mindset

Exposing Our Critical Infrastructure

Making the inner workings of our organizational visible might be more revealing than professionally polished inspiration. As a former fire fighter, almost everyone who peeked into the fire department’s open bay doors was glad to be offered a tour. Their curiosity to see the fire engines, ambulances, emergency response equipment, and fire fighters in person enhanced their appreciation for the responsibility of the fire service.

How might we provide behind the scene tours that provide greater depth and dimension to our work. How might we engage our community with an authentic show-and-tell moment?

Measuring Productivity to Inspire?

First, try this productivity exercise posted by the New York Times.

What is your reaction to this monitoring system? Does it inspire? Does it connect you to the work? Does it provide motivation and accountability? Is there a hybrid version you would prefer? Is it relevant? Does it empower and build trust?

I am curious where platforms like this will land in the social sector workplace?

Time vs. Energy Management

What if we thought of planning as a calculation of energy management? What if we deprioritized the role of time in our planning efforts? What if we were more honest about where to focus our energy instead of what schedule we might reverse-engineer on a calendar?

We might assume the forest fire can be extinguished in 24 hours, but external factors may change the reality; a significant weather event, the inability to secure needed resources, or a more pressing fire closer to a town changes the energy we invest in fighting the current fire. There is a scenario where the first winter snowstorm ultimately extinguishes the fire. The ‘let nature take care of it’ option usually does not appear on the first draft of our timeline.

Secondary Issues

When I trail run with my wonder dog, we occasionally encounter thunder and lightning storms, such as the one building in the background of the above photo. The storm arrived twenty minutes after this picture as we began our descent back towards the trailhead. My mountain canine is not a fan of thunder, and her allegiance to me is quickly tested when it rumbles across the mountains. She considers her option of heading directly back to the car, leaving me to navigate on my own. She always stays close, but I can see the panic in her thought process. No matter my words of assurance, she is fixated on the noise. I, however, spend time evaluating the proximity of the lightning. I am well aware that lightning is the primary threat to our well-being. When we stopped in a dense section of forest to allow the lightning to move out of our location, my running companion thinks it is a poor choice because the noise is still audible.

How might we confirm that we are focused on the right challenges and opportunities? The loudest noise might not be the best area for our focus.

Forgotten

When we rush to get on the trail, we can forget key items. Perhaps the Hudson Bay Company (17th and 18th Century version) can serve as a model. In their fur trapping days, the expedition party would camp about a mile from the fort on the first night of their journey. The idea was that they would quickly discover which items they might have forgotten and then return to the fort without too much delay. How might we use a reasonably paced start to ensure we bring everyone and everything essential to our success?