Utilities laid out within a coherent system make sense. We want items fundamental to our operations to be accessible, functional, and safe. Generative ideas are not created or built upon in the same mindset. We might need to get ourselves lost in the wilderness before understanding the terrain we occupy. Discerning our work might guide us between a functional approach or inhabiting a liminal state of mind.
What information in your enterprise is technically available but not as accessible as possible? Annual reports, tax returns, state/federal filings documents, meeting notices might come to mind. How about the bread crumbs for future boards and staff about why and how decisions were made? How might we avoid creating a version of the game Clue by leaving things in places where others can find them?
Airlines do not have consistent rules for carrying-on bag size and weight restrictions (see the above photo for context). Passengers must do the research to determine if their carry-on bag qualifies for a specific airline. If the airline industry agreed on a universal standard, it would reduce passengers’ stress and align the baggage industry. A worldwide standard would allow for consistency at the scale of commercial airlines.
We need to decide where to offer customizations and where standardization is required. Customizations are frequently made for donors to social sector causes. Rules about naming, the timing of the gift, the way the contribution is credited, or a plethora of other details are up for discussion. How an organization’s annual report is filed with the Secretary of State contains minimal choices. Knowing what we are offering and its purpose might help us navigate our level of flexibility.
Checked in for a two-leg flight. Baggage fees for two bags total $100. Upgrading to First Class was $80 (total for both legs), which included two free checked bags. I suspect the pricing is generated by an algorithm (AI). There is limited demand for First Class, so the upgrade price remained low. Baggage fees are fixed and increase based on the number of checked bags.
What inconsistent messages does your enterprise communicate? Is it transactional (airline baggage fees), or is it subtle? Does your organization’s value proposition humor your members or create confusion in your community? Sometimes, our quirks are what give us depth and dimension. Other times, it keeps individuals from investing fully in our cause.
Some things primarily come in bunches. We can embrace this norm or work to customize our needs.
How might we decide when accepting the default mode is acceptable? How might we prioritize what would benefit from a customization effort?
When the best in the world are near your current location, do you gravitate towards their performance? Are you viewing to say, ‘I was there.’ As somebody who pursues the same craft, are you seeking insights on how to perform better? Do you show up to collect a memento from the event?
Understanding our motivation to prioritize our first steps.
Do you perform your craft for attention or the passion of the art you are creating? If we need attention, then we might wait until the crowd assembles. We might play regardless of whether an audience assembles if we are passionate about our craft.
What events are worth celebrating? Which celebrations can be customized by adding distinctive touches? Bringing a cowbell to a ski race is a borrowed ritual from Europe. Breaking out the super-sized cowbells for a FIS World Cup Finals elevates the celebration.
How might we have levels of celebration? Meeting a quarterly goal might not require the same response as honoring a retiring board member, which might not be the same as completing a generational capital campaign project.
A commercial airline commits numerous resources to selling as many seats as possible on every departing plane. A ski area is less fixated on the number of empty seats on the ski lift. Ski reports are more focused on selling tickets, passes, food, lessons, and other point-of-sale opportunities.
When we produce an event/program, do we measure its impact by the number of attendees or the depth of engagement of those who participate?
We might build a viable enterprise if we establish a solid foundation and frame our strategies with appropriate materials. We invest significant resources to occupy a distinct location. As an alternative, we can carry our basic necessities and be mobile.
How might we decide if our location defines our work or if our work defines the location?
What-if-concepts 