When we construct items differently, they might engage us more than the real thing. What have you built from materials that are not typical?
Constructed Differently
mindset
What Angers You?
What raises your anger that it cannot be hidden? How does that define us?
Connecting Over History
Barbie: The Exhibition is currently on display at the London Design Museum. It is a retrospective of Barbie’s life from her invention in 1959 to the present day. One of the palpable parts of the experience is how many adults find themselves reliving their childhood as they walk between the galleries. Common refrains include,’ I had that Barbie, my friend had that outfit, we still have that Dream House.’ There is a combination of nostalgia and renaissance, aide by the return of Barbie to a greater social consciousness after the Barbie (2023) movie.
What history connects your fans with your enterprise. Is it a person, event, program, decision, structure, critical communication, disaster, or service? What focuses your fans on the events of the past?
Minding
Minding the obstacle may be a full-time or periodic process. How do we set people up for success when it is needed most?
How Important?
If you make everything “important,” it is challenging for the essential information to reach your target. As a listener, it takes a lot of energy to absorb too many communications that are all prioritized the same.
Onward!
"Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges -
"Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!" -Rudyard Kipling
What gets you seeking? What keeps your adventure going?
Iconic
Seeing a Coors can flattened in the dirt on the side of a 4-wheel dirt road is an iconic signature of the American West. It can easily be defined as trash and littering, but for some, it is confirmation that they exist in a location that represents their values. Coors has branded itself as coming from the heart of the Rocky Mountains; seeing a Coors can is evidence.
Not all iconic moments represent our best work. They do tend to rhyme with our values and beliefs.
Together or Separate
When we share a Magnetic North (purpose, vision, mission, and values), it is easier to decide on behalf of the group if we arrive at an intersection first. If we are unclear about our compass, we will likely wait for the group to assemble before proceeding. If we consider generative questions when our environment is stable, we get clarity on where the boundaries exist for our team. We can forerun future events if we deliberate about unique situations our peers encounter. A culture of curiosity allows us to focus on the work that matters and guides our reaction when we find ourselves lost in the wilderness.
We cannot always be together, call a meeting, or wait for an answer. Periodically, we must act for the whole. A sense of shared purpose and a calibrated compass enables us to navigate, even in unfamiliar terrain.
Colossal or Fly By Scale
Speed changes our sense of scale. Flying in a commercial aircraft over the landscape at 30,000 feet, we can take a peak out the window, then sip on a drink for fifteen minutes, and upon looking out the window again, the geography changes. However, shouldering a backpack and tugging on hiking boots, traversing the terrain becomes a colossal undertaking, perhaps taking weeks to cover.
How might we recognize that the speed at which we move changes the sense of scale? How might we account for the delta between a road trip on an interstate and a thru-hiker on the Continental Divide Trail? How might we understand the scale facing those that we serve?
Well-Being
I received a webinar invite focused on incorporating well-being into the corporate workplace. It made me realize that one of the social sector’s best attributes is prioritizing the well-being of those it serves, and that mindset reverberates in the workplace. There are numerous upgrades that social sector team members might yet experience, but the advantage of being attuned to the well-being of others is it sets the intention. A powerful platform from which to build a more dynamic ecosystem.
How might we match the level of empathy and care for those we serve in our workplace?
What-if-concepts 