The view from above

A common expression for those of us who do strategic planning-a world of meetings and mind wrenching deliberation on philosophy and process- is to take "the 30,000-foot view" when setting a course. This is standard in the industry: even though we may get to more basic action planning that moves us from present to a future state, we are taught to start with the big picture. What's implied by this term is that at 30,000 feet we can  see further, better: we can project what's coming. That at 30,000 above ground level we have a more comprehensive, interconnected vista. We're somewhere between heaven
and earth and of course that's where vision lives.

All good stuff.

Today, flying home from Nicaragua, I can't wait to get to just 10,000 feet so that i can pull out my IPAD and play (you see at 10,000 Delta offers wireless internet). At 7000 feet its beautiful looking down. At 9000 the ground's getting hazy. And by the time we reach 10K, I can't see a thing but clouds. It makes me realize that the flaw in this analogy is that we can be as sightless in the big picture as we can be on the ground. The key is actually the balance- between theory and practice; thought and work.

This is a great challenge in the world of formal philanthropy (grantmaking foundations) because with some exceptions, we aren't the ones who ever practice the work. So we have to deliberately put ourselves into situations that expose us to real world, on the ground work- and in settings other than when we are invited to a presentation/site visit or for the ¨privileged few¨we invite in.

While this takes effort, it's necessary. At 30,000 feet, we miss the dynamic realities of the people and places we exist to help. We become satiated with our comfortable seats (its no coincidence they call it "cruising altitude"). We relax. We forget. We fall asleep. Our communities can't afford philanthropic institutions to develop solutions and hypotheses for scenarios we can't see, hear, or experience. It's unrealistic and can lead to elitism at best and at
it's worst, sloth. And it can damage.

So while thinking big picture, let's stay grounded. If we want to make a difference, it's the best seat in the house.