Domino Theory Blog

Oprah Inspires Topples

I have a lot of respect for Oprah.  She has used her position to inspire and motivate others to accomplish great things.  She leads by example, but she also goes to great lengths to honor "everyday people" who are doing amazing things.

As I was doing research on "Pay it Forward" (not the movie, the concept), I came across Oprah's Pay it Forward Challenge.  On the site it's described this way:

"Oprah gave over 300 people $1,000 and challenged them to come up with inspiring and creative ways to help others. Boy, did they deliver! From helping terminal cancer patients to saving a battered women's shelter, these viewers are changing the world"

Here's one of my favorite stories that came out of this challenge:

Summary:

Erin (the recipient of Oprah's $1000) learned about to a deserving soldier. After serving a year in Iraq, Todd Watts received heartbreaking news about his 4-year-old autistic daughter - she was diagnosed with acute blastic leukemia.  She spent the next six weeks at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee (9 hours away from the family's home).  When was released from the hospital, Todd quit his job to care for Kayla. The family must drive more than an hour each way for Kayla's weekly check-ups.
Erin grew the original $1,000 bank card into almost $2,000! The family also received $100 in gas cards, a gift certificate for a local restaurant and presents for the kids.

Todd was left speechless by Erin's gift. "When I was over in Iraq last year, we were donating to St. Jude," Todd says. "You wouldn't think that someone who donated…to the hospital would have to use the hospital."

Erin says. "It's something I don't plan on stopping here. I plan on spending the rest of my life paying it forward."

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Domino Theory View:

• Oprah sets up a topple with a clear purpose.
• The topple is put into motion with the intent to record what happens, and share those results in order to inspire others.
• A number of people and organizations make up the first chain of dominoes (Oprah's team, Bank of America, etc.), and then the path forks into 300 different branches (the recipients of the $1000).
• The energy increases as it moves through the branches ($1000 becomes $2000).
• Along the way Erin is inspired to do more topples.  She'll set up a topple of her own according to her quote.
• Observes to the topple are inspired in random ways and end up doing something good (karma).

I'm being told that some of my readers are "feeling inspired to do something" after reading my posts. One person said that the blog reminds them that there are opportunities every where to set big things in motion once you open your eyes. 

The Oprah Challenge is full of great examples of people being part of a topple that makes a huge impact.

The Power of the Purpose

The other day I was struggling with a topple I'm working on.  It involves mentoring a young entrepreneur that I was introduced to a few months back.  At the time I was trying to decide if I should create a new topple for this mentoring relationship, or if mentoring him was part of a broader topple.  In other words, is the topple's purpose about mention this specific guy, or is this a branch in a topple about mentoring in general?

I talked to my wife Terry about my struggles with this.  And in the process realized that the root problem was that I wasn't clear on my purpose for mentoring this person.  I knew I had one, but I couldn't communicate it clearly.  Once I realized that, it was obvious that even if I did have a topple dedicated to this specific mentoring relationship, the chances of the topple growing into one that makes a BIG impact was low.  Why do I say that?   

Because it's really hard to make something BIG happen in a chain reaction unless there's a powerful purpose. 

By powerful I mean:  Clear.  Tight.  Easy to communicate.  Easy to understand.  Likely to be passed from one person to another with clear intention.

In business we talk about S.M.A.R.T. goals. 

• Specific
• Measureable
• Achievable
• Relevent
• Timely

[note: there are several variations on the SMART mnemonic.  Try Googling "smart goals" to learn more.  One site that came up for me that I liked was "Learn How to Make Your Goals Smart."  Also,  in a previous post I mentioned the BHAG approach to stating a purpose.  I like BHAGS for 5+ year goals, and SMART for nearer-term goals.]

Sure, it's always good to be clear about a goal, but it's especially important in domino theory.  Why? 

Because one of the core concepts is that you start something, then stand back and see what happens.  You set things in motion with intent, and you hope that the intent  will carry on through the topple.  The more fuzzy the intent, the harder it is for people to grab on to, and thus harder for them to pass on (in domino terms "tip over effectively").  The "purpose" is the primary force enabling the energy to move through the chain of dominoes.

This does not necessarily mean that a topple will fail/fizzle if the purpose isn't clear.  For example, there are topples that are more "karma" based such as: Do something nice for someone, and that will somehow lead to goodness.   A "Be Nice" topple could certainly have a big impact.  So, not everything needs to be planned out, but if you are hoping for more than a karmic result, then the power of the purpose is very important.

So, going back to the mentoring example...  When I couldn't clearly communicate to my wife (or myself for that matter) why I was mentoring this person, I realized I need to get "s.m.a.r.t'er" if I wanted to set up a topple for this relationship.

First, I asked myself "Why did you agree to mentor this person."  I realized there were several reasons:

1. I was asked by a friend whom I like and respect.  He saw an opportunity and I trusted in his read on the situation.
2. One of my passions is to see Boulder become an even stronger technology community.  It's already a great place to grow a technology business, but there's still a lot of untapped potential.
3. I was once in a situation much like this person and people helped me along, so I wanted to "pay it forward."
4. I believe that as a mentor I have as much to learn as the mentoree, and I love to learn.

Things definitely became more clear once I my thoughts out of the fuzzy space in my head.  But, after seeing it written down I realized it was well suited for a purpose that could travel through a topple.

Next, I thought to my self "if I give him a domino, what am I asking him to do?"  My first answer was "nothing."  I was doing this just because I wanted to - I didn't expect anything specific in return.  Sure, my mentoring would influence him in some way, but how wasn't important.  More of a karma style topple in that case.  So, the question then became, "Do I want this to be a tangible topple?  Should I try to make something happen beyond the karma?" 

After a little thought I decided that I did want to make this a measurable topple to advance my research  on domino theory.  Thus, I had to refine my motivations into a powerful purpose.  Here's what I came up with:

"Mentor Two Aspiring Entrepreneurs in your lifetime, and tell them about about domino theory."

I think it passes the SMART test.  More importantly, there's now a more powerful purpose behind this mentoring relationship.  By adding the "domino theory" part I've attached to this the possibility that the topple can be tracked (another core concept).  And, I'm sure the karma will be along for the ride as well.

[there will be a follow-on post that officially "announces" this topple.]

You Can Help Set 1 Million Topples in Motion

A question that has come up: Do I personally plan to  set 1 million topples in motion?

Answer:  Heck no! 

I expect that I will start a handful (three so far: #0000001, #0000002, #0000003) as I get things rolling.  But, the whole idea here is to promote a framework that empowers other people to set their own topples in motion. 

I'm in the process of designing the website that will allow people to:

• Learn more about the framework called Domino Theory.
• Create topples that can be tracked online.
• Share ideas with other "Topplers."
• Donate money to deserving organizations.
• Buy individually numbered dominoes (that then become part of new or existing topples).
• And many, many, many of other cool ideas (my creative juices are really flowing these days).

I don't want to get ahead of myself by talking about "what's next", but I did want to clarify my goal for topple #0000001.  That topple is the one that builds Domino Theory into something that inspires and motives others to be part of setting 1 million more in motion (999,999 to be exact).  People that help me with this effort will be receiving dominoes (one has been handed out, and a few more are on their way to people).

My blog is just one part of #0000001.  You can think of each post  like a domino falling in hopes of building momentum to spawn new branches in this topple.  Branches that extend the reach and awareness of Domino Theory.  And the larger this topple gets, the greater the likelihood that others will start their own.  Actually, just off my butt and getting #0000001 started gave me the courage to set the other two in motion. 

Why did I picked 1 million?  I believe in BHAGS.  Might as well make this fun and think big.

As I share more of my ideas on Domino Theory, maybe, just maybe, people will create a few topples of their own, with their own personal purposes.  And then those topples will inspires others, and so on, and so on.

Think about the Dominoes These Folks Set in Motion

Once you start seeing the world through the Domino Theory lens things start to change...

I was just reading a Story on CNN about "Heros."  Ordinary people who have done amazing things.  People around the World submitted nomination.

Just one example: Kayla Cornale of Canada developed a music system to help people with autism.  I don't know much about her yet. 

But think about it... How many dominoes is she setting in motion?  Inspiring other kids to do cool things, the autistic people she's helping, the people that watch the CNN program that end up doong something because of her, etc.  She's already making an impact, and after CNN show that topple will just get bigger.

What if she could track her impact?  What if she could pass on her learnings about what toppled and what didn't?  What if she (or her parents) thought very strategically about how to increase the reach of the topple?  This might be one of her first topples, but image how many more are ahead for her! 

The subtitle of the Domino Theory blog is "Setting Big Things in Motion."  People like Kayla are doing this - and they inspire people like me to do the same.  I'll have to watch the CNN special where they honor the other nominees - I'm sure there will be other who help inspire people like me to try to make an impact!

Topple #0000003: The Domino Award

Title: The Domino Award
Purpose: This topple has several purposes:

•     To inspire computer science students at the University of Colorado and open new and exciting opportunities for students, possibly leading to them set their own topple(s) in motion.
•     To honor leading computer scientists who have made an important and lasting impact on the world.
•     To show through example that it's good to "give back" to your alma mater.

Here are the specifics:

The Domino Award is given annually to two Computer Science students for an outstanding essay honoring the impact that other computer scientists have made on modern society.   

The 2007/2008 Domino Award will presented on April 14 (new date), and all entrants will be invited to join the festivities.  The awards banquet will include presentations from leading technologists, a “Domino Topple”, short presentations from the finalists, and culminate with announcing this year’s winners.   The two winners will each receive $500 in cash, and an all expenses paid invitation to attend the next Telluride Tech Fest in beautiful Telluride Colorado.

All entrants will receive a #0000003 domino with a unique serial number.  These dominoes will be used to help track the impact and reach of this topple.

How To Enter:

Write a 500-800 word essay honoring someone from the field of computer science and email it to herbmorreale@gmail.com or clayton.lewis@colorado.edu by midnight March 5, 2008.  Essays will be judged for their ability to clearly communicate how the honoree’s work set in motion a “series of dominos” that changed the world.   

About the Domino Award:

The Domino Award is presented by Herb Morreale, a graduate of the University of Colorado in Computer Science (1991).  While still in school, Herb and his friend Trent Hein (a fellow CS classmate) started XOR Computer Systems, which grew into one of the country’s fastest growing private businesses before being acquired.  After leaving XOR, Herb began crafting his “Domino Theory” which attempts to explain how people can strategically “Set Big Things in Motion.”  It’s Herb’s hope that the annual Domino Award “tips over” a student resulting in a “topple” that makes a positive and lasting impacting.

Teetering

My good friend Terry Gold sent me a email today saying that maybe domino topple #0000002 was "teetering."  What a great way to put it!  I will definitely add that to the Domino Theory vernacular. 

This also gives me an opportunity to point out that I have added a "MORE INFO" list on the left hand side of this page.   As part of that I'm building up a list of definitions.  Currently you can find that in the "About" section, but I will probably put those on their own page.

One of my hopes for this blog is that it starts simple and quiet, and grows into something big and impactful.  As topple #0000001 states: The purpose is to set 1 million more topples in motion.   This blog is a big part of making that happen.  Think of the blog as one "branch" in topple #0000001.  There are other branches that I'm setting up, but for now the blog is the primary branch. 

So, please read the "Ways you can Help" page (on the left).  Just as Terry Gold did with his email about "teetering" you can help shape Domino Theory.  The more energy I get from my readers the more impact my blog will have, and thus the more likelihood of topple #0000001 succeeding.    Thanks.

Bummer

Well, it's been 7 days since we set topple #0000002 in motion.  I was hoping that by now the person that received the domino would have come to the blog and posted a comment.  But, this gives me an opportunity to write about "Bummers" in domino toppling.

A big part of Domino Theory is learning what works and what doesn't in chain reactions.  Topples require  energy to pass from one domino to the next.  And, depending on the "mass" of the next domino in the chain, sometime a great deal of energy is required. 

While not a complete list, I believe the following are the main causes for a chain reaction not continuing:

1. The "Purpose" of the topple wasn't compelling enough for the next person in the chain.  They might have expressed initial interest in helping with "the cause" or been and innocent bystander (like the person we bought dinner for).  For one reason or another they don't have the motivation to see the topple continue.  In fact, they might be opposed to the purpose of the topple, but not be willing to share that.
2. The person has trouble overcoming some kind of fear.  I could go on and on about how fear stops us from accomplishing so much.  But, for now, let's simply accept that people often get "hung up and worried" about taking initiative.  So, they might get tipped into in the topple but they don't tip over themselves. 
3. People are easily distracted.  How many voices are running through our heads on a daily basis?  And, do they ever shut up?  With all this "noise" it's easy to loose track of things.  So, let's say starts a topple associated with raising money for lung cancer, and they pass on a domino to someone that asks them to make a small donation and inspire others to do so.  It's easy to imaging that someone would say "sure" and then totally forget.  Of course, if they are highly motivated to help it's harder to get distracted, but as I said, with so many voices in the head it happens.
4. Some people feel that don't have the resources necessary to take the next step.   By resources I mean: time, money, information/knowledge.  Maybe the person will say to themselves, "I don't have the time right now."  Or, "I don't know anyone else that can help."  Or, "I want to help but I can't spare an extra money."  Often it just takes a little creative thinking to get around a lack of resources, but regardless when someone feels that they aren't equipped to set the next domino in the chain in motion they will hold back.

It would be easy to summarize some of this as "the person in the chain simply isn't motivated."  But, understanding what motivates and inspires another person is part of learning how to be a better toppler. In other words, tipping dominoes is about leadership.   By leadership I mean: inspiring and motivating others to accomplish what they have decided for themselves is a worthwhile endeavor.  We've all felt it before - powerful leadership creates energy.  More leadership = more energy = more likelihood the topple continues.

So, a big part of Domino Theory is accepting that things NEVER go exactly as planned.  Therefore, we have endless opportunities to examine our efforts, make adjustments, and then try again.  It's about learning how to become more effective over time at setting big things in motion.  And, at the same time understanding that we won't always really know how if the topple stopped, or if it's just moving in a way we didn't expect.

As I reflect back on setting #0000002 in motion, I can see now that I may not have passed on enough energy.  Using the the reasons I outlined above for why a chain reaction might stop, here are some potential problems:

• The purpose of #0000002 was: "Buy a stranger dinner - inspire random acts of kindness.  Pay it forward."  Of course, since nothing was said to the people that received the gift of a free dinner, how could they be compelled by the purpose unless they went to the URL on the domino?  And even then, for some people the purpose might not be interesting to them.  My wife suggested that we pass on a small card explaining the purpose so the person doesn't have to go to the website.  I like this idea, but at the time part of the fun for me was seeing what would happen.  In other words, I wasn't only focused on the purpose, but I was also deciding "how it would happen."  That's a big big trap. Part of setting things in motion is also letting go.  I should have pass on as much energy as possible, or admitted up front that the purpose has a "how" part and include it in the description.
• Image having your dinner bought by some stranger and then being given a domino with a handwritten URL on it.   For many people their first thought would be "OK, what strings are attached to this?"  Some people would actually be scared to go to a random website.    When we decided to pick the couple we did, we had a gut feeling that they might not be "computer types."  Who knows if that's the case or not, but we specifically thought about picking another younger couple that we figured was more tech savvy.  Another dimension of fear that might be involved is being afraid to post a comment to the blog.  "What should I say?  How do I do it?"  Fear is a huge energy sucker!
• It's possible that the couple thought it was a very nice random act of kindness, had planned to go to the website, and just forgot.  Maybe the domino is sitting at the bottom of one of their purses?  Without being able to reach out to the person in a topple like this it's not possible to send a "friendly reminder!"  So, we don't if they are temporizingly or permanently distracted.
• The possibilities for the lack of resources are definitely there.  No computer at home.  Not enough knowledge of how to interact with a blog like this.  "Too busy to worry about this."  Or, "I just don't get this, I'm supposed to do what?"  And the obvious one, "I don't have enough money to be buying strangers dinner." 

Today I'm specifically talking about topples that have stopped.   There are topples that appear to have stopped, but they are just going down slowly.  When setting up actual dominoes topples, artists often use dominoes of different shapes, sizes, spacing, etc. to increase/decrease speed of the topple.  That same concept applies to Domino Theory.

So, did topple #0000002 stop, or is just moving slowly?  No way to know yet.  I think I'll put another domino in motion for topple #0000002 - thinking about I can do to pass on more energy this time.  I might have another "bummer" on my hands, but I'll have fun learning.

Domino Topple #0000002

Tonight I'm setting in motion Topple #0000002.  The purpose:

Buy a stranger dinner - inspire random acts of kindness.  Pay it forward.

If you received domino #0000002 please let me know by posting a comment here.  This "registers" the domino so everyone can have fun watching this topple go down.

Then...  When you can, please keep the topple in motion by buying a stranger dinner and passing the domino on to them.  Who knows, maybe you're now part of something big!  It will be fun to watch this domino travel and see the stories that go with it. 

#0000002 is a very special topple.  It's the first of a handful that I will set in motion in the next month.  After these get started, I will then provide a way for other people to get numbered dominoes so they can start topples for their own purposes.

If you missed my previous post, the purpose for topple #0000001 is to set in motion 1 million more topples.  Currently I hold the only domino in the #0000001 topple, but I will be creating more #0000001 dominoes and passing them on to people who are helping me bring the Domino Theory concept to life.  Some of these people will be folks that have "tipped me over" and encouraged me to do this, and others will be people that are helping this initiative grow. 

So why did I choose "Buy a Stranger Dinner" as the second of 1 million topples?  Here's the story:

Several years ago my wife Terry and I were having dinner with some friends (Chad and Cindy: where are you guys?).  They told us about a time when someone anonymously bought them dinner and how that had  made a big impact on them.  A few months later, Terry and I were celebrating our first anniversary over dinner and decided to give it a try.  We've continued that tradition every year since (13 yrs.).  It's always a blast to watch people's reactions.   A few times the wait staff have "outed" us, which we find to be quite embarrassing.  Over the years we've become better at telling our helper how to keep things under wraps.  A few tips if you plan to do this:

• pick someone that you can see without working too hard.  I promise you, they will try to figure out who bought them dinner.
• tell the wait staff that they should let the person/couple know at the end of their meal.  That way the people don't have to be uncomfortable for too long.  And now with the domino being part of the fun, have the staff hand them the domino when they tell them their meal has been paid for by someone else.
• we like to select someone that "feels" right.  Part of the fun is selecting the person/couple.  We've picked people because they "look": happy, lonely, had a long day, sharing a special meal with their kid, very in love with each other, etc.
• have the bill brought to your table with your normal bill (and don't forget to tip on both checks)
• tell the wait staff that this is a special occasion so you would really appreciate their assistance in keeping it a secret.  Hopefully they'll see the fun in all of it.

Domino Theory suggests that there are different kinds of topples.  Some take years to setup with a specific outcome in mind (#0000001 for example).  Others, like #0000002 are more about creating random chain reactions that make the world a happier, kinder place. 

After discussing it with Terry we both agreed that topple #0000002 was a perfect way to build off a tradition that has brought us so much enjoyment over the years.  It's not our anniversary tonight, but there's much to celebrate so here we go.   Tip.......

What's this all About?

Now that I've made the first official post launching Domino Theory I would like to explain a little more about what this is all about...

1. This blog will evolve over time into a website where "Topples" can be started, be tracked, and discussed.
2. I will share my thoughts about Domino Theory - a conceptual framework I'm developing for "setting big things in motion."

A little history...

In November of 2000, I left XOR Inc. after nearly ten years of building it from scratch with my good friend Trent Hein.  It was a bitter sweet "exit," and I spent the next several months thinking about what I wanted to do when I "grew up" (I was 32 years old and had started XOR while still in college).  I considered everything from dedicating my life to philanthropic work, to becoming a high school band teacher, to starting a company that built software for managing "the edge" of a cell phone carrier's wireless network.  I felt very fortunate to be in a position where I could "think big."  But, a funny thing happened along the way.  The bigger the idea, the more I thought to myself: Gee, pursuing that path would pretty much mean compromising other things that are important to me (i.e. time with my friends and family, have a stable financial situation, etc.).  So, I started to shy away from the "change the world" ideas, and felt rather sad about it.

Then in 2002 while attending The Telluride Tech Festival, I began thinking about how little actions could set big things in motion.  I called it "Domino Theory" and a few days later typed up my thoughts on the drive back from Telluride (don't worry, Trent was driving).  A few months later I created the "Tech Fest Scholarship" for computer science students at the University of Colorado as an experiment in "setting something in motion."  [I'll discuss this scholarship in more detail in a future post.]  Also around that time I was running a management consulting company called Kalos Strategy Group, and I started to bring the Domino concepts to leadership coaching and organizational development.  Honestly, not much came of that, and Domino Theory hung out in the background for me for a few years. 

Around March of this year (2007) I started finding myself thinking about Domino Theory more and more.  I began writing again, wondering where it was all heading.  My thoughts included: blogging about Domino Theory, creating a non-profit organization to promote the concepts, reviving the scholarship, creating a website for tracking topples, possibly writing a book, creating leadership development programs based on Domino Theory, teaching kids about Domino Theory by bringing buckets of dominoes to schools, imprinting dominoes with messages that could be passed from person to person, and many other ideas (and they're still coming).

Since that time it's been like a "calling" and pieces have been falling into place such that I'm now ready to take things to the next level.  Exactly what that means, I honestly don't know.  I'm a little afraid to develop it out in the open like this,  but I'm not going to let that get in the way.  I'll just write what comes to mind, and watch the dominoes topple.  It's a work in progress.  I hope others will enjoy following along and helping me do what's necessary to make Topple #0000001 a reality.

I want to thank all my new friends that I met while attending the Three Day Intensive Equine Experience at Miraval.  In each of your own ways you give me the courage to not let my fears and self doubt get in the way.  But, even more importantly I want to thank my wonderful wife and best friend Terry, who has always been supportive of my wacky adventures. 

Now for the fun stuff...  Domino Theory is about setting big things in motion, and as these videos show, there are some amazingly talented people out there doing this with real dominoes.  Just think how much planning, patience, and skill it must take to set one of these topples up.  And then the excitement of tipping the first domino! 

Here's my current favorite video of an HUGE domino topple.  I especially like the cheesy music.  Warning, it's a bit long.

Another favorite, and much shorter, without cheesy music is this one:

Enjoy!!!!

Let The Topple Begin!

I believe that small actions can make big impacts. 


So, I'm setting in motion Domino Topple #0000001.  The purpose of this topple is to start 1 million more topples in motion.