Innovative Concepts

Relax
Do Not Enter

Want to make some room on your strategic plan?  Stop trying to get everybody to “like”, “friend”, donate, volunteer, or contribute to your cause.  You do not need everyone.  Most politicians require a majority to be elected but not everyone who votes.  They understand that not everyone believes what they believe.  Spend your time with those who share your purpose.  It will be far more rewarding and productive.  Imagine if you spent most of your time nurturing your tribe.  Who might the members invite to join you?  Who would they also know not to invite?

Which Meassage?
Castell de Montjuic

One of the reasons I am intrigued by the process of assisting enterprises and individuals define their purpose is that it provides a platform for consistent communication.  When we are uncertain of what we believe then it is common to communicate whatever feels right at the moment, which tends to be be more confusing to our customers than we realize.

Overwhelm
Park Güell

Visiting Park Güell in Barcelona today I hit a moment of overwhelm.  It came about not due to the inspirational architecture.  Nor the endless row of vendors trying to sell inexpensive sunglasses, jewelry, and water.  My sense of overwhelm developed due to the number of people.  From the moment we left the metro station to walk the twenty minutes towards the park we were passing or being passed by those coming or going towards this major attraction.  Once inside the park gates there were moments that I knew I was missing an extraordinary view but could only focus on finding a route through the sea of people climbing, descending, and standing on the main stair case.  Tourist swarmed next to the famous lizard/dragon statue (depending on which guidebook you read) waiting to take their picture with this landmark.  It was a free-for-all and one was lucky to get their picture with just two or three other strangers in the frame.  When we finally got into the higher reaches of the park and found more solitude and paths that took us into equally compelling designs and landscapes.  I found myself appreciating the moment far more with space to take-in the design and consider its context.

Park Güell

What is the right balance between number of people attending an event and their ability to appreciate the experience?  How do we find the blend between maximizing participation and maintaining a unique experience?  How many students fit in a learning environment?  How many patrons can reasonably fill an art gallery and view the artwork?  How many people can you stay connected with at a personal level without resorting to mass email and communication techniques?

Incentives

The Bicing rental bike program is a creative transportation resource for residents of Barcelona, Spain.  If you are a resident and pay an annual fee, you can pick-up one of the rental bikes for a half-hour without charge or if you wish to keep it longer you incur a modest surcharge.  One of the issues for the program is that the bikes are heavily used in the morning when residents ride from the upper part of the city down towards the city center or beach.  It is easy riding and the temperature is a bit cooler.  As the day progresses the bike racks near the business district and ocean fill-up.  In the evening, vans with trailers pick-up the bikes from the full and reposition them at the stations higher-up in the residential neighborhoods.  

This trend offers and interesting challenge.  How do you create incentives that encourages residents to ride the bikes back uphill to the residential stations?  Their is clearly a culture that supports the program but the pattern is not one that sustains itself.  What elements from gaming or credits could one develop to empower those who start doing the work that is essential for the program to be a complete?

It Is Still A Goal

Watched FC Barcelona play AC Milan last night from the curb outside an Irish pub in Spain.  Milan scored in the first minute and in the final minute of extra time to secure a 2-2 draw.  Even though the game was played primarily in front of Milan’s goal with numerous chances for the Barcelona forwards, the result will show a draw.  Even if you only make substantial progress at the very beginning and end of a project you may have done more than you realize.  Do not always fret the middle when you hit a plateau, you may just being setting-up a memorable finish.

Perception

“Language please?” the docent asks.
“Excuse me,” I reply
“Where are you from?” she inquires.
“United States,” I answer.
“Okay, here you go” the greeter send me on my way with an audio guide programed for my preference.  My daughter has managed to unintentionally reprogram her audio wand to Spanish each time we use one of the guides.  Her non native language comprehension is limited enough that the narrative is lost on her.

It reminds me how important it is to set-up our guests for success.  Are they being provided directions that they can understand?  Is the information relevant?  Do you ask for feedback after their visit?  Do you truly listen to their response?  Is there context for the information they receive?  Did you select the right language? 

Meet Up

Living abroad offers the opportunity for adventure every time we walk out the door.  Today’s discovery started off by joining a running group I found on Meetup.com.  I was welcomed immediately by the Ingmar, the group leader who offered options for Sunday’s run.  Feeling ambitious I agreed to meet at the early starting point and head out with Ingmar to  do a warm-up run to the official start.  In the hour of running to get to the group start he pointed to numerous sites and locations that might be of interest to me and my family.  We arrived at the official launching point for the run and about dozen runners were ready to head for the hills.  We climbed steeply to an amazing old railway trail that contoured the hillside and proceeded along, high enough to take in a constant view of the city and ocean and yet feel like we were a bit detached.  We ran in groups of two or three but waited at key intersections or the infrequent water fountains.  Runners turned around as the distance increased but not without announcing their intentions.  Eventually we climbed to the highest point where a number of runners opted to take the bus back to the city and a few of began the run back.  One runner knew of a shortcut and another offered advice on how we could intersect our intended route.  As we rolled into the final hour we shared what remaining food and water was in the group’s possession.  Finally we reached the group starting point and Ingmar and I began our final cruise back to the city center.  Almost 40 kilometers later I was back at our apartment.


I share this because it was the perfect road map of how a tribe works effectively.  When I headed out the door this morning, I knew little of where we were headed or how the day would play out.  After I returned, I had been welcomed by a number of individuals who shared the same passion.  We had covered amazing terrain and I was introduced to trails I might have never found on my own reconnaissance.  I finished feeling excited about the experience and ready to sign-up for more.  I even found one of the runners had uploaded pictures to the Meetup group page by the time I got back.


How do you welcome newcomers to your cause?  What is their initial experience?  What is the tribe’s culture?  Do members openly offer assistance to one another? What immediate follow-up can they expect?   Can the members of the tribe communicate with one another using your cause as a platform?  Do newcomers sign-up for more?