Author: whatifconcepts
Circle of Safety
How You Enter Matters
Ever accidentally slide into an event with no intention of avoiding the price of admission? You find yourself encountering a form of entertainment for which everyone else purchased access. A year ago at the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam, my wife and I paid for one exhibit and as we exited we accidently entered the second paid exhibit through a side door. We walked through without delay and we exited properly. Technically, we had received a bonus exhibit for the price of our admission. It was not one we desired to pay for even after our unintentional preview.
As social sector organizations, we rely on advocates, ambassadors, donors, volunteers, and members, yet we forget to check how people encountered our cause. Just because someone is standing in our facility or attending our event does not mean they are seeking our services. How people enter our organization matters. Consider a few possibilities:
- New to the area and getting oriented
- Invited by a friend or business associated
- Looking for a place to hangout
- Heard good things about a past program or event
- Ready to be fully engaged and just need to be asked
- Attending to be seen by others
- Repaying a favor
- Had a personal experience that transformed their life
Each one of the aforementioned scenarios requires a different interaction. If we try to connect using one approach we have a 1 in 8 chance of meaningful engagement (just from the list above). We think we know why we like a newcomer but do we know why they like us?
Be brave and foster an individual connection with each person your enterprise encounters. Then you will know not only how they arrived but why they might stay.
Resources for BSU Leadership Class
Problem solving + Problem Finding = Well Designed Life
Characteristics of Servant Leadership
- See the future.
- Engage and develop others.
- Reinvent continuously.
- Value results and relationships.
- Embody the values.
- Hunger for wisdom.
- Expect the best.
- Accept responsibility.
- Respond with courage.
- Think of others first.
Deciding on the work that matters
- What do you want to do?
- Who do you want to change?
- How much risk do you want to take?
- How much work is required?
- Does the work matter?
- Is it even possible?
Goal Setting
- Choose a goal that matters, not just an easy win.
- Focus on the process, not the outcome.
- Frame your goals positively.
- Prepare for failure (in a good way).
Resources and visuals for Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
Thank you for the opportunity to share ideas. Your questions and stories were tremendous. Please follow-up with questions.
Yellowstone Stories
If you were one of the first through the area now named Yellowstone National Park, it must have been remarkable and fearful. Unknown geological events and formations appeared. Geysers spouted hot fluid from the ground. Hissing, bubbling, screeching sounds erupted from unknown sources. Water falls bigger than anticipated broke forth from a forest plateau. The Native Americans and mountain men had to make sense of the region. The assigned names, made-up stories, and sacrificed their safety interacting with these natural wonders. We recount their stories today as part of our travels through Yellowstone.
Today, one can travel through the park without getting out of their vehicle and still see amazing sights, no sacrifice required.
Which raises the key question. Do you believe in the journey you have embarked upon? If your adventure still has blank spots on the map that you are trying to fill in, then you craft the stories that go along with the exploration.
If you are just along for the ride, then sit back and enjoy the tour. But you trade the right to create stories for privilege of being entertained by those who have gone before.
Prototype
A collapsable bike helmet constructed from recycled paper and plastic employing a honeycomb design. Obvious, right? Now that we mention it, of course it exists. Except the EcoHelmet didn’t until 2016. Nothing in the design and materials is a breakthrough of science or technology. The barrier was our way of thinking. Our inability to think about the application of these materials in a new way.
Those working in the social sector are addressing problems that are so large and complex that they cannot easily monetize. Our environment is ripe for prototypes of all kind. If we fail, it is expected. If there is an easy solution it would have been employed already. Each program, hire, budget, donation is a protoype. It is a micro-effort to do the work that matters. We need to remind ourselves that we are in the design thinking arena. We each present a vision to put ourselves out of business because we solved a problem. Perhaps we should be protoyping everyday, and wary of iteration.
Rights & Responsibilities
I met a National Park Ranger at the entrance of Teton National Park a few summers ago. The road upon which I was attempting to enter the park was closed due to grizzly bear activity and there was no traffic behind me. After he advised me of my re-routing options, I asked him about the people he encounters during the summer season. He said he could divide park users into two groups. Those that talked about their rights. The right to a camping spot on a busy weekend; the right to light a fire while a campfire ban is in place; the right to get as close to wildlife as they pleased. The other group talked about their responsibility. They inquired about how to best enjoy their time in the park, what precautions they should consider, or where they could safely enjoy spotting wildlife.
It seems that there is a debate right now, a tussle over rights and responsibilities. One of the great strengths of the social sector is its focus on responsibilities. There are many people advocating for those in need and their case for support traces back to doing the responsible thing.
Does your cause spend more time talking about rights or responsibility? I would argue that this question alone tells us a lot about the motivation of one’s enterprise.
Two Groups
Seth Godin suggests that we can define super fans by identifying people who would miss us if our cause ceased to exist. Said differently, who would contact us until they got answers when no one showed-up. I believe there is a footnote to defining the super fans tribe. There are those who would sincerely miss us and the remarkable services we provide. A sub-group exists. Individuals who believe we owe them something so they might continue to advance their own cause. The super transactional tribe. Those who confuse business, discounts, frequent flyer status for loyalty. The people who interact with our cause because they get something that has less to do with achieving the mission than it does with inflating their standing.
These two groups run on parallel tracks when an organization is in growth mode. It is hard to distinguish super fans from super transactors. When the organizational lifecycle plateaus or a dips the interest of the two micro-tribes reveals itself. Super fans inquire what fuel we need to continue the journey. Super transactors fight to for the perks and benefits that came with their exchange of money for service.
Super fans and super transactors are powerful allies and critical to an enterprises success. Understanding their motives is essential if we choose to embrace and reward them. If we can only cultivate one tribe, super fans will endure longer than super transactors.
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
For my Friends at Serve Idaho. Thank you for the opportunity to share the journey.
Start With Why Presentation Slides
Hello!?
How do we encourage people to join our cause? Do we make it easy and convenient? Are we relying on the post card inserts found in magazines? When was the last time you filled out a subscription card (perhaps seventh grade and sent it to a friend’s address)? When was the last time a prospective new member submitted a letter saying they were interested in joining? When we opt in, we are giving permission to celebrate our action. As an organization we have the opportunity to strike up the welcome band and amplify our values.
When I purchase a guide, conference ticket, or enroll in a course designed by Chris Guillebeau, I receive an email like this:
Thank you so much. We are so excited that you are joining us at World Domination Summit. Everyone in the office is giving high-fives and cheering right now. We are rushing to the mailroom to send out your materials. Our day could not be better and we hope yours is equally remarkable…
How we great people, new to us or part of the the founding membership, matters. When I board a legacy airline I expect a fake ‘hello’ and move on quickly. We have entered into a transaction for service. When I engage with a cause that shares my belief, I offer my talents. How the insiders at the organization respond determines the depth and duration of the interaction.
What-if-concepts 