Our elevator pitch is not perfected, a common refrain from those advocating for a cause. Seth Godin reminds us that nobody ever bought anything in an elevator. However, a compelling story entices the listener to ride a few more floors. They have questions and advice. We do no close a deal in the elevator but we can start a conversation.
What does an authentic learning environment look like? One where an active experience informs the educational opportunity? The audience in this case are teachers who want to not only replicate the demonstration in their classrooms but they want to try it, now!
We rely frequently on guides. Some point arrows to keep us on track. Others help us navigate terrain where no trails exist. The bigger the unknown in an adventure the greater the likelihood we consult local experts for specific insights. Locating baggage claim after disembarking at an airport does not typically require lots of guidance. Finding a guide uniquely positioned to offer an insiders perspective of these remarkable places requires a more highly individualized talent:
Strahov Monastery library in Prague
Uluru, Northern Territory Australia
Cinque Terre, Italy
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Frequently the tactic for assessing an opportunity or a junction in the trail stops after the fine print has been read. Occasionally the deliberations includes the strategic implications of the initiative. To which destination might this path lead? However, those who think and act differently ask, ‘what if?’ What else could this opportunity represent? All three lenses are essential to making great decisions, unless you are just trying to start a fire.
Money is like an energy bar. It can be critical fuel to launch extraordinary efforts or leave us complacent and sedentary. The more one has the greater scale of the next adventure.
Those who have the most, can either protect the status quo or invest in bold quests. They can use money as firewalls or fuel. When we conceive an idea and it takes form we are willing to throw everything into it, all necessary capital and time. As the concept grows and fear of failure becomes more focused on the economic impact than our reputation headwinds increase. Consider Apple, they believe in thinking differently and challenging the status quo. Challenging the status quo is a far easier belief when Apple possessed but a toehold in the marketplace. When Apple became the market and set a new due north it requires challenging themselves. Being willing to invest in new ways of thinking that cut across large swaths of the current product line demands a lot of fuel and conviction (because that is what they did when they were the upstart).
Is your enterprise using money to build firewalls or to fuel your next bold exploration? How would those on the outside of your tribe define how you leverage success? What beliefs keeps you oriented to magnetic north?
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers. Thomas Pynchon
What stories are you waiting to tell? Which stories are you hoping to embark upon? Consider telling one story and staring a new one today.
A story highlighting the power of soldiers marching in-step caught my attention. As it turns out some soldiers are requested to ‘break step’ when marching over bridges. The genesis for this protocol can be traced back to an incident in 1826 where a British platoon marching in-step created sufficient vibrational resonance to structurally damage the Broughton Suspension Bridge. The incident has been repeated by the military foot soldiers of other nations.
It is a colorful example of the impact a small but well coordinated group can achieve. When we are connected to a common purpose and headed in the same direction, we do not need everyone to make ourselves more powerful. We need those who share a vision of a better future and are willing to coordinate their actions. Who is marching with you?
The impact of our actions is not always visible. The opportunity to recline your airline seat may appears to be a generous benefit that may in turn have unintended consequences. Even if we choose to use the full range of the seats extension, how we recline sends a powerful message. The slam back without warning suggests the person in seat in front has little thought about what may lay behind. The person who assess their options with at least a visual scan has already demonstrated a courtesy and empathy to a shared journey in a spatially challenged environement.
How do we assess our impact? Is there someone to provide feedback on our blind spots? Do we realize it is not only why we act but how we execute our actions that matters?
What-if-concepts 
