Navigating relies on our ability to piece together clues and landmarks. A well-placed symbol might set us up for success in a country where the language is unfamiliar.
How might we use language and symbols to help our fans navigate? How might our websites, social media, publications, events, and programs clarify where to find us? When we create unintended barriers to entry, we start encounters with frustration and confusion.
Warren Buffet suggested that he avoids trying to make a good deal with a bad person. A flawed individual might flourish by testing every exception within the legal instrument, even if the contract is superbly crafted.
Expanding on this notion, perhaps our enterprise should avoid adding people to the board or team if they possess a history of immoral activity and lack any sense of collegiality. Too often, an organization overlooks historical patterns to attain a single talent (money, network, influence, connections). How might we find at least three key attributes of a potential candidate before nominating them to our cause?
What qualifies as a big announcement? How remarkable of a statement qualifies? How might we build authenticity and trust with our notifications? How might we avoid the propensity to be shouting all our messages?
Transactional human connections might be defined as associations, alliances, tie-ups, interconnections, and links. We earn trust through authentic interactions to define our connection as a relationship. What defines a meaningful relationship to you? How do you add depth and dimension to a treasured relationship? How disconnected are you willing to stretch from someone you trust before the relationship has been repaired or fractured? Is your limit more or less dynamic than a similar journey with an associate or alliance member?
How might we recognize that we earn relationships? How might we acknowledge that we have limited bandwidth and cannot foster limitless relationships? What steps have others taken to merit their relationships with you? What super powers do you bring to a relationship?
In my early teen years, my parents owned a buckskin quarter horse (named Buck) who had lived a traumatic life before arriving at our barn. He had been starved one winter, receiving too little hay to survive. In response, he ate his hay from the ground by standing over it and working backward, prepared to kick any horse who came up behind him. He propelled to a gallop the moment one put a foot in the stirrup, a neat trick for a cowboy who wanted to make a fancy exit but not ideal for recreational horsemen. He had frequently been caught by a cowboy who threw a lariat to capture him from a herd of running horses. In turn, we built a small side corral to trap Buck for our rides and slowly haltered him, despite his constant threats of bolting. We had a mental list that was referred to as the ‘Rules of Buck.’ Every month or so we added a new entry. For example, while on a trail ride, my Dad attempted to put on a raincoat when the weather turned. Buck bolted and only settled when the slicker was dropped. We later learned Buck had been used at hunting camp to pack out harvested and quartered elk, which were secured to him on a pack saddle and covered with a tarp that resembled a raincoat. The joys of riding Buck outweighted the numerous rules but he required empathy and a compassioante approach.
We are all a bit like Buck. Past events inform our current mindset and perspective. What rules have helped you succeed, and which do individuals unknowingly violate? Where has empathy and compassion allowed you to progress in arenas that might have been unimaginable in a just proceed forward approach?
What is the difference between receiving a cold call versus a referral? When a potential client calls stating that I was recommended by another organization (or individual), suddenly, we develop a triangle. There is the cause seeking professional services, my work as a consultant, and the third party who has encountered my talents somewhere prior. By having three fixed points, it is easier to develop and nurture a connection. When I receive a cold call and a request for a proposal, the decision on who to engage for the work is often based on price or other lesser considerations.
What is the third fixed point that elevates your work/engagement with others? As a social sector organization seeking contributions, a known donor asking another potential donor to engage is often far more successful than a random solicitation. When seeking a new board member, even a previous board member with connections to a candidate may be the best initiator of a conversation. Triangles allow us more flexibility and provide more latitude, even if we stumble during our first encounter.
Trail names are popular among thru and ultra hikers, a chance to assume a new identity or have a nickname bestowed on you by other hikers based on a personal characteristic. I met numerous hikers on the Colorado Trail last summer, and most I knew only by their trail name. These nicknames worked seamlessly in the wilderness but might need some explanation if shouted out in the middle of an airport terminal. A confluence point for all of us was that we shared a purpose and journey. Even an in-camp conversation with a hiker headed in the other direction provided a chance to exchange names, even though we would continuously move in opposite directions for the foreseeable future.
We bestow the equivalent of trail names on professional colleagues. Some nicknames are advanced affectionately, some have no known origin story, some represent a person’s flaws, and some names are self-appointed. They reflect a sense of connection and shared journey.
One of the ways to determine who is in your clan is to see who you know by nickname or title. We might be uncertain about how far our influence reaches. Those we know by nickname might be a good delineation. And if we should know somebody better, sharing our trail name might help find a point of connection.
“This is a courtesy call to remind you that your membership is expiring.”
Is the purpose of a courtesy call for the member’s benefit or for the organization? Is the intent to maintain a financial relationship or to engage community? What would it feel like if the courtesy call was a personal call. A chance to connect and have a conversation. What if we knew our members so well that the last thing we mentioned on a call was their expiring membership?
We attributed human traits to a robot and Wookiee. How might we build connections with those that are feel alien to us?
We know not when we are going to ‘have a moment.’ An unexpected encounter. A surge in demand for our services. Being in the spotlight, facing an exponentially larger audience. The tailwind of a lifetime to push us towards a personal record.
If we are uncertain of where we stand and our desired destination, we will not adapt quickly enough to meet the moment. The forces will outrun us, and we will be swept by the current of the audiences’ intention.
However, if we state what we believe, remain authentic, then we are assured of developing connections built on trust and a shared vision. The moment of first contact starts with a sustainable foundation.
What-if-concepts 