Uncategorized

Two Types of Hope

IMG_0185

There are two types of hope in my experience.  The first is the hope that good fortune comes to us as we wait patiently.  The second type is the hope that the storm breaks so our current expedition is not delayed.  One is passive and one is active.  Hope of winning the lottery has little to do with the application of our talents.  Hope that our deliberate and enduring efforts result in a positive outcome is active.  Our Theory of Change can easily be hijacked by passive hope.  Hope our enterprise turns into an unicorn and results in an IPO, hope we receive an unanticipated bequest, hope that the newest class of board members is energized beyond measure, or hope that a positive profile of our cause appears on the front page of the paper.  There is little those who support us can do to add fuel to our journey when we are passive.  However, when we are headed somewhere remarkable there are all sorts of opportunities to clear the path.  Our tribe can assemble their resources to provide aid and support, even if the horizon is only visible through sporadic glimpses among the trees.

What version of hope are you relying on?

Right Moment

IMG_0624An inexpensive telescope sits in the corner of a room in our house.  It rarely gets noticed.  Last night during the Super Moon Lunar Eclipse the telescope was the best instrument we had to witness a celestial event of magnitude.  The telescope rewarded us with real-time remarkable views as the events unfolded in the skies above.  The value of the telescope increased multiple fold because of its deployment at a significant moment.

Sometimes the most remarkable thing we can do is be available at critical moments.  To offer service and create value when there is a need.  Our engagement is forever linked with service during moments when our super powers shine.

BSU Resources

IMG_0064I was provided the great pleasure of spending time with students enrolled in Ann Heilman’s Boise State University Nonprofit Class.  It is always a rewarding opportunity to share insights and gain the group’s reflection and wisdom.  I created less than fully formed responses to their tremendous questions and promised more resources via this blog.

Highly Recommended Books:

  • Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
  • Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions by Chip and Dan Heath or Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Thaler and Sunstein
  • Linchpin or Tribes by Seth Godin

Generative Question List link

Facilitation Guide for presenting Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle

Joseph Campbell: Hero’s Journey

Landscape

IMG_0048Where we exist within our landscape changes how people perceive us.  Understanding our backdrop transforms the ability to build trust and authenticity.  An individual armed with a squeegee at a red light generates a different response than a community car wash which benefits a cause we care about.  One represents a transaction and the other is an invitation to merge narratives.  In what landscape do we each operate?

Shattered Glass

I have been running on a trail littered with shards of glass.  They are the remains from a bottle broken in the area earlier this summer.  I have picked-up numerous pieces but broken parts continue to surface, as if they are capable of rejuvenating ceaselessly.  They embed in my shoes, bike tires, and dog’s paws.  An act months ago continues to impact trail users.

What do we do that leaves equally enduring marks?  Words of praise.  Highlighting the dedicated efforts of peers.  Celebrating successes.  Making positive personal recommendations.  Shaming others into compliance.  Withholding vital information.  Speaking poorly of others without given them a chance to address the situation.

We are uniquely positioned each day to define a moment with the generosity of painter Charles Russell’s use of light or break a bottle in the trail and watch its pieces obstruct the progress of others.

Asking for Help

We can ask for people to help us in a many ways.

Seeking help

Help to overcome an obstacle

Emergency help

Nowhere to turn help

Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 7.41.40 AMInnovative help

Charitable help

How we ask for assistance will not resonate with everyone.  The human element is a critical component.  Our interaction has to add to both the giver and recipients stories.  We can be jaded at one request and moved deeply by another.  Not everyone is will respond.  Not every request is aligned with the values of others.  What if we stop trying to create the most influential campaign and instead worked on launching the most honest.  Sometimes we spend so much time on the message that we forget to ask others to join our journey.

Boundary Line

IMG_9762Where do we encounter boundaries?  Some are visible and others require prior knowledge to know where they exist.  Organization’s have boundaries.  We discover them when we attempt new ideas that will move the enterprise closer to the edge.  No matter how much fuel and momentum we have for the journey inevitably a counter movement will try to stop the advance.  Mapping boundaries is unpredictable an imprecise.  One way to make them visible is to launch an initiative and see who and what joins the effort and where the forces that are running against you appear.

A few questions to consider:  What wouldn’t we do as an organization?  Why?  What would the board that follows think about our current deliberations?  If failure is a distinct possibility what is worth attempting anyway?  Is this boundary sacred or intentional and when do we last discuss its merits?  What if another enterprise makes remarkable progress on the frontier we are unwilling to enter?  Would we reconsider if someone else goes first?  Are we trying to be safer or better?