Be In The Mystery

To discover the stuff that defines an organization or community, we need to become sleuths in patient yet fervent pursuit of clues that will break the identity code. We can’t act like know-it-alls. We need to love the mystery.

The answer really is bigger than what we think. Our process looks like this:

• We identify a champion within the collective who will maintain momentum and open doors.
• We detach from what we think we know and ask very basic questions of ourselves and of our clients to dispel assumptions and expand our knowledge and understanding.
• We interview visionaries and innovators to shape the context for our discovery.
• We solicit the input of as many diverse stakeholders as possible.
• We watch where energy wells up in the form of passion.
• We conduct independent fact-finding research to corroborate other input.
• We break down the challenge at hand into its component parts and processes to gain an understanding of the system.
• We listen and look for subtle distinctions and originality.
• We observe and study, waiting to see what solutions and messages are revealed.
• We map out only the most important points in a reduced premise expressed in a written narrative or graphic schematic/model.

Next time you want to learn more about your community or organization, start by investigating your origins. Describe the circumstances under which your community or organization was formed. What was going on in the world at the time? What were the founders thinking or trying to achieve through their action? What were their personal and commercial motivations during that time? Does your organization excel in some role that correlates to its origins? 

Knowing your origins can provide valuable information about your predominant character traits and purpose. This knowledge can reveal what kind of role you can play to attain greater results going forward. This is valuable strategic information.