Resources

TOGA

In aviation terminology, TOGA refers to a Takeoff or Go-Around thrust setting (essentially the maximum power the engines can produce). It is used only when required since it puts more wear on the engines and creates a greater environmental impact. However, if the conditions dictate, such as a tailwind close to the maximum allowed for a specific aircraft type to achieve take-off, TOGA might be the mandated setting.

What events in your enterprise require TOGA? When are all the resources in your organization needed to achieve your objective? When has your cause used TOGA, but a lower level of exertion would have sufficed? Who and how do you decide?

* Informative video of a pilot describing the procedure for an Airbus A330neo.

History or Opportunity?

Encountering a section of barbed wire fence that is coiled and leaning on an old fence post creates a moment of reflection. Does this fence line represent an era that is coming to an end? Or is it an opportunity to repurpose the fence line and generate a new narrative? A finish line can also be a starting line.

I recently completed a site visit for a youth education group. The former tenants of the building ran programs for preschool children. In the expansive community room, preschool furniture worth tens of thousands of dollars was piled high. It reminded me of the scene in the government warehouse from the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. The preschool provider’s narrative is complete. The question now is whether somebody will start a new story by dispersing the preschool treasure to partner organizations. Will the provable fence line be revived or left dormant?

Special Tools

Ice climbing is best attempted with ice axes, crampons, harness, rope, ice screws, helmet, and appropriate clothing. Assembling the right gear can make a difference between a successful outing and an epic failure.

What special tools does your enterprise possess that amplify the impact of your work? What equipment are you missing that might elevate your work? What resources do you not even know you should be using? Who might help guide your equipment procurement process?

Balloon

We can imagine being kids and playing a game with an inflated balloon. We use our hands and other appendages to keep the balloon suspended and discourage it from falling to the floor. It is a joyful memory.

What if we took the balloon’s perspective, directed upwards at random intervals, and had our journey impacted by a whimsical outside force?

Some enterprises are encountering the sensation of the balloon. They are reacting to unpredictable inputs from external sources. Funders, granters, board members, peers, state and government policies, communities, and society’s priorities are shifting rapidly.

How are you keeping stable when the certainty of staying afloat is tenuous? How do you thrive when remaining in the game is the primary focus?

Managing Numbers or Leading People

When your priority is managing numbers, inputs on a spreadsheet are all that are required. If you lead people, you must prioritize a human-centered approach and balance resources. One is easy, but the results are not visible until the numbers equate to human action. The other is more challenging but builds trust and loyalty, which means people deliver more than the resources provided.

Your choice.

The Bucket
Melting snow for water during a yurt trip.

Social media post I encountered. “I completed the first thing on my bucket list…I got a bucket.”

The quip is positioned as a humorous post but embeds truth in its simplicity. Before launching our aspirational moonshot, how might we ensure we have the essential supplies and a basic foundation? If we continuously operate on a burning platform, trying to assemble the basics to stay in the game, perhaps a fully articulated marketing plan is not our next move.

Speculation

Tickets for Game 7 of the 2024 World Series are on sale. You can commit to an experience that has a low percentage of taking place with the Dodgers leading 3 games to zero already. How often do we speculate? What resources are we willing to commit to an event that is unlikely to take place? What does this tell us about our priorities?