Expect the unexpected…just as Buckaroo Banzai did in the 1980s movie of the same name. Buckaroo and his merry band of cavaliers were ready to save the world from whatever came their way. They would embrace the context of each dimension much like you need to embrace these current conference programming trends. While these trends won’t help you overthrow a menacing alien dictator, they will help your participants stay in step with the every changing world around them. Take a look at them. … [Read more...]
Many Organizational Leaders Prefer Dysfunction
Your organization needs to change because it’s broken! Or is it? “There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization, because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it currently gets,” says Jeff Lawrence. The Illusion Of A Broken Organization? So is your organization broke? Or is it working just fine… Even though some of its stakeholders feel it is dysfunctional in some areas… Even though it faces some turbulent waters and potential danger just over … [Read more...]
Future Forward Thinking Cultures Lead To Extraordinary Results
This is part four of a series on being more future focused in our planning. See part one here, part two here and part three here. So how do we develop, foster and leverage future focused leadership? How do we encourage our committees, volunteers, staff and customers to laser focus on what’s next, what’s coming and co-creating a future together? It’s so hard to look ahead when we are often struggling with the past. Leaders need to look farther out than anyone else. Too often they have a … [Read more...]
Start Today By Stepping Into Your Future With Your Feet Firmly Planted In Reality
This is part three in a four part series on being more future focused in our planning. See part one here and part two here. Strategic foresight is a competency that all leaders need today! Yet rarely do we discuss it. Much less practice it for our future planning. And hardly ever do we foster organizational cultures of future forward thinking instead of lollygagging leadership. So how does a leader develop and refine this skill? What exactly is strategic foresight? And how can we use … [Read more...]
Foster Novelty And The Absurd as You Feed Your Brain’s Craving For Future Foresight
This is part two in a four part series. See part one here. Go ahead and admit it! If you are even a little like me, you have a curiosity for the future. I have always felt a fascination for what’s next more than a nostalgia for the past. Imagine my surprise to discover my brain is actually hardwired to foresee the future. According to neurobiologists Dr. William Calvin and Dr. David Ingvar, our drive to tell stories about our future is hardwired into our human brain. It is closely … [Read more...]
Future Focused Leadership Not Lollygagging Laggards
This is part one in a four part series on being more future focused in our planning. This illustration is part of the booklet How to Change the World. Many organization leaders take great comfort in rear view leadership. It feels safe. We know what to expect. (At least that’s what we tell ourselves and our team.) Our over optimistic belief that we can continue to do what we’ve always done is a crutch, at best. It gives us a false sense of security. Sometimes repeating the past works for … [Read more...]
Three Principles To Awaken Your Association Force Leadership
Have you seen the newest installment in the Star Wars saga: Episode VII “The Force Awakens?” I admit I’m something of a Star Wars fan. Just take a look at my Facebook page and you’ll see. One of the major themes in the Star Wars films is light versus dark, good versus evil. That same theme often runs through organizations. Light brings forth freedom and direction while darkness leads to restriction and a loss of vision. Understanding Your Association Enemies In the Star Wars franchise, … [Read more...]
You Choose: Bloated Painfully Slow Blimp Or Stealth Agile Fighter Jet
Recently I saw the Goodyear Blimp circling a major Dallas freeway. It bounced up and down with the intensity of a bobble-head-frenzy. Several times it plunged nose-first in a new direction. It was clunky and off target—at least it looked like it was astray. It was also painfully slow.Some association governance structures have bloated into blimps, frustrating everyone but the historians, legalists and nostaglists. Blimps In A World of Stealth Fighter Jets Some associations have outdated … [Read more...]
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