Author: whatifconcepts

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

House Rules

Have you ever been in a casino? Had thoughts of taking a few chips from a unsuspecting table mate and cashing them in for quick profit (the plot of many Vegas movies it seems)? I suspect most of you don’t act on this impulse. Why? The ‘rules of the house’ are understood. The casino retains the right to refuse service to anyone not meeting its guidelines, apparently this includes winning too frequently so I have heard. Have you ever checked to see where the rules of the house are posted? Are they prominently displayed on the gaming table, wall, backside of the playing cards? I have never seen them. Yet somehow we all know that there is a basic standard that we must meet in order to gamble. In my estimation, casinos do a fantastic job of establishing expectations and a culture without telling. There is no orientation, handbook, consent form to sign. How often do you enter an environment where the front-line employees are actually encouraged to dispense advice on how to beat the ‘house’? Entertainment is encouraged, especially as you place more chips on the table. But how do we know the rules? I may fly on the airlines weekly but I am certain we are not taking-off until somebody announces the rules and safety procedures. I cannot update my computer software without agreeing to a lengthy end user agreement. The local Shakespeare company cannot start a production without reminding me to silence my cellphone, not to record the performance, and clear the aisles.

How do you establish a customer experience that passively sets guidelines while focusing on your mission? Would this be helpful to your organization? Imagine an environment where clients, board members and volunteers can intuitively grasp the rules of the house? How would that change the culture of your enterprise?

Authenticity

A characteristic that donors and supporters rank highest when considering contributing or joining a social causes is ‘authenticity‘. Individuals want to invest in the original, the trustworthy edition, the organization committed to meeting the needs of the cause with values that match their own. All of this sounds basic. But, how many enterprises deviate from being authentic by taking some of the following actions?

  • Adopting strategic plans that are full of unrealistic goals and lofty language
  • Creating a culture that makes patrons uneasy when they engage with the organization
  • Programs that are not consistent with the organization’s mission
  • Hiring an Executive Director or key personnel that do not embody the organization’s values
  • Accepting donations/grants from individuals or foundations that represent values that conflict with the nonprofit
  • Building a board with members who do not appear committed to the organization’s strengths
  • Launch a branding effort that looks nothing like the organization everyone has come to know

Would you prefer to visit the Statue of Liberty in Las Vegas or New York? Do you prefer to view the Declaration of Independence housed in the Archive Building in Washington, DC or a framed version hanging in your City Hall? Is your preference to meet your hero in person or take a picture with their facsimile at the wax museum? In which of these experiences would you be willing to invest more of your resources?

How do you remain authentic as an organization? Can you define it? Have you asked your supporters? How is it represented daily in your organization’s decision-making?

Blame Storming

A bit of humor to start the week and a reminder that strategic planning can go wrong. I have participated in planning sessions that verged on ‘blame storming.’ One of the techniques that seems to be effective in altering the blaming process comes from Tony Robbins. I ask three questions, when I see a group focusing on a micro details that are not going to be the cornerstone in establishing a strategic vision. First, what outcome is the group trying to achieve (describe what success looks like)? Next, describe why reaching this outcome important (get clarity about the emotional investment in achieving success)? Third, what are the key action steps that need to be taken (now I am seeking more detail)? This technique seems to help raise the conversation to an altitude of 30,000 feet (outcome) and then work back down to the ground-level (key details). Now enjoy a short video of what comes easiest to many people when frustrations run high.

A New Perspective on the 4th

Sometimes you see something that alters you understanding of how things work. I just saw this brief video clip and played it 3 times. Perhaps this upstages any firework show. I now have a new appreciation for volcanoes. I reminds me of the quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.“

What has expanded your mind recently?

History Repeating Itself


“Don’t worry, everybody has three mortgages these days” Ghostbusters

Funny throw-away line twenty-five years ago has a different meaning today. Our response to the line today has an edge in our laughter (if there is any). With change constantly upon us, predicting the future is best left to those possessing clairvoyant skills. But there are reliable patterns and cycles during which we can prepare our organizations to thrive.

What are you anticipating? What trends do you anticipating returning? How are you positioned to succeed?

Instant Professional Development

I am always looking for opportunities to expand my knowledge base: learn something new, refine existing thoughts, add a new perspective, or stumble across the unknown. As a cyclist, there is a refrain that goes through my mind- ‘always be pedaling’. So may people I ride with have a tendency to put effort into the pedals when necessary and then coast the downhills. If power can be applied to the pedals and the result is a favorable use of energy then I pedal. I believe the same is true for professional development. If an opportunity exists to learn, I take advantage of the opportunity.

I stumbled across the “How To” section of the Wall St. Journal online today. Great brief interviews with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies about leadership and managing.

http://guides.wsj.com/management/

How do you develop professionally?

The People in the Room

Listened to a Fresh Air interview with Adam Liptak. Adam was asked for his observations while covering the Supreme Court for the past year on behalf of the NY Times. He had some interesting perspectives of the recent year and the decisions rendered by the justices. Perhaps most revealing to me was his comment about how the cultural and gender make-up of the justices in the room has changed the conversations that take place in the court. Having an African-American, woman, or minority as a justice changed the tone, tenor, and process of deliberation. Adam argues that just by their presence, even before you get to their intellectual and legal input, the decision-making process was altered by the make-up of the people in the room.

“Diverse inputs make for better outputs” is one quote Adam Liptak sites during the interview.

This is perhaps a great reminder to be intentional about who we include on our boards, strategic planning sessions, decision-making moments. Diversity has power, especially when it comes to deliberating about tough decisions.

Taking Ownership of Planning

My children created a list of all the summer activities they want to complete during summer vacation. Their list is ambitious, creative, and humorous. As we accomplish different adventures they take turns taking the post-it notes off our ‘Summer Adventure’ poster board. It has been a rewarding experience to see them take ownership of what we do this summer. They have planned the events, prioritized, participated, and celebrated each event’s successful conclusion.

How does your organization create a culture where the board and staff have appropriate influence over the planning, execution, and celebration? What if you had post-its that you removed after the big milestones were passed? How do you create a shared experience?

Now how to get to Paris, France (as requested by my son)?

Spokesperson


Attended the Jonas Brothers concert with my daughter the other night. It was loud, mostly the screaming and then the music. It clearly met the expectations of the young pre-teen and teenage audience judging by the shrieking, texting, photographing, dancing and swinging of glow sticks. This was my first venture into the teenage concert scene and it was memorable.

Nick Jonas (as I was informed by my daughter) took a moment in the middle of the concert to give a personal account of his struggle with diabetes. He played the piano in the middle of the elaborate stage set-up and recounted his journey. For a few minutes the crowd was quiet and listened to his story. The brothers are selling a dog tag at their concerts (http://www.daily-diabetic.com/50226711/nick_jonas_diabetes_dog_tags_to_raise_funds_for_jonas_brothers_foundation.php) as a fundraiser for diabetes support. The dog tags are the equivalent of the LIVESTRONG wristband.

By giving a personal account of his struggles the concert goers seem to take the story as genuine. I believe if Nick had been representing a cause that had not touched him personally his fans would have been less attentive and not as willing to invest in the dog tags.

Who can best communicate the cause your organization is meeting? Are they authentic? Are they passionate? Does the audience trust them?

Outsourcing


Packing the large camping cooler this morning and I realized that the plug for the drain was missing. I looked around for the missing piece and then quickly realized I needed to create a substitute. My children had just spent the last week at a summer invention camp so I figured that I would tap their inspired minds for a solution. Before I could finish showing them my problem, one produced leftover foam earplugs from the Jonas Brothers concert the evening before, the other one was grabbing some plastic and a rubber band. They handed me their contributions, recommend adding some tape and then went back to whatever they had been playing prior to my interruption.

Sometimes outsourcing works and saves a lot of time. Which outside resources do you engage?