Basecamp (noun). A main encampment providing supplies, shelter, and communications for persons engaged in wide-ranging expeditions.

A couple of years ago, my friend and mentor Christian Long from Wonder by Design guided some Malvern Prep teachers through a three-day experience with design thinking.  At the start he told them, "We are going on a journey, and every great journey embarks from a basecamp."

I have chosen Basecamp as the name for our innovation collaborative to capture the spirit and ethos of heroic journeys.  All great journeys challenge us to be:

• Mission driven. Great journeys are always inspired by a deep sense of purpose.

• Entrepreneurial. Great journeys are unpredictable, and that means they require creative problem solving.

• Pluralistic. Great journeys call for inclusive teams, whose diverse talents can be harmonized by shared values.

To preserve and deepen your organization's mission in a world of accelerating change, you will need to go on an innovation journey.  And, as Christian Long said, every journey needs a basecamp.

What is your greatest innovation gap?  

How does your mission call on you to respond?  

And as you prepare for that journey, what will your basecamp look like?

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