Author: whatifconcepts

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

Changing the System

Disney changed the color of lifeboats on cruise ships and created the design for marking the difficulty of ski runs. Disney wanted a different color scheme for lifeboats, so they did research and convinced the US Coast Guard to expand the acceptable palette of lifeboat colors. When Disney considered owning and operating a ski resort, there was no universal system for marking the difficulty of ski runs. Disney created a system that was adopted by many ski areas. Ultimately, Disney never launched its ski resort but altered the ski industry.

We are all working to change the system in some way. We are trying to enforce the existing system, expand the system, or break the system. Understanding that we might effect change without being stakeholders is a paradigm shift.

Enterance Customization

There are many entrances to Central Park in New York City. As a special touch, there are twenty unique gates (entrances) along the six-mile perimeter of the park. Some are self-evident. The Children’s Gate leads to the Central Park Zoo and adjoining playgrounds. The Artist Gate is reflective of the cultural buildings nearby. And other gates (Woodsman, Miners, and Pioneers) are a nod to those critical to the city’s founding.

How might we use customized entrances as a way to welcome, honor, and celebrate those who are critical to our success.

System Constraints

What is the constraint on your system? Where is your point of failure? Do you lack sufficient inputs? Is there not enough time? Are you not fast enough?

Once our system reaches a significant constraint, it fails to grow. We can accept the failure as a ceiling or retool and evaluate options to circumvent the constraint.

How we handle constraints and respond to system failures adds depth and dimension to our work.

Good Deals, Bad People

Warren Buffet suggested that he avoids trying to make a good deal with a bad person. A flawed individual might flourish by testing every exception within the legal instrument, even if the contract is superbly crafted.

Expanding on this notion, perhaps our enterprise should avoid adding people to the board or team if they possess a history of immoral activity and lack any sense of collegiality. Too often, an organization overlooks historical patterns to attain a single talent (money, network, influence, connections). How might we find at least three key attributes of a potential candidate before nominating them to our cause?

Proxy

What decisions are we comfortable making via proxy? Which ones do we feel better about being present for? Where are you willing to leverage your decision-making authority, and which requires your presence? When ordering take-out food, a surrogate might be easily endowed with menu choices. Signing a lease for an apartment might fall in the middle. Choosing a life partner is probably best navigated with input from the two interested parties.