Author: whatifconcepts

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

Reframe

If your flight disembarks at a remote stand and you are instructed to take the bus to the terminal, it can feel like an unplanned deviation from your itinerary. However, when the pilot tells you that the bus drops passengers off directly at the customs hall, saving them a fifteen minute walk from the jetway that might have been used to reach the same location, it can feel like a bonus. Reframing circumstances can change how we perceive our reality.

How might we recognize that framing a situation can fundamentally change our potential impact?

Specialization

One aircraft (photo above) specializes in high-speed military engagements, while the other is ideal for general aviation flying and landing on short runways. One costs tens of millions, while the other can cost less than $100,000 on the secondary market. Understanding our needs and intended impact might allow us to assemble the best resources. If we are defending a territory, a 5th-generation fighter might be required. A Cessna may be more practical if we perform low-speed, low-altitude search and rescue support.

How might we focus on resources that best suit our needs rather than purchasing top-of-the-line variants? For example, maintaining a donor database on a basic (but secure) platform might save thousands of dollars in subscription fees and allow us to navigate just as effectively as the premium platform. Authentically doing our work with practical tools does not always require the latest version.

Monorail

Monorails are a fun way to travel between points. They can also be efficient and effective. However, the tracks are not easy to re-engineer if you need to amend the itinerary. If we are confident that two current geographic points will need consistent transportation support, a monorail might be a good choice. If the traffic patterns are less than certain, more mobile forms of travel are better.

How might we recognize where our enterprise has constructed monorails and where more flexible forms of movement might be the best option?

Update!

How many posts, announcements, launch celebrations, press releases, or community meetings have you observed during which information was shared about a new initiative or a significant organizational event? How many of these organizations continued to share relevant updates and nurture your engagement?

In my experience, people are keen to make the first announcement but struggle to find an appropriate communication cadence along the journey. It does not take much, but checking deepens connections.

Imagine boarding a long-haul international flight on which the pilots never confirm the destination, make no remarks about the flight plan, do not address abnormal flight conditions, and provide no update before landing. This might make some passengers a bit apprehensive about the journey. Perhaps we can aspire to be more like a well-regarded commercial pilot. Greet passengers, orient them, care for their safety, point out remarkable landmarks, address the unexpected, prepare them for landing, and thank them for their loyalty.

Moderator

Do you need a moderator for your group gatherings? When you deploy one, what are the key characteristics required? Is there a list of norms or responsibilities that they must safeguard? Who holds the moderator accountable? When does the community become defined by the moderator (e.g., a long-serving moderator representing a vibrant subgroup)? What happens if the moderator departs from their role, will the conversation continue, or are disruptions anticipated?

A moderator might have more influence on a group than we anticipate. They curate the conversations, the vibe, and the sense of community. Selecting the right individual and providing them with the right tools creates remarkable experiences, but making a misaligned selection may set back a group.

How might we be intentional in our appointments of moderators? How might we help them succeed so we succeed?

Creating Disruption

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) banned select Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains from traveling into Switzerland due to their chronic late arrival. The Swiss have declared that late trains disrupt their network too much, so it is better for them to terminate the German service at the border and run SBB trains onward into Switzerland.

Which partners does your work rely upon that consistently disrupt your results? It might be funders who distribute grants late, local government slowed by bureaucracy, another nonprofit organization that needs constant prodding, volunteers who are not engaged effectively, or your own board that is risk-averse and requires more time for contemplation.

We can script a nimble timeline, but the human element often has a bigger impact than we might anticipate. How might we construct alternatives or more flexibility when relying on other components? When do we decide to pause/terminate a partnership because the impact on overall performance is unsustainable?

Operational

The map might indicate a viable route of travel, but if conditions change, what is your alternate course? What if we create scenarios where we navigate a different path or complete a project with instruments not usually at the top of our toolbox? Building versatility in a controlled environment might open new, more effective pathways and provide a greater impact. If we always take off and land on the same runway, then being directed to an alternate runway during challenging meteorological conditions is a big test of our capabilities. That is why emergency services and military groups drill various scenarios. They develop a mindset to handle the unanticipated.

How might we try new approaches while the conditions are stable? How might we engage skill sets that are not in our top ten daily practices?