Ben & Jerry’s Mission Statements
Not everyone knows your mission but you have permission to guide your guest’s experience by clarifying the intent.
Intention
Author: whatifconcepts
Boundary Line
Where do we encounter boundaries? Some are visible and others require prior knowledge to know where they exist. Organization’s have boundaries. We discover them when we attempt new ideas that will move the enterprise closer to the edge. No matter how much fuel and momentum we have for the journey inevitably a counter movement will try to stop the advance. Mapping boundaries is unpredictable an imprecise. One way to make them visible is to launch an initiative and see who and what joins the effort and where the forces that are running against you appear.
A few questions to consider: What wouldn’t we do as an organization? Why? What would the board that follows think about our current deliberations? If failure is a distinct possibility what is worth attempting anyway? Is this boundary sacred or intentional and when do we last discuss its merits? What if another enterprise makes remarkable progress on the frontier we are unwilling to enter? Would we reconsider if someone else goes first? Are we trying to be safer or better?
The Next Board
Stuck trying to resolve a challenging situation. Consider the board that will succeed the current board. What will they think? What questions will they ask? Who’s perspective might they seek? How would distance from the emotions surround the current situation advance their dialogue?
Chip & Dan Heath’s WRAP model presented in their book, Decisive has been a great resource for addressing big questions. I encourage groups to try it out on low-risk decisions before using it on a burning platform.
Which Lens?
What lens do you employ when you look out to the horizon? Our world view shapes the conversations we initiate and the stories we tell.
Wherever the Path Goes
Far easier to follow the established path and let it deliver us to the destination of its choice. Being oriented to a strategy reminds us when it is time to leave the path and head cross-country.
Keyhole
We do not always have to open a door, sometimes we just need to find a keyhole and allow ourselves passage into the next room. Some obstacles are far more daunting if we have to overcome them entirely. Crossing a mountain stream does not always require building an entire bridge or rerouting the stream. A couple well placed stones or a fallen tree allows us to move on with our journey, unyielding to an impediment that was not our primary purpose to solve. Make our pathway visible and others will follow.
Pioneer Stories
I stopped at a pioneer cemetery during a recent bike ride. It struck me that this cemetery was somehow worth getting off and examining. I have passed many traditional cemeteries without more than a sideways glance. The few dates and words on the tombstone provide the briefest encapsulation of an individual’s life. What makes a pioneer cemetery so remarkable to me is the story. Here are the remain of people who were living on the edge of civilization one hundred or more years ago. We continue to visit these sites and talk about their courage and struggles. In their journals we read how pioneers were often just trying to exist, not trying to make some larger social commentary by residing distal to larger population centers. Their attempts to thrive on the edge is what fills our conversations and imaginations.
Where are we being pioneers? What edge have we selected? What stories will outlive our work?
I Wish They Would Do That…
I overheard a conversation in which a business owner kept saying, “I wish they would do that for me.” The irony is that the community had done ‘that’ for this particular business in overwhelming ways. The owner had a tribe and an engaged following willing to spring into action. Yet the decree was that not everyone was performing random actss of kindness to benefit this business.
If we do not provide our tribe with a vision then they are going to ‘do that’ with other organizations that are embarking on remarkable adventures. If our campaign is visionary, our tribe will lend their time, touch, talent, and treasurer. If we hope for gifts to bestowed on us just because we exist our journey will rely on the good-will of an empathetic few.
‘I wish they would do that’ can be transformed to ‘we did that’ if we are bold enough to work towards the edges. If we are willing to explore uneven ground. If the journey was easy and profitable the for-profit sector would be ‘doing that’ and maximizing their return on investment. Our explorations will not be for everyone but those who choose to join the corps of discovery will be forever changed.
Your Customers Love You for Being Unique
If it is critical then make it visible. Posted guidelines and rules set you apart from other organizations. Ignoring enforcement leads to mediocrity and erodes trust. Be brave. State what you are seeking to deliver and build a tribe that shares this vision. Frustrating those who do not agree is acceptable but be generous in setting up people for success.
What is Off-Limits?
What is off-limits and cannot be discussed? What is too dangerous to mention? How do we decide where the boundary between safe and uncertain is drawn? Is it possible to give ourselves permission to review the list of unmentionables? If we are not willing to shine a light into dark corners then how can we expect to make the discoveries our vision statements proclaim?
What-if-concepts 