Finding Purpose

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When I got in the Pilot yesterday, the outdoor temperature gauge in my car read 12 degrees in my garage. As I exited the garage and headed towards work at 5:15 am, I watched the outdoor temperature drop to 9 degrees, 3 degrees, - 3 degrees (is that someone out walking?!), -7 degrees, and finally settling in at -12 as I noticed another crazy Minnesotan out taking a walk.

So, why am I up and driving to work at 5:15 am on a dark -12 degree morning? Well, I had a short term purpose to get some time sensitive case paperwork out and read over 2 days (!) of unread messages. So beyond the short-term purpose, did I have a long-term purpose? I must have on because I am ok with what I am doing. 

So, what is my long-term purpose you ask? You can ask it, I did. I have one, I just need a little bit of help framing and articulating it. And to do so, I am turning to the Career Encourager. The Career Encourager has some thoughts on purpose here and here that are well worth reviewing and considering. I hope you do, I know I will.

In case you are wondering, it was a balmy 23 degrees this morning.

Permission To Reenter the Box

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Unstructured, abstract brainstorming is not my thing. I absolutely cannot do it well. I can't do it without taking the big broad question and breaking it down to a smaller components and then looking for one that I could relate to. In essence, I needed to find something to hitch my brainstorming star on to. I have often left brainstorming meetings feeling a bit, well, deficient.

So, when I read the recent issue of Harvard Business Review, December 2007 and came across the article, Breakthrough Thinking from Inside the Box, I wanted to stand up and shout, "YES!"  The authors articulate the problems inherent in wild, wide-open brainstorming sessions. They propose jumping back into the box and assert that breakthrough thinking occurs when the right questions are asked. Do you want to know how to best orchestrate a semi-structured brainstorming process that mirrors how people think? You can start by:

  • Bounding the range of acceptable ideas, then selecting and tailoring the questions accordingly;
  • Selecting participants who can produce original insights; and
  • Ensuring everyone is fully engaged.

Then you can click over to Harvard Business Review  and read the full article here (subscription not required).

Permission to reenter the box? Granted. I welcome the change.