Innovative Concepts

Top 10

What makes a top 10 list engaging? Is it the inherent tension built into any ranking that contains a subjective component? Is it the probablity that people will debate the ranking and advocate for those ranked inappropriately or left off? Is it the direct accessibility of a list everyone has thoughts about?

It is a fun exercise to administer for a group.

Sample ‘Top 10’ prompts include: attributes of a good teammate, US States/or/countries you wish to visit, things to avoid during the winter holiday season, mythical beasts, things people should know about our organization, months of the year, things people get wrong, skills to learn in life, best philanthropic investments.

Here are a bunch more.

Algorithm and AI

Currently, on a book tour, David Sedaris has a great line in one of his pieces about how Instagram’s algorithm knows he wants to see a video of a Komono Dragon eating a live goat. The absurdity of the subject matter and the likelihood that such a video exists creates humor and repulsion.

NPR’s All Things Considered broadcast a story about AI generating the first result in a Google search. Using their proprietorial platform Overview, the search giant has allegedly suggested ingesting rocks for nutrition and putting glue on pizza to keep the cheese from sliding off.

These models are unsteady, like a horse struggling to reach its feet after napping in the sun. They require a lot of power and input from outside data sources to create better results. The more we excel at our exceptional work, the higher the likelihood that algorithms and AI benefit from our creation. But they will always be working on a probability scale. Their suggestions and forecasts will be models. We possess the ability to fill the liminal space between real-time and strategic priorities. While the models might focus on ways to get a napping horse to stand, we can consider the choices we will make on this particular horse, using a specific bridle, while out on our favorite trail just beyond the barn’s fence line.

Moguls

Mogul runs start out as relatively smooth patches of snow. Either the run is groomed or early-season snowfall creates an unbroken blanket of coverage. As skiers and boarders descend, the snow piles into clumps, and moguls are formed by the shape of each turn and augment the terrain below the snowpack. Some ski runs are designated as mogul runs and develop unique characteristics throughout the ski season.

When we think about the terrain in which we operate, we are often responding to the influences of those who travel before us. We might believe we are creating an original line, but like a mogul field, our options for where we turn are influenced by our predecessors. We are probably not the first to have traveled on this route but we can descend with our signature style.

Display

Shopping in an outdoor store and I encountered a display for travel luggage. Talking with a team member, the cutout portion from an actual commercial aircraft was delivered to the store, complete with cigarette butts in the ashtrays and oxygen masks still stored in their overhead panels. In my experience, it is not common to encounter the fuselage of an aircraft in a retail environment. The display was remarkable for the story of its acquisition, transport, and installation. If I had been shopping for travel luggage it might have been appealing but instead, the display might be overshadowing the product.

How might we calibrate our displays to amplify our products (or services)? What happens when the display framework takes more commitment to produce than the design of the product? When we assemble a fantastically designed strategic plan, annual report, or capital campaign brochure but the content does not reverberate, we get credit for thoughtful marketing but the depth of our work is forsaken.

Not Just One Thing

Notice, that if you endeavor to do one thing, it typically includes several other things. Submit a proposal for a prospective consulting engagement, the client list needs an update, tentative dates require entry to the calendar, and sample work from previous engagements are potential side quests.

Rarely does one thing equal one thing. Are you prepared for the journey?

Idea or Reality

Are you making choices based on an idea or reality? If a snowstorm is forecasted, do you amend your plans in anticipation of the storm’s impact, or do you wait until there is sufficient accumulation to hinder your progress? If you take precautions and the total snowfall is minimal, the journey could have continued, and being off-trail feels unnecessary. If you press on and the snowfall is significant you might find yourself trapped at high elevation with few options for safe retreat.

How do you assess an idea versus reality? How much priority do you assign to one over the other?

Transition

What is the mental transition that we make when counting sequential numbers? For example, what is the tipping point that moves us from the number ‘3’ to the number ‘4’. It represents something more than cognition as if a physical permutation is required. The liminal moment when we are no longer on ‘3’ but have not locked in on ‘4’ is micro-seconds but it exists. Have you paused to consider this subtle shift?

What might our numerical counting experience teach us about transitions? How might we recognize that something as simple as moving through sequential numbers can provide hints about how more significant transitions might reverberate.