A board chair welcomed new board members to an organization by asking them what they wanted to achieve during their four year term.  He would listen and then add their goal to a matrix that summarized all the other board member’s outcomes.  Next to each board member’s name was a countdown timer that listed years, months, days, and hours.  The timer reflected the amount of time left on each board member’s term.  It was an active document that he would display on a screen at the start of each board meeting.  It brought immediate focus with a certain deadline.

What outcomes would you be willing to put on a countdown timer?