http://aspirecq.com/?p=57
It was slick, built for speed, a closer inspection revealed the Monaro inspiration in the design. The Premier, Mayor and dignitaries tightly grouped together for the media photo. With a large pair of scissors the Premier cut the ceremonial ribbon to signify the bullet train service between Rockhampton and Gladstone was ready for passengers. The aspiration was finally a reality.
I’ve generally used this column to highlight aspirations that I believe will help make Central Queensland a vibrant dynamic region, even after the resource boom ends. A kind of forecasting what the future could be like. However this alone is not enough to stimulate action to make an aspiration a reality. In some cases this column has stimulated some talk, but no tangible results. Instead of just forecasting some backcasting is needed to help achieve these aspirations. With words I’ve painted a picture and described a need for aspirations like a bullet train, a webisode series for Mt. Morgan, a wave pool for the Yeppoon foreshore, even a home for 4 Gladstone children to live in. With a goal in mind one needs to work backwards to identify what needs to be done to achieve it – backcasting.
This week I attended a meeting and heard how a million dollar donation was secured from a single donor. How it was achieved was from a lot of good planning, preparation and having faith in the six degrees of separation notion. The idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person. Knowing someone, who knows someone etc that ends up with contact made with a person who can help realise the goal/aspiration.
Reaching the desired decision maker is only part of it, making the best of the contact is also vital. As a former supervisor told me there’s no such thing as good luck: fortunate moments occur when good preparation meets opportunity.
So how can backcasting be used to achieve an aspiration? Identify who are the people needed to be convinced to make a favourable decision on the aspiration. Politicians maybe one, but who puts all the requests for support on their desk and decides which one is on top of the pile. What bureaucrats produce the reports for the politician’s considerations? Once identified, determine who knows someone that may know someone who knows the targets. What is your pitch, when you make the opportunity to meet them? Be prepared with the facts, figures, costings, benefits, leverage opportunities, petition of support, a plan B if a compromise is necessary, a hard copy to give, etc. Have a follow up strategy planned and implement it. Sure it’s not going to be an easy process, but it will probably be more effective than just writing a column in the daily paper about it.
If anyone would like to help me use backcasting to help achieve some or all of the aspirations mentioned above I would appreciate you contacting me. Especially the urgent one of finding a home for 4 Gladstone children by May.
It may just involve talking to the person beside you on the next plane flight as the speaker at the meeting illustrated. Introductions revealed the person beside the speaker owned a business and after listening to the speakers pitch the business owner offered to hold regular fund raising BBQ’s at his workplace to raise funds for the charity the speaker represented. The speaker thanked him for his offer, but also politely asked if he write a letter of introduction to his major clients and suppliers. The six degrees of separation process of reaching another million dollar donor had started again.