Finding Your Way through the World

Everyday I see a squirrel is a happy day. Everyday I see a squirrel and a hummingbird is an extremely happy day. Sitting at the airport of Atlanta, I’m both extremely glad since I’ve had both squirrel and hummingbird sightings and sad since I’m leaving the friends I’ve been staying with.
This morning I took a much needed jogging trip through the Brookfield neighbourhood. Although I have had several guided walks through this lovely golf community, I nevertheless got a little bit lost. Gradually I begun to pay more attention to various kinds of signs indicating suitable paths along the streets among the 900 or so beautiful houses of all kinds and sizes (although all of them much bigger than I’m used to). The white sign indicating the shortest way to the clubhouse was for example a welcome finding. Paying attention to the landscape also paid off.

Yesterday when we drove downtown Atlanta to Georgia State University, we talked about Key Performance Indicators and how difficult it is to make them transparent to co-workers in organisations. In contrast, an indicator such as the eco-driver metre in the car is just excellent. It is clearly visible all the time and easy to read. It gives you real-time feedback and you can influence the outcome directly. How can we devise triple-bottom-line measurements and indicators that have the same features? How can we help people so that they don’t get lost in the world? How can I get more squirrels and hummingbirds in my life?