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Footprints

What message do our footprints represent? Are we setting a path for others to follow? Do we intend to seek sanctuary and obscure our tracks? Might we follow the crowd and tread on historically worn trails? Is it possible to inspire those who follow?

It is easy to think of our footprints as follow-through. The activity has been completed, and we do not witness our tracks unless we commit to pivoting to observe our path. It is usually in difficult terrain that we might commit to a review of the terrain we have previously traveled. The propensity of time, our focus is only forward?

When do you consider the topography already covered? What is the lasting impact of your completed work?

Unfinished Business

My board term is concluding, and there is an opportunity for contemplation. What was completed, what was learned, what was overlooked, and what was left unfinished? Surprisingly, the unfinished business has my attention. Did we keep the organization in flight and positioned to fulfill its mission, or did we lose track of the navigation and propulsion resources?

There will be unfinished business; the question is, is it the work that matters or a list of emergency repairs?

What Would You Order?

If you were given a chance to make a wish list order on behalf of a cause you support, what would you order?

Now, look at the organization’s strategic plan. Is there an overlap, or do your dream orders and the organization’s strategic priorities travel opposite directions?

This is a memorable icebreaker at the start of a board and staff meeting. It quickly assesses whether the strategic framework is a living document or a list of ungrounded ideas that float like a dirigible, circling the air space above without delivering the cargo.

Baggage Claim

When you build infrastructure and offices to deal with misplaced items, there is an understanding that the system has cracks. Commercial airlines staff baggage claim desks where one can report lost or damaged items. It is an assumption that checking a bag with an airline does not guarantee it will arrive at its final destination or drop onto the carousel in the same condition as it started the journey. The aviation industry has prepared us for acceptable loss.

What disruptions and loss have we built into our enterprises? What disappointments are our customers trained to endure?

Idyllic and Purpose

If you were asked to represent your cause’s utopian state and frame the representation, what image comes to mind? For some enterprises, it is an iconic headquarters building; others aspire to a level of impact, another group may highlight the people committed to the cause, and some might capture a signature program. Perhaps ask yourself if you can see yourself in the image. If we see a confluence point, we are doing the work that matters. If we cannot see ourselves in the projection of the future, our attempt to be of service may be misaligned.