Author: whatifconcepts

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

Wayfinding
Orientation race in progress

There is not a prescribed route during an orientation race. There are checkpoints but the terrain in between is navigated in real-time with decisions made based on glances at a topographic map and assessing the geography encountered. Wayfinding is a skill that is applied to the expanses we occupy at the moment.

How might we be aligned to checkpoints but not prescriptive about the route? How might we recognize that real-time information is vital to timely decisions? How might we not try to forerun the course when the event is unique to us?

Speculation

Tickets for Game 7 of the 2024 World Series are on sale. You can commit to an experience that has a low percentage of taking place with the Dodgers leading 3 games to zero already. How often do we speculate? What resources are we willing to commit to an event that is unlikely to take place? What does this tell us about our priorities?

Icebreaker

Quick icebreaker activity for your team. Provide a timeframe (3 months, 1 year, duration of board service term, etc.) and ask each individual to write down an event, milestone, or moment that they are personally looking forward to reaching. Place these on an internal calendar (as best you can) and then acknowledge them as they are achieved, passed, or become evident.

The organization’s highlights are not always the same as those of the individual team members. Recognizing individual milestones helps add a shared sense of service and accomplishment. As an added bonus, it is a nice way to start a meeting and build deeper connections.

Hour of Youth

This moment is the youngest you will ever be, at least in the chronology of conventional time as we define it. What activities and areas of focus are deserving of your current youth? If you map our attention over a day, did we invest it in activities and interactions that maximized our youthful capabilities? We cannot bank it for tomorrow, so how are we spending our youthful resources today?

Earn the Relationship

Transactional human connections might be defined as associations, alliances, tie-ups, interconnections, and links. We earn trust through authentic interactions to define our connection as a relationship. What defines a meaningful relationship to you? How do you add depth and dimension to a treasured relationship? How disconnected are you willing to stretch from someone you trust before the relationship has been repaired or fractured? Is your limit more or less dynamic than a similar journey with an associate or alliance member?

How might we recognize that we earn relationships? How might we acknowledge that we have limited bandwidth and cannot foster limitless relationships? What steps have others taken to merit their relationships with you? What super powers do you bring to a relationship?

We the People

Dedicated to serving others, perhaps start with the perspective of ‘we.’ A marching band of one person might be unique but likely limited in their capabilities. If we work together, we can achieve a level of performance and impact that might not be available to those who focus on their individual status. Even if the stadium is not full, we deliver for those who are looking to engage with what we have to offer.