When my son confronts a problem he does not want to tackle in real time, he says, ‘That is a future me problem.’ Future Me gets assigned some of the most demanding and daunting items. What if we made a list of the future me problems? How many would become part of your enterprise’s strategic framework? It is painless to leverage the most important to the future while addressing the most urgent in the moment.
What stories were handed down that supported your work/service at your cause? Which narratives limit your effectiveness?
Multiple new board members have joined a cause and stated they would take the first three or four meetings to get oriented and up to speed before adding their wisdom. How has this mindset impacted the organization? What does this say about the orientation process? What vital contributions are lost during this acclimatization phase?
How has service on boards with a give-or-get policy (raise or personal donate x number of dollars) impacted the team’s mindset? If your primary focus stays on achieving your quota, what opportunities are missed? What is gained? Budgeting contributed income is easier if everyone is responsible for a percentage. The policy might eliminate potential board members who do not have financial resources or access to networks with wealth.
Designating appropriate resources, such as salary for staff, technology investments, and taking a political stand are considered inappropriate in some social sector factions. What stories do you encounter when explain why your enterprise invests so much/so little in staff compensations. What barriers/opportunities are evident when upgrading software? When was the last time your cause met with local legislators to share your legislative agenda? If we see compensation, resource investments, and lobbying as inappropriate for the sector, then what does that say about our help wanted sign? What does that suggest about how committed we are to reach our vision?
Stories may retain essential clues to how we prioritize our approach. How might we pay attention to which ones get the spotlight within our organization?
We tend to make an impact when we commit to repeated actions. Take a drip line from an overhang; the constant recurrence of water droplets falling onto cement leaves a dent. It is convenient to believe that we are doing the work that matters, but our actions may be inconsistent or applied to the surface that does not benefit from our emphasis.
How might we ensure our work has the planned results?
Are you more enthusiastic about the route or the horizon line? Does the idea of travel or the destination resonate more? If you could time travel to the journey in progress or the arrival back home, which would you select? Knowing our preferences influences our mindset. Our mindset prioritizes which aspect of the adventure we deem most important. All of these aspects will allow us to put our signature on the way forward.
What are you building? Do you have plans, or is it more of an organic growth situation? How do you keep your fans apprised of your progress? When do you bring them into the conversation, at the inception of the idea, the grand opening, or somewhere in between?
How might our building project enhance our relationship with the community? How might we position and activate it so that the neighbors embrace the noise and disruption since they understand the impact of the final product?
When do you persist, and when do you seek another path? Do you rely on instinct, metrics, feedback, emotions, and past experience? What drives your decision-making? How might it vary from moment to moment? What external factors impact your judgments? How much priority do you give your instinct when captured in a liminal moment?
Your best tool left behind, no matter how integral, is valueless. Checklists matter and might change the outcome of your work. Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto provides powerful insights into developing a culture that thrives under an agreed-upon protocol.
When I was in my teens, I participated in a 30-day mountaineering course. While rock climbing a peak in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, I got off the selected route and reached a pitch that required more proficiency than I possessed. I spent fifteen minutes communicating (shouting loud enough to be heard) with the instructor, who was on a ledge above me but could not see what obstacle I had encountered. Eventually, I down-climbed 100 feet before I rejoined the primary route and could start ascending. I had all the required tools, harness, helmet, carabiners, climbing shoes, a well-established route, and the safety of a belayed line. I lacked an understanding of how to identify the chosen route when multiple options appeared.
We can possess all the necessary tools but still need the ability to deploy them correctly and make real-time decisions. Going into the backcountry with an individual who owns the newest gear but has limited experience does not guarantee success. Understanding which equipment to deploy and relying on wayfinding skills are both important. How might we value both abilities in our own enterprises?
If we are trying to compose a story, pre-defining key plot points allows us to work the narrative toward these waypoints. We may not know all the details, but we have coordinates as our orientation points. What plot points have you selected to drive your next chapters?
When we leave our ideas, fitness, mindset, or environment unattended, other forces take priority. Sometimes, an unattended period allows for the answer to reveal itself or a new perspective to present. Other times, our prior work is overgrown by new forces with another purpose.
What-if-concepts 