do you attract people who are committed to your purpose and vision? Do you take everyone who raises their hand or are you selective?
Consider the following images that are associated with appeals for funding.
What reaction does this image bring forward for you? Some international hunger organizations prefer this or more graphic models.
Or this sign, does it make you feel inspired? How about guilty? What story do you tell yourself when you face this type of requests for assistance?
Does your reaction change when the message is reframed? Does a new perspective or context alter your perception?
Does your reaction change when the image focuses on hope and opportunity? Heifer International leads with pictures like the one above.
Perhaps this approach (via Simon Sinek) reverses the classic approach to the homeless person sign. The message on this sign actually generated $40 in two hours for a homeless person in New York City when the traditional approach brought in $20 a day.
A quick way to create a temporary relationship is to lead with guilt or fear. It tends to make us uncomfortable. We are willing to take immediate action to alleviate the discomfort. In a fundraising environment an easy way to standout in a crowded field of appeals is to shock.
What if you build a relationship on a foundation of inspiration. What if you are selective about who you attract to your cause. Would it change the quality of your interactions if people were considering their purpose in the context of your cause?
What type of relationships is your cause cultivating?
The Importance of Momentum
Achieve released an article that highlighted the importance of momentum in a fundraising campaign.
Organizations will often lose momentum when there is a singular focus on the short term. Organizations will also lose momentum when they are not clear about direction or the ability to express that direction with donors. As a donor, it is very hard to support potential growth, new opportunities, or even bigger impact if you don’t understand where the organization is going.
I also came across a passage in The Soul of Leadership: Unlocking Your Potential For Greatness by Deepak Chopra.
A successful visionary makes his or her manifest in the world. Invisible seeds planted in the silence of your deepest awareness become tangible, visible realities. As they unfold, you will manage their growth with passion and energy. Your purpose will be apparent to all.
The alignment of purpose and action allows us to generate a whole host of attributes, many of which are impossible to manufacture under false pretense. If I asked you to show me more authenticity right now, could you? I have yet to see this trick performed. The formula for authenticity might be expressed as:
My purposed + My daily actions matching purpose = authenticity
The same formula can also be applied to the concepts of trust and charisma. These are ideals are hollow when listed on a resume or in a fundraising pitch. But when demonstrated daily and repeatedly and held against the Rosetta Stone of organizational purpose, then they generate a different type of relationship. As Simon Sinek would state, when people start interacting with you because they believe what you believe instead of doing business with your enterprise because they need what you have, a paradigm shift has taken place. Momentum is doing business with individuals that share your purpose and then building a tribe that is connected by this shared vision. Momentum is having clarity of purpose and then living it daily. Momentum is lost when our vision gets fuzzy or derailed by other interests. Momentum is a result not a purpose.
 |
| The mind, once expanded to the dimension of bigger ideas, never returns to its original size- Oliver Wendell Holmes |
A new year provides a platform full of possibilities, new paths to explore and ideas to expand the mind. The simple act of moving to a new page on a calendar and the psychology of putting last year’s events and memories down at the New Year’s threshold can be refreshing. Allowing momentum from last year’s successes to cascade into the unexplored frontier that greets us today can be a compelling outpost from which to launch our explorations. The opportunity to refine purpose, confirm values, alter ones brand, and set macro goals is exhilarating. Subtle shifts that open new viewpoints may be equally as monumental as whole sale changes.
In reviewing my consulting work from the past few years, I realize that I am at my best when I act as a strategist. To assess the goals and opportunities selected by an enterprise and consider alternative approaches and perspectives is part of my purpose in life. Attracting and amplifying the best ideas is what engages and energizes my daily activity. Assembling resources and customizing methodologies from other sectors is part of the value I enjoy delivering for clients. For 2011, I am committing to my role as a strategist and allow facilitation to take a secondary role. Step one of any significant goal is to find an immediate actionable step (micro goal) that can build momentum and serve as a starting point for the voyage. Posting ones goal publicly and being held accountable by your tribe or community is a part of an authentic relationship. I look forward to sharing my progress and goals in the coming months.
What journey are you committed to for 2011?
I Recommend
These are some of the titles that shaped my thinking in the last year.
 |
| Design choice architecture |
 |
| Finding your purpose changes everything! |
 |
| Brilliant approach to activating a movement |
 |
| The strategic planning model I use |
 |
| Leverage your passion |
 |
| Nonprofit ideas in the corporate world |
 |
| Maximize your talents |
 |
| Understand and guide change |
![A. Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto(The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right [Hardcover])(2009)](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003YD00RS&tag=whatifconcept-20) |
| Pilots will not fly without a checklist- why should you? |
 |
| Making a run at the motivational gold medal |
 |
| Who influences you and how? |
 |
| The guide to social media |
Changing World
Compelling infographic reflecting the changes in taking place around the world between 2000 and 2010. What would be your strategy if you are in the movie business (last section on the infographic). Higher gross but fewer tickets sold. Time to change the model? Diversify the use of the theater space? More 3-D? Raise the price of popcorn?
Destination
What serves as your compass? Is your organizational purpose, vision, and mission aligned? Is your destination clear? Who keeps you focused?
Fees for Nonprofits?
The Wall Street Journal published an article about the growing trend taking place in city and states to assess or recommend fees for service on nonprofit organizations. Many of these organizations were the same ones that local and state governments were awarding grants to just a few years ago. A number of these nonprofits provide essential services that would otherwise cost the states money or resources to attend to. What is the right balance? Should nonprofits pay a fee for service or is there a metric whereby we can measure the essential services these enterprises provide? As a donor of your time, talent, treasurer, or touch, how would you most like to see your investment utilized?
What-if-concepts 