Work that Matters

Disoriented Precision

From a blinding snowstorm to a precision landing. Just because the real-time environment creates uncertainty does not mean the journey should be abandoned. A disappointing event, a missed donation, a strategic uncertainty, a departing staff member, or a change in membership does not mean that a dip is a permanent descent. How might we keep perspective, even when outside influences contribute to feelings of doubt?

Boost or Hold Up?

Is it easier to give a boost to an individual who has fallen behind or hold up the team’s progress to regroup? Context matters. A cross-country running team that is scored based on the top five individual scores is better off seeking a personal best for each individual and hoping their fight and sixth and members push each other, driven by competition and the thought of not letting the rest of the team down. A cycling team can place its weakest performing member in the ideal location to benefit from the drafting effect. The team may still need to ease off the power when the drafting impact is less.

As year-end giving virtual appeals appear in our email inbox, I notice a trend. Some organizations are asking for a boost to catch up with the need that is ever-expanding. Others are requesting assistance to provide services that keep the group together. Some causes are boost-focused, while others focus on not allowing a gap to form.

What mindset is most compelling to your work?

Utopia and Vision Statements

Vision statements resonate when they present a picture of a better tomorrow, a problem solved, a better way, more opportunity, greater access, and/or removing barriers. It is harder to get inspired when vision statements are bland or redundant (e.g., make the world a better place). They can be simple. Achieving the vision might cause your enterprise to consider a new line of work. If oncologists share a vision to cure cancer, reaching this milestone means that a new line of inquiry or one big celebration party and disbanding is needed.

How might your vision identify the headwaters of your journey? How might it inspire with sufficient clarity about the work that matters?

Changing Course

I was out for a morning run in Wyoming. It was rainy and low clouds hung in the valley. I decided to deviate from the main gravel road to a 4×4 track that led into the hills. After four strides on the muddy surface, I noticed animal prints. Quickly I assessed it was a grizzly bear, the claw marks at the top being the most evident. I decided I did not need to run into the woods, charging up behind a grizzly that was out for a morning forage. So I changed directions.


Further out the main gravel road, I encountered a bull elk standing on a high point just off the road. He eyed me as I progressed towards his elevated position. The elk turned and faced me, still a reasonable distance away. After a loud haunting bugle, he started trotting in my direction. I quickly recognized that I was a threat and decided to change directions again. I ceased the unintended battle for the high ground without thought and retraced my steps.


We do not always know what we will encounter on our adventures, and we can possess enough clarity about the work that matters to decide when to proceed and when to find another path. Changing directions is not defeat; it is the reality of navigating, and it does not always take bear tracks and aggressive elk to shape our new path.

The Work That Matters

If given ten seconds, could you articulate the work that matters for your cause? Would you use your mission statement, vision for the future, core beliefs, purpose statement, best story, or some hybrid? Is it accessible to those who ask why you do what you do?

Apple and Steve Jobs talked about making a dent in the universe. Most of the products and services that followed changed the paradigm of how we communicate and connect. Dent made (for better or worse).

What is your dent in the universe?

The Visible Unfinished Product

Making a finished product visible is a challenge for any work in progress. It might be easier with a brick-and-mortar project versus creating something entirely new. If we can attach an anchor point, others can join us on the belay ledge and watch us try to solve the next pitch as we climb upwards. If we leave our audience too far below or out of sight, our progress is anecdotal, and it is harder to sustain momentum. How might we bring our fans along on the journey? How might we offer a glimpse into what we are creating and how it will allow us to make a difference?