Innovative Concepts

Fuel for the Journey

The impact is muted if I eat all my energy bars and drink all my sports drinks in the first half-hour of a six-hour bike ride. If I wait until the final half-hour to consume all my nutrition, the fuel arrives too late to produce a substantive difference. However, the result is much greater if I plan to eat one bar and drink one bottle each hour throughout the ride. A nutrition strategy for my journey allows for a more consistent and sustained effort.

How might we apply this strategy to our own work? How do we ensure we have fuel for our journey delivered at the right intervals?

Energy

How does your energy vary between arrival and departure from a destination? A sense of place is a major influence, home versus new location. Do we arrive with anticipation and depart with satisfaction? Are we descending into anxiety and ascending with relief?

What emotions are we trying to elicit when we join a cause, and what do we hope to feel as we move on to the next enterprise?

Use the Difficulty

Michael Cane was mentored to use the ‘difficulty’ that presented itself as an opportunity. In an interview, he suggested that an unplanned obstacle can fortify the storyline.

We know some efforts are destined to fail over time. But the struggle of keeping them in the scene for as long as possible creates the tension, attention, and struggle that compels others to follow the journey.

How are you using unplanned difficulties to enhance your efforts?

Awww vs Facts

Sometimes, art touches us in a way that a coherent case based on the best facts does not. There are occasions when a well-placed design does more than any paragraph might. I am not sure I found the right Polar Bar when doing a quick internet search, but their design makes me curious to learn more. How might we embrace the aesthetics embedded in our purpose?

Contract Riders

Musicians pay for the special requests made by riders in their contracts. Many might have read about outlandish requests submitted to local concert venues. A rider’s purpose in a contract is to modify or add more information. If it is non-negotiable to have a three-legged Bengal Tiger in your dressing room to perform, then the rider captures that information.

What would your cause be willing to pay for from its resources to be more effective? What instruments, amenities, and upgrades might make you immensely more productive? How might your list change if the list was the production team’s responsibility to purchase? There are the ‘nice to have’ and ‘essential’ lists.

One of my epiphanies while thru-hiking was several items that I thought were essential for a multi-week backpack. A few pieces of equipment were sent home after a week because the return on investment of carrying them versus the value provided was not high enough. Had an outside agency been transporting the items, I might have kept them in the gear bag.

What must be in your backpack? What do you pack if somebody else helps you carry the load?

Two Realities

For a few individuals, it is a misty morning. For others, it is sunny with ground fog below. Both are accurate representations generated by individuals occupying the same building.

How might we recognize that multiple realities are forged within the same space? We might report on what we see and benefit from what others notice. The collective is probably more accurate than a single viewpoint.