LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZING, AND ACTION · LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZING, AND ACTION Organizing Workshop...

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Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program

LEADERSHIP,ORGANIZING,ANDACTION

OrganizingWorkshopParticipantGuide

Saturday&Sunday,February25-26,2017C A M B R I D G E , M A S S A C H U S E T T S

OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanzofHarvardUniversityhttp://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/marshall-ganzModifiedforthistrainingbyAbelR.Cano

OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanzofHarvardUniversityhttp://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/marshall-ganz

ModifiedbytheNewOrganizingInstitute

http://www.neworganizing.com

DesignedbyZacWillette

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A C K N OW L E D G E M E N T S

Wewelcomeyoursuggestionsforimprovingthisguidefurtherforfuturetrainings.Wealsowelcomeyoutouseitandadaptitforyourowntrainings,subjecttotherestrictionsbelow.ThisworkshopguidehasbeendevelopedoverthecourseofmanytrainingsbyLizPallatto,JoyCushman,JakeWaxman,DevonAnderson,RachelAnderson,AdamYalowitz,KateHilton,LenorePalladino,NewOrganizingInstitutestaff,MoveOnOrganizers,CenterforCommunityChangestaff,JoseLuisMorantes,CarlosSaavedra,SeanThomas-Breitfeld,ShuyaOhno,PetraFalcon,MicheleRudy,HopeWood,JoshDaneshforooz,MelanieVant,UyenDoan,VoopdeVulpillieres,AbelR.Canoandmanyothers.

R E S T R I C T I O N S O F U S E

Thefollowingwork[thisworkshopguide]isprovidedtoyoupursuanttothefollowingtermsandconditions.Youracceptanceoftheworkconstitutesyouracceptanceoftheseterms:

• Youmayreproduceanddistributetheworktoothersforfree,butyoumaynotselltheworktoothers.

• Youmaynotremovethelegendsfromtheworkthatprovideattributionastosource(i.e.,“originallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanzofHarvardUniversity”).

• Youmaymodifythework,providedthattheattributionlegendsremainonthework,andprovidedfurtherthatyousendanysignificantmodificationsorupdatestomarshall_ganz@harvard.eduorMarshallGanz,HauserCenter,HarvardKennedySchool,79JFKStreet,Cambridge,MA02138

• Youherebygrantanirrevocable,royalty-freelicensetoMarshallGanzandNewOrganizingInstitute,andtheirsuccessors,heirs,licenseesandassigns,toreproduce,distributeandmodifytheworkasmodifiedbyyou.

• Youshallincludeacopyoftheserestrictionswithallcopiesoftheworkthatyoudistributeandyoushallinformeveryonetowhomyoudistributetheworkthattheyaresubjecttotherestrictionsandobligationssetforthherein.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsabouttheseterms,[email protected],HauserCenter,HarvardKennedySchool,79JFKStreet,Cambridge,MA02138.

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A G E N D A & T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Saturday,February25,2017:LongfellowHall,HGSE

WELCOMEANDINTRODUCTIONS

8.00AM Welcome&OverviewofWorkshop15min.

LEADERSHIP—ORGANIZING:PEOPLE,POWER,ANDCHANGE

8.15AM IntroductiontoOrganizing:People,Power,andChange50min. p.8-16

9.05AM BREAK10min.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDVALUES:WHYIHAVEBEENCALLED—STORYOFSELF

9.15AM ReviewPublicNarrativeandStoryofSelf40min. p.17-23

9.55AM Teamwork40min. p.24-2810.35AM DebriefStoriesofSelf20min. 10.55AM BREAK10min.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDCOMMITMENT:BUILDINGRELATIONSHIPS11.05AM IntroductiontoRelationshipBuilding45min. p.29-3311.50AM Teamwork45min. p.34-3612.35PM DebriefandTakeaways20min. 12.55PM LUNCH—50min.

Pleaseusesomeofthistimetoreadyourteammates’proposals.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDSTRUCTURE:BUILDINGLEADERSHIPTEAMS1.45PM IntroductiontoBuildingLeadershipTeams45min. p.37-402.30PM Teamwork70min. p.41-463.40PM Debrief20min. 4.00PM BREAK10min. 4.10PM Energizer5min.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDVALUES:STORYOFUS4.15PM ReviewStoryofUs20min. p.47-514.35PM Teamwork40min. p.52-565.15PM DebriefStoriesofUs15min.

CLOSING:WHATDIDWELEARN?5.30PM Pluses,DeltasandTakeaways15min. 5.45PM CloseDayI

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Sunday,February26,2017:LongfellowHall,HGSEWELCOME

8.00AM WelcomeBack&AgendaReview5min.

STRATEGYI:TURNINGRESOURCESINTOPOWER—PEOPLE,POWER&CHANGE

8.05AM IntroductiontoStrategyI60min. p.57-659.05AM Teamwork:Actors,PowerandGoal95min. p.66-70

10.40AM Peer-to-PeerDebrief30min. p.7111.10AM BREAK10min.

STRATEGYII:TURNINGRESOURCESINTOPOWER—TACTICSANDTIMELINE

11.20AM IntroductiontoStrategyII30min. 11.50AM Teamwork:TacticsandTimeline45min. p.72-7412.35PM GalleryWalkofTimelines25min. 1.00PM LUNCH—50min.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDCOMMITMENT:ACTION

1.50PM IntroductiontoAction30min. p.75-812.20PM Teamwork45min. p.82-853.05PM DebriefandTakeaways20min. 3.25PM BREAK10min 3.35PM Energizer5min.

MOBILIZINGSHAREDVALUESANDCOMMITMENT:

STORYOFNOWANDLINKINGSELF/US/NOW

3.40PM ReviewNowandLinkingSelf/Us/Now30min. p.86-914.10PM Teamwork45min. p.92-974.55PM DebriefPublicNarratives20min.

CLOSING5.15PM Summary,KeyLearningsandEvaluation15min. 5.30PM CloseDayII

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WHYWE’REHERE&WORKSHOPGOALS

Whatisthepurposeofthistraining?

6OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanz,HarvardUniversityandmodifiedbyAbelR.Cano.

WhyWe’reHere&WorkshopGoalsThegoalofthisworkshopistointroduceyoutoanorganizer’sperspectiveonleadership.Organizingcanbelearnedasaleadershippracticebasedonacceptingresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievepurposeunderconditionsofuncertainty:identifying,recruitinganddevelopingleadership,buildingaconstituencyaroundthatleadership,andtransformingtheresourcesofthatconstituencyintothepowertheyneedtoachievetheirpurposes.Wehopeitwillbeuseful.

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Eachparticipantwillbeintroducedtofivebasicorganizingleadershippractices.1. Howtotranslatevaluesintothemotivationforactionbylearningtotellastoryofwhy

theywerecalledtolead,astoryoftheirconstituency,andastoryofanurgentchallengethatrequiresaction:self,us,andnow.

2. Howtobuildintentionalrelationshipsasthefoundationofpurposefulcollectiveaction.3. Howtostructureacollaborativeleadershipteamwithsharedpurpose,groundrulesand

clearroles.4. Howtostrategizeturningtheresourcesofone’sconstituencyintothepowerneededto

achievecleargoals.5. Howtosecurecommitmentsrequiredtogeneratemeasurable,motivational,and

effectiveaction. Youwillseethatmostsessionsfollowapattern:weexplain,wemodel,youpractice,andwedebrief.Thiswayyoucanbegintoworkputtingyourskillstoworkrightnow,gettingfeedback,learningfromyourexperience.Pleasebringa“beginnersmind”(shoshin)tothisworkshop–trynewthings,takesomerisks,asknewquestions.

7OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanz,HarvardUniversityandmodifiedbyAbelR.Cano.

PERSONALGOALS

Whatareyourhopesforthisworkshop?Whatkindsofskillsareyouinterestedinlearning?Whatcontributionsdoyouseeyourselfmaking?

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PEOPLE,POWER,ANDCHANGE

Whatarethecoreleadershippracticesfororganizing?

OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanz,HarvardUniversityandmodifiedbyAbelR.Cano.

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PEOPLE,POWER,ANDCHANGE

WhatisLeadership?

LeadershipinorganizingisrootedinthreequestionsarticulatedbythefirstcenturyJerusalemsage,RabbiHillel:

“IfIamnotformyself,whoamI?WhenIamonlyformyself,whatamI?Andifnotnow,when?1

Thesethreequestionsfocusontheinterdependenceofself,other,andaction:whatamIcalledtodo,whatareotherswithwhomIaminrelationshipcalledtodo,andwhatactiondoestheworldinwhichwelivedemandofusnow?The fact these are framed as questions, not answers, is important: to act is to enter a world ofuncertainty, theunpredictable,andthecontingent.Dowereally thinkwecancontrol it?Ordowehave to learn to embrace it? Uncertainty poses challenges to the hands, the head and the heart.Whatnewskillsmustmy“hands”learn?Howcanmy“head”devisenewwaystousemyresourcestoachievemygoals?Howcanmy“heart”equipmewiththecourage,hopefulness,andforbearancetoact?Leadershiprequires“acceptingresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievepurposeunderconditionsof uncertainty”.2 Conditions of uncertainty require the “adaptive” dimension of leadership: not somuchperformingknowntaskswell,but,ratherlearningwhattasksareneededandperformingthemwell. It is leadership from the perspective of a “learner” – one who has learned to ask the rightquestions–ratherthanthatofa“knower”–onwhothinksheorsheknowsalltheanswers.Thiskindof leadership is a formofpractice -notapositionoraperson–and it canbeexercised fromanylocationwithinorwithoutastructureofauthority.

1PirkeAvot(WisdomoftheFathers)2MarshallGanz,“LeadingChange:Leadership,OrganizationandSocialMovements”,Chapter19,

Goalsforthissession:• Tointroduceourapproachtoleadership,organizingandlearning.• Tointroduce5keyorganizingpracticesonwhichwewillfocus.

•Tofocusontherelationshipamongpeople,power,andchange.


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Leadershipistakingresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievesharedpurposeunderconditionsofuncertainty.

WhatisOrganizing?Organizingisaformofleadershipthatenablesaconstituencytoturnitsresourcesintothepowertoachieveitsgoalsthroughrecruitment,training,anddevelopmentofleadership.Organizingisaboutequippingpeople(constituency)withthepower(storyandstrategy)tomakechange(realoutcomes).

PEOPLE:OrganizingaconstituencyThefirstquestionanorganizerasksisnot“whatismyissue”but“whoaremypeople”–whoismyconstituency.Aconstituencyisagroupofpeoplewholearnto“standtogether”todecide,assert,andactupontheirowngoals.Organizingisnotonlyaboutsolvingproblems.Itisaboutenablingthepeoplewiththeproblemtomobilizetheirownresourcestosolveit...andkeepitsolved.

POWER:Whatisit,wheredoesitcomefrom,howdoesitwork?Rev.MartinLutherKingdescribedpowerasthe“abilitytoachievepurpose.”Weallrequireresourcesto achieve our purposes. Few if any of us control all the resources we need to achieve all ourpurposes.Butyourinterestinmyresourcesandmyinterestinyourresourcesmaygiveusacommoninterest incombiningourresourcestoachieveacommonpurpose(powerwith).But if Ineedyourresourcesmorethanyouneedmyresources,youmaybeabletogetwhatyouneedatmyexpense(powerover).Sopowerisnotathing,quality,ortrait–itistheinfluencecreatedbytherelationshipbetweeninterestsandresources.Youcan“trackdownthepower”asking—andgettingtheanswersto—fourquestions:

1. Whataretheinterestsofyourconstituency?2. Whoholdstheresourcesneededtoaddresstheseinterests?3. Whataretheinterestsoftheindividualsororganizationswhoholdtheseresources?4. Whatresourcesdoesyourconstituencyholdwhichtheotherindividualsororganizations

needtoaddresstheirinterests?Our power comes from people. Because powerlessness is the source of somany of the problemspeople face, organizing not only enables people to solve those problems, but also, by workingtogether,tobecomemorepowerfulpeople.Soorganizingisnotonlyacommitmenttoidentifymoreleaders,butalsoacommitmenttoengagethose leaders in building thepower to create the changeweneed in our lives. Organizingpowerbeginswith a decision by the first personwhowants tomake it happen to commit.Without this


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commitment,therearenoresourceswithwhichtobegin. Commitment isasobservableasaction.Theworkoforganizersbeginswithadecisiontoacceptresponsibilitytochallengeotherstodothesame.CHANGE:Whatkindofchangecanorganizingmake?

Whaturgentproblemsdoyourpeopleface?Howmighttheworldlookdifferentifthoseproblemsweresolved?Whatfirststepscantheytaketobeginsolvingthoseproblems?Changeisspecific,concrete,andsignificant.Itrequiresfocusonagoalthatwillmakearealdifferencethatwecansee.Itisnotabout“creatingawareness”,havingameaningfulconversation,orgivingagreatspeech.Itisaboutspecifyingaclearlyvisiblegoal,explainingwhyachievingthatgoalcanmakearealdifferenceinmeetingthechallengethatyourconstituencyhastoface,andmakingithappen.

FiveOrganizingPracticesLearninghowtoorganizepeopletobuildthepowertheyneedtomakechangebeginswithlearningfivekeyleadershippractices.

DISORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION

Passive SharedStory Active

Divided RelationalCommitment United

Drift ClearStructure Purpose

Reactive CreativeStrategy Initiative

Demobilized EffectiveAction Mobilized


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1.CreatingSharedStory:Organizingismotivatedbysharedvaluesexpressedthroughpublicnarrative.Bylearningthecraftofpublicnarrativewecanaccessoursharedvaluesfortheemotionalresourcesweneedtorespondtochallengeswithcourageratherthanreactingtothemwithfear.Bylearningtotellstoriesofsourcesofourownvalues,a“storyofself”,weenablepeopleto“getus”.Bytellingstoriesofthesourcesofvaluesweshare,a“storyofus”,weenablepeopleto“get”eachother.Byrecognizingthecurrentmomentasoneofurgentchoiceandproposingahopefulwayforward,a“storyofnow”,wemotivateaction.Values-basedorganizing—incontrasttoissue-basedorganizing—invitespeopletoescapetheir“issuesilos”andcometogethersothattheirdiversitybecomesanasset,ratherthananobstacle.Bylearninghowtotellapublicnarrativethatbridgestheself,us,andnow,organizersenhancetheirownefficacyandcreatetrustandsolidaritywithintheircampaign,equippingthemtoengageothersfarmoreeffectively.2.CreatingSharedRelationalCommitment:Organizingisbasedonrelationshipsandcreatingmutualcommitmentstoworktogether.Itistheprocessofassociation—notsimplyaggregation—thatmakesawholegreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Throughassociationwecanlearntorecastourindividualinterestsascommoninterests,identifyvaluesweshare,andenvisionobjectivesthatwecanuseourcombinedresourcestoachieve.Andbecauseitmakesusmorelikelytoacttoassertthoseinterests,relationshipbuildinggoesfarbeyonddeliveringamessage,extractingacontribution,orsolicitingavote.Relationshipsbuiltasaresultofone-on-onemeetingscreatethefoundationoflocalcampaignteams,andtheyarerootedincommitmentspeoplemaketoeachother,notsimplycommitmenttoanidea,task,orissue.3.CreatingSharedStructureAteamleadershipstructurecanenableorganizingthatgrowsstrongerthroughcollaborativeandcascadingleadershipdevelopment.Volunteereffortsoftenflounderduetoafailuretodevelopreliable,consistent,andcreativeindividualleaders.Structuredleadershipteamsencouragestability,motivation,creativity,andaccountability—andusevolunteertime,skills,andefforteffectively.Theycreateastructurewithinwhichenergizedvolunteerscanaccomplishchallengingwork.Realteamscanachievethegoalstheysetforthemselves,growmoreeffectiveasateamovertime,andenablethegrowth,developmentandlearningoftheirindividualmembers.Effectiveleadershipteamsmustbebounded,stable,anddiverse.Theymustagreeonasharedpurpose,clearnorms,andspecificroles.


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4.CreatingSharedStrategyAlthoughbasedonbroadvalues,effectiveorganizingcampaignsfocusonaclearstrategicobjective,awaytoturnthosevaluesintoaction;e.g.,desegregatebusesinMontgomery,Alabama;gettingto100%cleanelectricity;etc.Trans-localcampaignslocateresponsibilityforstrategyatthetop(oratthecenter),butareableto“chunkout”strategicobjectivesintime(deadlines)andspace(localareas)asacampaign,allowingsignificantlocalresponsibilityforfiguringouthowtoachievethoseobjectives.Responsibilityforstrategizinglocalobjectivesempowers,motivatesandinvestslocalteams.5.CreatingSharedMeasurableActionOrganizingoutcomesmustbeclear,measurable,andspecificifprogressistobeevaluated,accountabilitypracticed,andstrategyadaptedbasedonexperience.Measuresmayincludevolunteersrecruited,moneyraised,peopleatameeting,voterscontacted,pledgecardssigned,lawspassed,etc.Althoughelectoralcampaignsenjoytheadvantageofveryclearoutcomemeasures,anyeffectiveorganizingdrivemustcomeupwiththeequivalent.Regularreportingofprogresstogoalcreatesopportunityforfeedback,learning,andadaptation.Trainingmustbeprovidedforallskills(e.g.,holdinghousemeetings,phonebanking,etc.)tocarryouttheprogram.Socialmediamayhelpenablereporting,feedback,coordination.Transparencymustexistastohowindividuals,groups,andthecampaignasawholearedoingwithregardtotheirprogresstowardtheirgoal.

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OrganizingYourConstituencyThisworkshopfocusesonthedesignofanorganizingcampaign,buttherealworkoforganizingisdonewithone’sconstituency.Asthechartbelowshows,organizingisaboutenablingaconstituencytodevelopthepoweritneedstoassertitsinterestseffectively,notonlyinthismoment,butalsointhefuture.Organizersbeginbybuildingafoundationwithintheirconstituency.Thisusuallyrequiresone-on-onemeetingstolearnofpeople’srealconcerns,discernrealsourcesoftheirproblems,figureoutpowerdynamics,andidentify,recruitanddevelopleadership.Acampaignisaprocessthroughwhichaconstituencycanorganizeitselftocreatethepoweritneedstoachieveitsgoals.Andbyturningtheircampaigneffortsintoanorganization,theywillhavethecapacitytobuildontheirsuccessesintothefuture.


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!!

CONSTITUENCY!

ORGANIZATION!

CAMPAIGN!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FOUNDATION!

Ourworkshopisalsoorganizedasacampaign:awayofmobilizingtime,resources,andenergytoachieveanoutcomeandtreattimeasan“arrow,”ratherthana“cycle.”Thinkingoftimeasa“cycle”helpstomaintainroutines,normalprocedures,ourannualbudgets,etc.Thinkingoftimeasan“arrow”focusesonmakingchange,onachievingspecificoutcomes,onfocusingourefforts.Acampaignistimeasan“arrow".Itisanintensestreamofactivitythatbeginswithafoundationalperiod,buildstoakick-off,buildstoperiodicpeaks,andculminatesinafinalpeak,followedbyaresolution.Ourworkshopwillfollowthesamepattern,eachpractice,buildingonwhatwentbefore,andcreatingafoundationforwhatcomesnext.


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Wealsotakeaparticularapproachtostructuringleadership,astructurethatenablesustodeveloptheleadershipofothers,evenasweexerciseourown.Sometimeswethinkleadershipisaboutbeingthepersonthateveryonegoesto:

Howdoesitfeeltobethedotinthemiddleofallthosearrows?Howdoesitfeeltobeoneofthearrowsthatcan’tevengetthrough?Andwhathappensifthe“dot”inthemiddleshoulddisappear?

Sometimeswethinkwedon’tneedleadershipatallbecause“we’reallleaders”,butthatlookslikethis:

Who’sresponsibleforcoordinatingeveryone?Andwho’sresponsibleforfocusingonthegoodofthewhole,notjustoneparticularpart?Withwhomdoesthe“buckstop”?

Anotherwaytopracticeleadershipislikethis“snowflake”:leadershippracticesbydevelopingotherleaderswho,inturn,developotherleaders,alltheway“down”.Althoughyoumaybethe“dot”inthemiddle,yoursuccessdependsondevelopingtheleadershipofothers.


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Whyiscoachinganimportantorganizingpractice?

Leadershipinorganizingisaboutenablingotherstoachievepurposeinthefaceofuncertainty.Coachingenablesothers.Organizingcampaignsarerichwithchallengesandlearningopportunities,butsometimeswearefishinourownwaterandwecannotseethechallengesweareswimmingin.Coachinginorganizinghelpstoalleviatethisproblem.Coachinghelpsindividualstoovercomemotivational,strategic,andinformationalchallengesthatmightotherwisehindertheprogressoftheindividual,and/ortheteam,andthusthecampaignortraining.

Whatiscoachinginorganizing?

Coachingisadirectinterventioninanindividualorteam’sworkprocesstohelpthemimprovetheireffectiveness.

Coachingisaleadershippracticethatisusefulinavarietyofcontextsinorganizingcampaignsandtrainings.Someexamplesofwhencoachingskillsarenecessary:

• Helpinganorganizerovercomemotivationalchallengeswiththeirvolunteers.

• Assistingaleadershipteamincreatingstrategyfortheirorganizingcampaign.

Coachingisusefulwheneverweareworkingtoenableotherstobuildtheirowncapacitytoact,andthoughthecontextsvary,theprocessisverysimilarthroughout.

ElementsofCoaching

WHYHOW

ACTION

MotivationalCoaching

StrategicCoaching

EducationalCoaching


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Coachingrequireslearningtoidentifyaperson’sorteam’sstrengthsandweaknessestohelpthemdrawupontheirstrengthstoovercometheirweaknesses.Peopleoftenknowwhatthey“should”do.Butfresheyescanhelpdiagnosespecificchallengestheyfacewhileidentifyingwaystodealwiththem.

• Motivational(heart)coachingisintendedtoenhanceeffort.• Educational(hands)coachingisintendedtohelpacquireinformationorskills• Strategic(head)coachingisintendedtohelpevaluatehowtouseresourcestoachieve

outcomes.

CoachingApproachesCorrectiveSomecoachingisaimedathelpingimprovepoorperformance(i.e.,thecoacheeisoverallnotdoingtheleadershippracticewellandneedshelpgettinguptoabasiclevel).DevelopmentalSomecoachingisaimedathelpingtheindividualachievemastery(i.e.,thecoacheedoestheleadershippracticewellandisreadytobecomeexpert).Basicelementsofcoachingarethesame(i.e.,motivational,strategic,andinformational),butcoachingstrategiesmaydiffer(e.g.,consultbyaskingreflectivequestionstodevelopmasteryvs.consultbyprovidingexpertfeedbacktoillustrateerrorsinhowtheyarethinkingaboutthetask).

HowCoachingWorks–the5StepProcessCoachingrequireslearninghowtousefourmethodstoimplement5steps.Thefourmethodsare:askingquestions,listening(headandheart),supporting,andchallenging.Thesearethe5steps.

5-Step Coaching Process


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1.Observe:WhatdoIseeandhear?

Listenverycarefully,observebodylanguage,andaskveryfocusedprobingquestionstosatisfyyourselfthatyou“get”theproblem.Itmaytaketimetogetthefactsstraight.Butifyoudon’tgettheproblem,youcan’thelpsolveit.Don’tbeshyaboutaskingspecific“stubborn”questions.Thisprocesscanhelpthecoacheearticulatejustwhattheproblemisinawaytheymaynothavebefore.Soit’snotonly“gettinginformation.”

2.Diagnose:Whyistheproblemaproblem?

Gettingthediagnosisrightreallymatters.Forexample,ifanorganizerisstrugglingwithstrategyandyoufocusongettingthemtotryhardertheresultwillonlybefrustration.

Isthechallengemotivational(effort/heart)?

Istheindividualstrugglingbecauses/heisnotputtingforthenougheffort?Isshenottryinghardenoughbecauseshe’sembarrassed?Ishequittingtoosoonbecauseoffrustrationorfear?Iss/hegettinginterferencefromotherhabits(e.g.,someonewell-versedinmarketingspeakmaynotknowhowtotellanauthenticstory)?

Isthechallengeeducational(information/skills/hands)?

Istheindividualstrugglingbecausehelackstheskilltoexecuteeffectively?Doeshenotknowhowtodoit?Isshegettinginterferencefromolderhabitsorbehaviors(likesomeonewhoissousedtosellingthingsconfusingthiswithtellingastoryofself)?Isitsomethingyoucouldmodelorrole-playwiththem?Isthechallengestrategic(strategy/head)?Istheindividualstrugglingbecauses/hedoesn’tknowhowtousetheinformationorskillsthatshedoeshave.Doesheunderstandtheconceptsorunderlyingprinciplesclearly?Hashenotthoughtitthroughcarefully?Arethegoalsnotachievable?Doesthestrategymakesense?

3.Intervene–WhatdoIdo?

Onceyouthinkyou’vefiguredoutwhattheproblemisdon’tjusttellthecoacheewhatyouthinkheshoulddo!Findoutwhatshethinkssheshoulddo?Askquestionsthatenablethecoacheetoseetheproblem,andforyoutoseehowthecoacheeseestheproblem,anddiscernawaytosolveit.Getthecoachee’sviewsoutonthetable.Theappropriateinterventiondependsonthediagnosis.Ifthechallengeismotivational,youcan:•Encourageandexhort—youcandoit!•Offerakickinthepants(withlove)•Helpthepersonconfronthisorherfear,embarrassment,orotheremotionthatmaygetin


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thewayoftheirabilitytoriskacting,persevering,tryingnewthings.Communicatewithempathy,hope,andaffirmationofthecoachee’sself-worth.Rewardandpraisecourage

•Modelcourageandemotionalmaturityinyourownbehaviorconfessfearandexplainhowyoumovetowarditratherthanawayfromit.

Ifthechallengeiseducational,youcan:

§ Modelthebehaviorandinvitethecoacheetoimitateyoutogetthe“feel”oftheactivity§ Breakitdownintosmallpartsandinvitetheindividualtotryoneatatime§ Offerthreeorfourdifferentpracticeexercisesandobservewhichones“take”forthatperson.

§ Suggestotherswithwhomthepersoncanpractice.§ Suggestwaystofigureoutwheretofindthemissinginformation.

Ifthechallengeisstrategic,youcan

§ Workthroughaspecificexamplewiththeperson,askingquestionstoguidethestrategicprocess.Thenreflectontheprocessitself,askingthemtodescribehowitworked?

§ Askquestionsabouthowtheindividualisthinkingaboutthepractice(“Whydidyouchoosethattactic?”)

§ Offeryourobservations,askinghowthepersonmightthinkaboutitdifferently(“Atthatpoint,werethereotheroptions?Whatmighttheyhavebeen?Whydidyouchoosetheoneyoudid?)

§ Offerfeedbackonwhatyouarehearing,askingifthatdescribesthesituation,atthesametime,offeringpossiblereframingofit.

§ Usesilentreflectionandself-diagnosis(“Whydon’tyoutakeamomenttothinkthroughwhatyoubelieveisworkingandnotworkingandlet’stalkaboutthat?).

4.Debrief:Whatdidthe“coachee”learn?

Askyourcoacheetosummarizehisorher“takeaway”fromthesession,committonextsteps,anddecidewhenyouwillcheckbackin.Whatwentwell?Whatareyouchallengedby?Whataresomepossiblesolutions?Whatareyourgoals/nextsteps?

5.Monitor:HowcanIcontinuetosupportthecoachee?

• Scheduleperiodiccheck-instosupportyourcoacheeinintegratingthisneworrevisedsolutionintotheirregularpractice.

• Findoutfromthecoacheehowthesituationhaschanged.• Assesswhetherthediagnosisandinterventionwassuccessful.Celebratesuccess!


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LearningOrganizing

Organizingisapractice—awayofdoingthings.It’slikelearningtorideabike.Nomatterhowmanybooksyoureadaboutbikeriding,theyareoflittleusewhenitcomestogettingonthebike.

Andwhenyougetonthefirstthingthatwillhappenisthatyouwillfall.Andthat’swherethe“heart”comesin.Eitheryougiveupandgohomeoryoufindthecouragetogetbackon,knowingyouwillfall,becausethat’stheonlywaytolearntokeepyourbalance.Eachofoursessionswillfollowthesamepattern:explanation,modeling,practice,anddebriefing.

Effectivecoachingis Effectivecoachingisnot

Showingupandbeingpresenttoanotherperson’sexperienceandlistening,withbothyourheadandheart

Beingsopreparedthatyouworkoutalltheanswersforthecoacheebeforeyouevenhearorobservetheirchallenges

Helpingthecoacheeexploreandmakesenseoftheirchallengesandsuccesses,andwhattheylearnedfromitall

Falsepraisingofthecoacheeoronlyfocusingontheirstrengthsbecauseyoudonotwanttohurttheirfeelings

Helpingthecoacheetofindsolutionstochallenges

Solelycriticizingthecoachee

Askingquestionsthatbothsupportandchallengethepersonyouarecoaching

Tellingthecoacheewhattodo

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CREATINGSHAREDSTORY:STORYOFSELF

WhyamIcalledtoleadership?

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INTRODUCTIONTOPUBLICNARRATIVE&STORYOFSELF

IfIamnotformyself,whowillbeforme?WhenIamonlyformyself,whatamI?Ifnotnow,when?-Hillel,1stcenturyJerusalemsageCrafting a complete public narrative is a way toconnect threecoreelementsof leadershippractice:story (whywemust act now, heart), strategy (howwecanactnow,head),andaction(whatwemustdotoactnow,hands).AsRabbiHillel’spowerfulwordssuggest,tostandforyourselfisafirstbutinsufficientstep. Youmust also construct the community withwhomyou stand, andmove that community to acttogether now. To combine stories of self, us andnow,findcommonthreadsinvaluesthatcallyoutoyourmission,valuessharedbyyourcommunity,andchallengestothosevaluesthatdemandactionnow.YoumaywanttobeginwithaStoryofNow,workingbackwardthroughtheStoryoftheUswithwhomyouareworkingtotheStoryofSelfinwhichyourcallingisgrounded.PublicnarrativeasaleadershippracticeLeadershipisaboutacceptingresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievesharedpurposeinthefaceofuncertainty.Narrativeishowwelearntoaccessthemoralresources–thecourage–tomakethechoicesthatshapeouridentities–asindividuals,ascommunities,asnations.EachofushasacompellingstorytotellEachofuscanlearntotellastorythatcanmoveotherstoaction.Weeachhavestoriesofchallenge,orwewouldn’tthinktheworldneededchanging.Andweeachhavestoriesofhope,orwewouldn’tthinkwecouldchangeit.Asyoulearnthisskill,youwilllearntotellastoryaboutyourself

Goalsforthissession:

• LearnWHYPublicNarrativeisanessentialleadershipskill• LearnHOWPublicNarrativeworks:values,emotion&storystructure• LearnHOWtotellyourpublicnarrative

strategy & actioncall to leadership

shared values &

shared experience

story of

selfstory of

now

story of

us

PURPOSE

COM

MUN

ITY UR

GEN

CY

Public Narrative


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(storyofself),thecommunitywhomyouareorganizing(storyofus),andtheactionrequiredtocreatechange(storyofnow).Youwilllearntotell,tolisten,andtocoachothers.LearningPublicNarrative Weareallnaturalstorytellers.Weare“hardwired”forit.Althoughyoumaynothavelearnedhowtotellstories“explicitly”(theirstructure,thetechniques),youhaveleaned“implicitly”(imitatingothers,respondingtothewayothersreacttoyou,etc.).Inthisworkshopyouwilllearnthetoolstomaketheimplicitexplicit.Wewilluseafour-stagepedagogy:explain,model,practiceanddebrief.Wewillexplainhowstoryworks,youwillobserveamodelofstorytelling,youwillthenpracticeyouownstory,andyouwillthendebriefyourpracticewithothers.Youwilllearnthispracticethewaywelearnanypractice:thesamewaywelearntorideabike.Whateverweread,watch,oraretoldaboutbikeriding,soonerorlaterwehavetogeton.Andthefirstthingthatusuallyhappensisthatyoufalloff.Then,andthisisthekeymoment,youeithergiveuporfindthecouragetogetbackuponthebike,knowingyouwillcontinuetofall,until,eventuallyyoulearntokeepyourbalance.Inthisworkshopyou’llhavethesupportofyourwrittenmaterials,peersandcoaches.Youwillalsolearntocoachothersintellingtheirstories.Weareall“fish”sotospeakinthe“water”ofourownstories.Wehavelivedinthemallourlivesandsoweoftenneedotherstoaskusprobingquestions,challengeustoexplainwhy,andmakeconnectionswemayhaveforgottenaboutsowecantellourstoriesinwaysotherscanlearnfromthem.Weallliverich,complexliveswithmanychallenges,choices,andoutcomesofbothfailureandsuccess.Wecannevertellourwholelifestoryintwominutes.Wearelearningtotellatwo-minutestoryasthefirststepinmasteringthecraftofpublicnarrative.Thetimelimitfocusesongettingtothepoint,offeringimagesratherthanlotsofwords,andchoosingchoicepointsstrategically.HowPublicNarrativeWorksWhyusepublicnarrative?Twowaysofknowing(andwhyweneedboth!) Leadershiprequiresengagingthe“head”andthe“heart”toengagethe“hands”—mobilizingotherstoacttogetherpurposefully.Leadersengagepeopleininterpretingwhytheyshouldchangetheirworld—their

g

head

strategy

Two Kinds of Knowin

heart

narrative

hands

action

shared understanding

leads to

critical reflection

on experience

HOW

COGNITIVE

LOGOS

ANALYSIS

story telling of experience

WHY

AFFECTIVE

PATHOSMOTIVATION


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motivation—andhowtheycanacttochangeit—theirstrategy.Publicnarrativeisthe“why”—theartoftranslatingvaluesintoactionthroughstories.

Thekeytomotivationisunderstandingthatvaluesinspireactionthroughemotion.Emotionsinformusofwhatwevalueinourselves,inothers,andintheworld,andenableustoexpressthemotivationalcontentofourvaluestoothers.Storiesdrawonouremotionsandshowourvaluesinaction,helpingusfeelwhatmatters,ratherthanjustthinkingaboutortellingotherswhatmatters.Becausestoriesallowustoexpressourvaluesnotasabstractprinciples,butaslivedexperience,theyhavethepowertomoveothers.

Someemotionsinhibitaction,butotheremotionsfacilitateaction.Thelanguageofemotionisthelanguageofmovement,sharingthesamerootword.Mindfulactionisinhibitedbyinertiaandapathy,ontheonehand,andfear,isolationandself-doubtontheother.Itcanbefacilitatedbyurgencyandanger,ononehand,andhope,solidarity,andYCMAD(youcanmakeadifference)ontheother.Storiescanmobilizeemotionsenablingmindfulactiontoovercomeemotionsthatinhibitit.

OVERC

OM

ESinertia

solidarity

urgency

apathy anger

fear hope

self-doubt Y.C.M.A.D.

isolation

ACTION

INHIBITORS

ACTION

MOTIVATORS


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TheThreeKeyElementsofPublicNarrativeStructure:Challenge–Choice–Outcome

Aplotbeginswithanunexpectedchallengethatconfrontsacharacterwithanurgentneedtopayattention,tomakeachoice,achoiceforwhichs/heisunprepared.Thechoiceyieldsanoutcome—andtheoutcometeachesamoral.Becausewecanempatheticallyidentifywiththecharacter,wecan“feel”themoral.Wenotonlyhear“about”someone’scourage;wecanalsobeinspiredbyit.

Thestoryofthecharacterandtheirefforttomakechoicesencourageslistenerstothinkabouttheirownvalues,andchallenges,andinspiresthemwithnewwaysofthinkingabouthowtomakechoicesintheirownlives.

IncorporatingChallenge,Choice,andOutcomeinYourOwnStoryTherearesomekeyquestionsyouneedtoanswerasyouconsiderthechoicesyouhavemadeinyourlifeandthepathyouhavetakenthatbroughtyoutothispointintimeasaleader.Onceyouidentifythespecificrelevantchoicepoint—perhapsyourfirsttrueexperienceofcommunityinthefaceofchallenge,oryourchoicetodosomethingaboutinjusticeforthefirsttime—digdeeperbyansweringthefollowingquestions.

Challenge:Whydidyoufeelitwasachallenge?Whatwassochallengingaboutit?Whywasityourchallenge?Choice:Whydidyoumakethechoiceyoudid?Wheredidyougetthecourage(ornot)?Wheredidyougetthehope(ornot)?Didyourparentsorgrandparents’lifestoriesteachyouinanywayhowtoactinthatmoment?Howdiditfeel?

Outcome:Howdidtheoutcomefeel?Whydiditfeelthatway?Whatdiditteachyou?Whatdoyouwanttoteachus?Howdoyouwantustofeel?

Awordaboutchallenge.Sometimespeopleseethewordchallengeandthinkthattheyneedtodescribethemisfortunesoftheirlives.Keepinmindthatastrugglemightbeoneofyourownchoosing–ahighmountainyoudecidedtoclimbasmuchasavalleyyoumanagedtoclimboutof.Anynumberofthingsmayhavebeenachallengetoyouandbethesourceofagoodstorytoinspireothers.


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Publicnarrativecombinesastoryofself,astoryofus,andastoryofnow.

A“storyofnow”communicatesanurgentchallengeyouarecallingonyourcommunitytojoinyouinactingonnow.

Astoryofnowrequirestellingstoriesthatbringtheurgencyofthechallengeyoufacealive–urgentbecauseofaneedforchangethatcannotbedenied,urgentbecauseofamomentofopportunitytomakechangethatmaynotreturn.Attheintersectionoftheurgencyofchallengeandthepromiseofhopeisachoicethatmustbemade–toact,ornottoact;toactinthisway,orinthat.Thehoperesidesnotsomewhereinadistantfuturebutinthesenseofpossibilityinapathwaytoaction.Tellingagoodstoryofnowrequiresthecourageofimagination,orasWalterBrueggemannnamedit,apropheticimagination,inwhichyoucallattentionbothtothepainoftheworldandalsotothepossibilityforabetterfuture.

A“storyofus”communicatessharedvaluesthatanchoryourcommunity,valuesthatmaybeatrisk,andmayalsobesourcesofhope.

Wetellmore“storiesofus”inourdailylivesthananyotherkindofstory:“doyourememberwhen”momentsatafamilydinner,“whataboutthetimethat”momentsafteranexcitingathleticevent,orsimplyexchangingstorieswithfriends.Justlikeanygoodstory,storiesofusrecountmomentswhenindividuals,agroup,acommunity,anorganization,anationexperiencedachallenge,choice,andoutcome,expressiveofsharedvalues.Themaybefoundingmoments,momentsofcrisis,oftriumph,disaster,ofresilience,ofhumor.Thekeyistofocusontellingspecificstoriesaboutspecificpeopleatspecifictimesthatcanremindeveryoneof–orcalleveryone’sattentionto–thevaluesthatyoushareagainstwhichchallengesintheworldcanbemeasured.A“storyofus”,however,is“experiential”inthatitcreatesanexperienceofsharedvalues,ratherthan“categorical”,describedbycertaintraits,characteristics,oridentitymarkers.Tellingagoodstoryofusrequiresthecourageofempathy–toconsidertheexperienceofothersdeeplyenoughtotakeachanceofarticulatingthatexperience.

A“storyofself”communicatesthevaluesthatcalledyoutoleadinthisway,inthisplace,atthistime.

Eachofushascompellingstoriestotell.Insomecases,ourvalueshavebeenshapedbychoicesothers–parents,friends,andteachers–havemade.Andwehavechosenhowtodealloss,evenaswehavefoundaccesstohope.Ourchoiceshaveshapedourownlifepath:wedealtwithchallengesaschildren,foundourwaytoacalling,respondedtoneeds,demands,andgiftsofothers;confrontedleadershipchallengesinplacesofworship,schools,communities,work.


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VIDEOREVIEW:JamesCroft

We'llbewatchingfiveminutesofJamesCroft’sLinkedPublicNarrative.Asyouwatchit,focusontheelementsofSELF–US–NOWthatyouhearinhisstory.

SELF

US NOW

Whatexperiencesshapedhisvalues?Whosechoiceswerethey?Whyaretheystories?

Whoisthe“us”towhomheappeals?Whatmomentsofchoicedoesherecall?Whatarethevalues?

Whatchallengestothosevaluesdoeshedescribe?What’sthesourceofhope?Inwhatactiondoesheaskustojoin?

1. WhydoesJamesCroftbeginashedoes?

2. Whatchallenge,choice,andoutcomeareatthecoreofeachstoryhetells?

3. Whatdetails,images,momentsdothesestoriesbringalive?4. Whatvaluesdothesestoriescommunicate?


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TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:STORYOFSELFPRACTICEWORK

GOALS

• PracticetellingyourStoryofSelfandgetconstructivefeedback• Learntodrawoutandcoachthestoriesofothers

AGENDATOTALTIME:40min.

1. Gatherinyourteam.Chooseatimekeeperandreviewtheagenda.Yourcoachwillsharehis/her2-minutestoryofselfasamodel.

5min.2min.

2. Takesometimeasindividualstosilentlydevelopyour“StoryofSelf.”Usetheworksheetthatfollows.

5min.

3. Asateamgoaroundthegroupandtellyourstoryonebyone.Foreachperson:-2minutestotelltheirstory-3minutestoofferfeedbackfromthegroup(usetheworksheetthatfollowstowritedownyourfeedback).NOTE:Youhavejust2minutestotellyourstory.Sticktothislimit.Makesureyourtimekeepercutsyouoff.Thisencouragesfocusandmakessureeveryonehasachancetotelltheirstory.

25min.

4. Facilitatorinvitessomeonetotelltheirstoryofselftothelargergroup.Rejointhelargergroup.

3min.


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WORKSHEET: DEVELOPING YOUR STORY OF SELF

Beforeyoudecidewhatpartofyourstorytotell,thinkaboutthesequestions:

1. WhyamIcalledtoeducationleadership?WhyamIcalledtotheEdLDprogram?2. Whatvaluesmovemetoact?Howmighttheyinspireotherstosimilaraction?3. WhatstoriescanItellfrommyownlifeaboutspecificpeopleoreventsthatwouldshow

(ratherthantell)howIlearnedoractedonthosevalues?Whataretheexperiencesinyourlifethathaveshapedthevaluesthatcallyoutoleadershipineducation?

FAMILY&CHILDHOOD Parents/Family GrowingUpExperiences YourCommunity RoleModels School

LIFECHOICES School Career Partner/Family Hobbies/Interests/Talents ExperiencesFindingPassionExperiencesOvercoming Challenge

ORGANIZINGEXPERIENCE

FirstExperienceoforganizingConnectiontokeybooksorpeopleRoleModels

Thinkaboutthechallenge,choiceandoutcomeinyourstory.Theoutcomemightbewhatyoulearned,inadditiontowhathappened.Trydrawingpictureshereinsteadofwords.Powerfulstoriesleaveyourlistenerswithimagesintheirmindsthatshapetheirunderstandingofyouandyourcalling.Remember,articulatingthedecisionsyoumakeinthefaceofchallengesultimatelycommunicatesyourvalues.C H A L L E N G E : C H O I C E : OU T C OM E :


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ForFurtherReflectionWeallliveveryrichandcomplexliveswithmanychallenges,manychoices,andmanyoutcomesofbothfailureandsuccess.Thatmeanswecannevertellourwholelifestoryin2minutes.Thechallengeistolearntointerpretourlifestoriesasapractice,sothatwecanteachothersbasedonreflectionandinterpretationofourownexperiences,andchoosestoriestotellfromourownlivesbasedonwhat’sappropriateineachuniquesituation.Taketimetoreflectonyourownpublicstory,beginningwithyourstoryofself.Youmaygobackasfarasyourparentsorgrandparents,oryoumaystartwithyourmostrecentorganizingandkeepaskingyourselfwhyinparticularyougotinvolvedwhenyoudid.Focusonchallengesyouhadtoface,thechoicesyoumadeabouthowtodealwiththosechallenges,andthesatisfactions–orfrustrations—youexperienced.Whydidyoumakethosechoices?Whydidyoudothisandnotthat?Keepaskingyourselfwhy.Whatdidyoulearnfromreflectingonthesemomentsofchallenge,choice,andoutcome?Howdotheyfeel?Dotheyteachyouanythingaboutyourself,aboutyourfamily,aboutyourpeers,yourcommunity,yournation,yourworldaroundyou—aboutwhatreallymatterstoyou?Whataboutthesestorieswassointriguing?Whichelementsofferedrealperspectiveintoyourownlife?Whatbringsyoutothiscampaign?Whendidyoudecidetoworkonimprovingeducation,forinstance?Why?Whendidyoudecidetovolunteer?Why?Whendidyoudecidetogiveupaweektocometothisworkshop?Why?Manyofusactiveinpublicleadershiphavestoriesofbothlossandhope.Ifwedidnothavestoriesofloss,wewouldnotunderstandthatlossisapartoftheworld;wewouldhavenoreasontotrytofixit.Butwealsohavestoriesofhope.Otherwisewewouldn’tbetryingtofixit.Agoodpublicstoryisdrawnfromtheseriesofchoicepointsthatstructurethe“plot”ofyourlife–thechallengesyoufaced,choicesyoumade,andoutcomesyouexperienced.Challenge:Whydidyoufeelitwasachallenge?Whatwassochallengingaboutit?Whywasityourchallenge?Choice:Whydidyoumakethechoiceyoudid?Wheredidyougetthecourage–ornot?Wheredidyougetthehope–ornot?Howdiditfeel?Outcome:Howdidtheoutcomefeel?Whydiditfeelthatway?Whatdiditteachyou?Whatdoyouwanttoteachus?Howdoyouwantustofeel?


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COACHINGTIPS:STORYOFSELF

Remembertobalancebothpositiveandconstructivecriticalfeedback.Thepurposeofcoachingistolistentothewaystoriesaretoldandthinkofwaysthatthestorytellingcouldbeimproved.DON’Tsimplyoffervague“feelgood”comments.(“Thatwasareallygreatstory!”)DOcoacheachotheronthefollowingpoints:

þ THECHALLENGE:Whatwerethespecificchallengesthestorytellerfaced?Didthestorytellerpaintavividpictureofthosechallenges?

“Whenyoudescribed________,Igotaclearpictureofthechallenge.”

“Iunderstoodthechallengetobe________.Isthatwhatyouintended?”

“Thechallengewasn’tclear.Howwouldyoudescribe________?”

þ THECHOICE:Wasthereaclearchoicethatwasmadeinresponsetoeachchallenge?Howdidthechoicemakeyoufeel?(Hopeful?Angry?)

“Tome,thechoiceyoumadewas_______,anditmademefeel_______.”

“Itwouldbehelpfulifyoufocusedonthemomentyoumadeachoice.”

þ THEOUTCOME:Whatwasthespecificoutcomethatresultedfromeachchoice?Whatdoesthatoutcometeachus?

“Iunderstoodtheoutcometobe_______,anditteachesme_______.Buthowdoesitrelatetoyourworknow?”

þ THEVALUES:Couldyouidentifywhatthisperson’svaluesareandwheretheycamefrom?How?Howdidthestorymakeyoufeel?

“Yourstorymademefeel________because_________.”

“It’sclearfromyourstorythatyouvalue_______;butitcouldbeevenclearerifyoutoldastoryaboutwherethatvaluecomesfrom.”

þ DETAILS:Weretheresectionsofthestorythathadespeciallygooddetailsorimages(e.g.sights,sounds,smells,oremotionsofthemoment)?

“Theimageof________reallyhelpedmeidentifywithwhatyouwerefeeling.”

“Trytellingmoredetailsabout_______sowecanimaginewhatyouwereexperiencing.”


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RecordFeedback/CommentsfromYourTeamMembersHere:

CoachingYourTeam's“StoryofSelf’:Asyouheareachother'sstories,keepingtrackofthedetailsofeachperson’sstorywillhelpyoutoprovidefeedbackandrememberdetailsaboutpeopleonyourteamlater.Usethegridbelowtotrackyourteam'sstoriesinwordsorimages.

N AM E V A L U E S C H A L L E N G E C H O I C E O U T C OM E


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CREATINGSHAREDCOMMITMENT:BUILDINGPOWERTHROUGHRELATIONSHIPS

TowhomamIcommitted?


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BUILDINGPOWERTHROUGHRELATIONSHIPS

WhyBuildRelationships?Organizingvs.Mobilizing

Leadershipbeginswithunderstandingyourself:yourvalues,yourmotivation,yourstory.Butleadershipisaboutenablingotherstoachievepurpose.Thefoundationofthiskindofleadershipistherelationshipsbuiltwithothers,mostespecially,otherswithwhomwecanshareleadership.Leadershipinorganizingisbasedonrelationships.Thisisakeydifferencebetweenmobilizingandorganizing.Whenwemobilizeweaccessanddeployaperson’sresources,forexample,theirtimetoshowupatarally,theirabilityto“click”tosignapetition(ortheirsignature),oftheirmoney.Butwhenweorganizeweareactuallybuildingnewrelationshipswhich,inturn,canbecomeasourcenotonlyofaparticularresource,butofleadership,commitment,imagination,and,ofcourse,morerelationships.Inmobilizing,the“momentoftruth”iswhenweask,canIcountonyoutobethere,giveme$5.00,andsignthepetition.Inorganizingthe“momentoftruth”iswhentwopeoplehavelearnedenoughabouteachother’sinterests,resources,andvaluesnotonlytomakean“exchange”butalsotocommittoworkingtogetheronbehalfofacommonpurpose.Thosecommitments,inturn,cangeneratenewteams,newnetworks,andneworganizationsthat,inturn,canmobilizeresourcesoverandoverandoveragain.

1) Identifying,Recruiting,andDevelopingLeadership:Webuildrelationshipswithpotentialcollaboratorstoexplorevalues,learnaboutresources,discerncommonpurpose,andfindotherswithwhomleadershipresponsibilitycanbeshared.

2) BuildingCommunity:Leaders,inturn,continuallyreachouttoothers,formrelationshipswiththem,expandthecircleofsupport,growmoreresourcesthattheycanaccess,andrecruitpeoplewho,inturn,canbecomeleadersthemselves.

3) TurningResourcesintoPower:Relationshipbuildingdoesn’tendwhenactionstarts.Commitmentishowtoaccessresourcesfororganizing–especiallywhenyoucomeupagainstcompetition,internalconflict,orexternalobstacles.Commitmentisbasedonrelationships,


Tolearnhowtobuildrelationshipstodevelopleadership,communityandpower

Topracticebuildingintentionalrelationshipsthroughtheskillofone-to-oneorganizingconversations

Toidentifycommonvalues,interests,andresourcesamongsttheteam


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whichmustbeconstantly,intentionallynurtured.Themoreothersfindpurposeinjoiningwithyouthemoretheywillcommitresourcesthatyoumayneverhaveknowntheyhad.

CoercionorCommitment?Leadersmustdecidehowtoleadtheirorganizationorcampaign.Willthegluethatholdsthingstogetherbeacommandandcontrolmodelbasedoncoercion?Orwillthegluebevolunteeredcommitment?Ifourlong-termpowerandpotentialforgrowthcomesmorefromvoluntarycommitment,thenweneedtoinvestsignificanttimeandintentionalityinbuildingtherelationshipsthatgeneratethatcommitment—toeachotherandtothegoalsthatbringustogether.Thatrequirestransparent,openandmindfulinteraction,notclosed,reactiveormanipulatingmaneuvers. WhatAreRelationships? þ Relationshipsarerootedinsharedvalues.Wecanidentifyvaluesthatwesharebylearningeach

other’sstories,especially‘choicepoints’inourlifejourneys.Thekeyisasking“why.”

þ Relationshipsgrowoutofexchangesofinterestsandresources.Yourresourcescanaddressmyinterests;myresourcescanaddressyourinterests.Thekeyisidentifyinginterestsandresources.Thismeansthatrelationshipsaredrivenasmuchbydifferenceasbycommonality.Ourcommoninterestmaybeasnarrowassupportingeachotherinpursuitofourindividualinterest,providedtheyarenotinconflict.Organizingrelationshipsarenotsimplytransactional.We’renotsimplylookingforsomeonetomeetour“ask”attheendofaone-to-onemeetingorhousemeeting.We’relookingforpeopletojoinwithusinlong-termlearning,growthandaction.


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þ Relationshipsarecreatedbycommitment.Anexchangebecomesarelationshiponlywheneachpartycommitsaportionoftheirmostvaluableresourcetoit:time.Acommitmentoftimetotherelationshipgivesitafutureand,therefore,apast.Andbecausewecanalllearn,grow,andchange,thepurposesthatledustoformtherelationshipmaychangeaswell,offeringpossibilitiesforenrichedexchange.Infacttherelationshipitselfmaybecomeavaluedresource–whatRobertPutnamcalls“socialcapital.”

þ Relationshipsinvolveconstantattentionandwork.Whennurturedovertime,relationshipsbecomeanimportantsourceofcontinuallearninganddevelopmentfortheindividualsandcommunitiesthatmakeupyourcampaign.Theyarealsoagreatsourceforsustainingmotivationandinspiration.

BuildingIntentionalRelationships:TheOne-on-OneMeeting.

Onewaytoinitiateintentionalrelationshipsistheone-on-onemeeting,atechniquedevelopedbyorganizersovermanyyears.Aone-on-onemeetingconsistsoffive“acts”:

Attention–Wehavetogetanotherperson’sattentiontoconductaone-on-onemeeting.Don’tbe“coy”.Beasupfrontasyoucanbeaboutwhatyourinterestisinthemeeting,butthatfirst,you’dlikeittakeafewmomentstogetacquainted.

Interest–Theremustbeapurposeoragoalinsettingupaone-on-onemeeting.Itcouldrangefrom,“I’mstartinganewnetworkandthoughtyoumightbeinterested”to“I’mstrugglingwithaproblemandIthinkyoucouldhelp”or“IknowyouhaveaninterestinXsoI’dliketodiscussthatwithyou.”

Exploration–Mostoftheone-on-oneisdevotedtoexplorationbyaskingprobingquestionstolearntheotherperson’svalues,interests,andresourcesandbysharingenoughofyourownvalues,interests,andresourcesthatitcanbeatwo-waystreet.

Exchange–Weexchangeresourcesinthemeetingsuchasinformation,support,andinsight.Thiscreatesthefoundationforfutureexchanges.

Commitment–Asuccessfuloneononemeetingendswithacommitment,mostlikelytomeetagain.Byschedulingaspecifictimeforthismeeting,youmakeitarealcommitment.Thegoaloftheone-on-oneisnottogetsomeonetomakeapledge,togivemoney,tocommithisorhervoteasitistocommittocontinuingtherelationship.


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D O D O N ’ T Scheduleatimetohavethisconversation(usually30to60minutes)

Beunclearaboutpurposeandlengthofconversation

Plantolistenandaskquestions Trytopersuaderatherthanlistenandaskquestions

Followthestepsoftheconversationabove Chitchataboutprivateinterests

Shareexperiencesanddeepmotivations Skipstoriesto“gettothepoint”

Shareavisionthatarticulatesasharedsetofinterestsforchange

Misstheopportunitytoshareideasabouthowthingscanchange

Beclearaboutthe‘whenandwhat’ofyournextsteptogether.

Endtheconversationwithoutaclearplanforthenextsteps.


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TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:ONE-ON-ONESPRACTICE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Goals• Practicetheartofthe1-on-1conversationbyusingprobingquestionstodiscernsharedvaluesbased

onlearningeachother’sstories,toidentifyeachother’sinterests,andtodiscoverresourcesthatcouldaddressthoseinterests.

• Discernvaluesyourteamshares,interestsithasincommon,andresourcesatitsdisposal.AGENDATOTALTIME:45min.

1. Gatherinyourteam.Chooseatimekeeperandnote-taker.Reviewtheagendabelow. 3min.

2. Breakintopairs.Practiceaone-on-one:8min.Theorganizerbuildsarelationshipwiththeorganizee.Askquestionsbutdon’tmakeitaninterview!Shareyourlifetoo.Don’textractinformation;buildarelationshipswhilefocusingondrawingoutcommonvalues,sharedinterestsandpotentialresourcesthatcansupportyourteam’scampaign.Makeaclearaskthatisrelatedtoyourteam’scampaign.

2min.Theorganizeeprovidesfeedbackfortheorganizer.Howdidyoufeel?Didyoufeel“networked”ormanipulated?Ordidyoufeelthattheorganizerwasactuallybuildingarelationshipwithyou?Whatdidtheorganizerdowell?Howcantheorganizerimprove?After10minutesswitchrolesListencarefullyandwritethesedownforlater:

• Yourcommonvalues• Yoursharedinterests• Yourskillsandresources

Makeaspecificcommitmenttoeachother.

20min.

3. Gettoknowyourteam. 20min.

Eachpairreportsbackonthefollowingthreequestions:

• Whatdidyoulearnaboutvaluesthatyoushare?• Whatdidyoulearnaboutcommonmotivatinginterestsyoumayhave?• Whatdidyoulearnabouttheresourcesofyourpartnerthatcansupportyourproject?

Askyournote-takertorecordtheseonflipchartpaperforyourwholeteamlikethis:OurCommonValues

OurSharedInterests OurUniqueResources

4. Summarizeyourkeylearning’sfromthisexercise.Whatareyoutakingaway?Selectsomeonetoreporttothelargergroup.Rejointhelargergroup.

2min.


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WORKSHEET:PRACTICE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

ONE-ON-ONEPRACTICE(20min)Chooseapartneryoudon’tknowwell.Learnaboutwhyshe/hehasbeencalledtodothiswork.Probewith“why?”questionstogettochoicepointsandspecificexperiencesthatshapedher/hislife.Shareyourstory.Listentoyourpartner’sstoryforthemotivationsandtheresourcesshebringstothecampaign(leadershipskills,afollowing,actionskills,etc.).Bespecific.

Avoidtalkingaboutissueslikejusticeinanabstractanddetachedway—gettothelivedexperienceofwhyyoucareaboutthespecificsthatyouwanttodosomethingabout.Whatvalueswereyoutaughtthatmakeyoucareaboutthis?Howdidyoulearnthesevalues?Fromwhom?

Whatvaluesdoweshare?Whatinterestscanweactontogether?

Whatskillsandresourcesdoweeachbringtothiswork?Whenwillwemeetagaintotakeactionandtokeepbuildingthisrelationship?

LeadershipResources:Whatskillsdoyouhave?Howdoyouleadothersalreadyinyourlife?Whatwouldyoubewillingtobringtothismovement? _________________ _________________

Hope:Whatmotivatesyoutoacttoorganizeothers?What’syourvisionofhowthingscouldbedifferentifweworktogether? _________________ _________________

Story:What’syourfamilystory?Whatinyourlifebroughtyouheretoday? _________________ _________________

Challenges:Whatkeepsyoufromaction?Whatdoyoufear?Whatwouldyouwanttolearn? _________________ _________________

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REFLECTION:Howdoesthiswayofdoingone-to-onescomparewithothertypesofconversationsyouhave?Howisitdifferentfromaninterview?Howisitdifferentfromasalespitch?Whatwasmostchallengingaboutthatexercise?Howcouldthistypeofrelationship-building(eitherthroughone-on-onesorathousemeetingsormeetings)beusedinorganizinginyourcommunityandcause?

4 1 OriginallyadaptedfromtheworksofMarshallGanz,HarvardUniversityandmodifiedbyAbelR.Cano.

CREATINGSHAREDSTRUCTURE:BUILDINGLEADERSHIPTEAMS

Whatisourpurposeandwhatareournormsandroles?


BUILDINGLEADERSHIPTEAMS

Whydoleadershipteamsmatter?Mosteffectiveleaderscreateteamstoworkwiththemandtoleadwiththem.TakeforexampleMoses,AaronandMiriaminthestoryofExodus,orJesusandthetwelvedisciplesintheNewTestament,orMartinLutherKing,RalphAbernathy,RosaParks,JoAnnRobinsonandEDNixonduringtheMontgomeryBusBoycott.Aleadershipteamoffersastructuredwaytoworktogetherinterdependently,eachpersontakingleadershiponduringpartoftheteam’sactivity.Attheirbestleadershipteamsrecognizeandputtoproductiveusetheuniquetalentsoftheindividualswhomakeuptheteam.Teamstructuresalsohelpcreatestrategiccapacity—theabilitytostrategizecreativelytogetherinwaysthatproducemorevibrant,engagingstrategythananyindividualcouldcreatealone.IntheObamacampaign,thefieldstructurecreatedmultiplelayersofleadershipteamstoengagepeoplecreativelyandstrategicallyatalllevelsofthecampaign.Eachstatehadastateleadershipteamthatcoordinatedregionalleadershipteams(ofRegionalDirectorsandOrganizers),whichcoordinatedlocalneighborhoodleadershipteamsofvolunteerleaders.Ateverylevelthepeopleonleadershipteamshadaclearmissionwithcleargoalsandtheabilitytostrategizecreativelytogetherabouthowtocarryouttheirmissionandmeettheirgoals.Thisstructurecreatedmultiplepointsofentryforvolunteers,andmultipleopportunitiestolearnandtoexerciseleadership.Leadershipteamsprovideafoundationfromwhichanorganizationcanexpanditsreach.Onceateamisformed,systemscanbecreatedtoestablisharhythmofregularmeetings,cleardecisionsandvisibleaccountability,increasingtheorganization’seffectiveness.Onepersonalonecannotorganize500people.Itisbuiltbyfindingpeoplewillingandabletocommittohelpingbuildit,andcreatingrelationshipsandasolidstructurefromwhichitcanbebuilt.


Todevelopanunderstandingofthecorepracticesofsuccessfulleadershipteams

Topracticethoseskillsbydevelopingasharedpurpose,clarifyingteamrolesandresponsibilities,andcreatingnormsandpracticesofcoordination


Sowhydon’tpeoplealwaysworkinteams?Wehaveallbeenpartofvolunteerteamsthathavenotworkedwell.Theyfallintofactions,theyalienateeachother,oralltheworkfallsononeperson.Someaimtokeepthepondsmallsotheycanfeellikebigfish.Somanyofuscometotheconclusion:I’lljustdoitonmyown;Ihatemeetings,justtellmewhattodo;Idon’twantanyresponsibility;justgivemestampstolick.There’sjustoneproblem:wecan’tbecomepowerfulenoughtodowhatweneedtodoifwecan’tevenworktogethertobuildcampaignswecantakeactionon.Thechallengeistocreateconditionsforourleadershipteamsthataremorelikelytogeneratesuccessfulcollaborationandstrategicaction.Whengroupsofpeoplecometogether,conflictisalwayspresent.Effectiveteamsarestructuredinawaytochannelthatconflictinproductiveways,allowingtheteamtoachievethegoalsitneedstowin.Threemeasuresofaneffectiveteam:

1. OUTPUT(WORLD):Thesuccessofyourteamintakingtheactionrequiredtoachieveitsvaluedgoals–winningthegame,winningthecampaign,puttingontheplay,etc.

2. CAPACITY(TEAM):Overtimeyourteamislearninghowtoworkmoreeffectivelyasateam,anddevelopingmoreleadership.

3. LEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENT(INDIVIDUAL):Individualswhoparticipateonyourteamlearnandgrowasaresultoftheirparticipation.

Threeconditionsthatmakefora“real”team.Yourteamisbounded.Youcannamethepeopleonit;theydon’tcomeandgo,whoevershowsupdoesn’thavetheautomaticrighttoparticipateintheteam.Mosthighlyeffectiveteamshavenomorethan4-8members.Yourteamisstable.Itmeetsregularly.It’snotadifferent,randomgroupofpeopleeverytime.Membershipoftheteamremainsconstantlongenoughthattheteamlearnstoworktogetherbetterandbetter;eachmemberisfullycommittedtobeontheteamandcommitsconsistenttimeandefforttoit.Yourteamisinterdependent.Asonanathleticteam,astringquartet,oranairplanecabincrew,thecontributionthateachpersonmakesiscriticaltothesuccessofthewhole.Teammembershaveavitalinterestineachother’ssuccess,lookingforwaystooffersupport.


Threestepstolaunchinganeffectiveteam:purpose,groundrules,androles.Youhaveashared–andengaging–purpose.Youareclearonwhatyouhavecreatedyourteamtodo(purpose),whoyouwillbedoingitwith(constituency),andwhatkindsofactivitiesyourteamwillparticipatein.Theworkyouhavetodoisreadilyunderstood,it’schallenging,itmattersandyouknowwhyitmatters.Teammembersneedtobeabletoarticulateforthemselvesandothersthis"purpose".Youhavecreatedclearinterdependentroles.Eachteammembermusthavetheirownresponsibility,theirown“chunk”ofthework,onwhichthesuccessofthewholedepends.Nooneiscarryingoutactivityinasilothat’ssecretivetoothers.Agoodteamwillhaveadiversityofidentities,experiencesandopinions,ensuringthateveryoneisbringingthemostpossibletothetable.Yourteamhasexplicitgroundrules.Yourteamsetsclearexpectationsforhowtogovernitselfinyourworktogether.Howwillyoumanagemeetings,regularcommunication,decisions,andcommitments?And,mostimportantly,howwillyoucorrectground-ruleviolationssotheyremainrealgroundrules?Teamswithexplicitoperatingrulesaremorelikelytoachievetheirgoals.Someteamnormsareoperational,suchashowoftenwillwemeet?Howwillweshareandstoredocuments?Communicatewithothersoutsidetheteam?etc.Othersaddressexpectationsformemberinteractionwitheachother.Initialnormsguideyourteaminitsearlystagesasmemberslearnhowtoworktogether.Normscanberefinedthroughregulargroupreviewofhowwelltheteamisdoing.


TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:BUILDINGYOURTEAM

Goals

• Decideonacontextfortheworkshop,basedonyourpre-writtenproposals.• Developyourteampurpose.• Identifythenormsyouwillpracticeasateam,includingadecision-makingnorm.• Defineyourleadershiproles.Thendiscusstherolesrelativetothetalentsofthoseinyourteam.


1. Gatherandreviewagenda.Chooseatimekeeperforthissession. 2min.

2. Decidingonacontext(15mintotal):a.Reviewyoursharedvalues,interestsandresourceschartfromtheprevioussession.b.Identifythecriteriayouwillusetodecideonacontextforthisworkshop.c.Revieweachother’sproposalsandchooseacontextforyourteam.

2min.3min.10min.

3. Developyoursharedpurposeusingtheworksheetthatfollows.Reviewyoursharedinterestsfromthelastsession,andfocusonhowyouasateamwillworktogetheronyourcampaign.

25min.

4.

Decideoncollaborativenormsthatwillenableyoutofunctionwithsharedcommitment.Usetheworksheetthatfollows.

10min.

5.

Determineteamroles.Brainstormpossibleresponsibilitiesasyouworktogetherbeyondthisworkshop.Forexample,whowillcoordinatethemeetings?Talkabouthowtheserolesmightmatchupwiththetalentsofthoseonyourteam.Seeanexampleofteamrolesbelow.

10min.

6.

7.

Createateamnameandchant.Rejointhelargergroup.

5min.3min.

**Bepreparedtopresentyourteampurpose,nameandchantin2min.tothelargergroup.


WORKSHEET: DEVELOPING SHARED PURPOSE

SHAREDPURPOSE(25minutes)Therearefourpartstothisexercise.Inthefirstpart,asindividuals,youwilltake5minutestoclarifyyourownthinkingaboutwhatthepurposeofyourteamcouldbeasyouworkonacampaigntogether.Inthesecondpart,asateam,youwilltake10minutestoshareyourideas,lookforthecommonfocus,anddiscernapurposeyoucanallsupport.Youthenhave5moreminutestowriteanewsentencethatyouthinkcapturesthesenseofyourteam.Andfinally,asateam,youwillhave5moreminutestoconsiderthesecondroundofsentencesanddecideononethatbestarticulatesyourteam’sperspective.PartI:IndividualWork(5minutes)

þ Inthefirstcolumn,basedontheworkyoudidoncommoninterestsandvaluesintherelationshipsession,writedowntheuniquegoalorgoalsofyourteam.

þ Inthesecondcolumn,writedownwhomyourteamserves:Whatarethepeoplelikeand

whataretheirinterests?þ Inthethirdcolumn,writedownthekindsofactivitiesthatyourteamcouldengageintofulfill

itspurposebyservingthiscommunity?Whatistheuniqueworkthatyourteamcoulddo?

Ourteam’ssharedpurposeisto(brieflydescribeyourteam’suniquereasonforcomingtogether)

Theconstituencyweorganizeis(brieflydescribeyourconstituency’scharacteristics)

Wewillachieveoursharedpurposeby(listthespecificactivitiesthatyourteamwouldundertake.)


Afterbrainstorminganswerstoallthreequestions,takeafewmomentstowriteasentencethatyouthinkbestdescribesyourteam’spurpose,it’sconstituency,anditsactivities.Drawonallthreecolumnsabove.Examplesofasharedpurposesentence:

WesharethepurposeofeducationalequitybyorganizingBostonstudentstocreatetheirownadvocacyorganizationbyprovidingthemwithcoaching,training,andmentoring

Ourteam’ssharedpurposeisto

Part2:TeamWork(10minutes)

Aseachpersonreadshisorhersentencethefacilitatornotesthekeywordsonthewallposterunderpurpose,constituency,orwork.Notespecificwordstowhichyourespond,thatsparkyourcuriosity,orthatgiveyouenergy.Whenyouaredone,yourfacilitatorcirclesthewordsthatseemtoresonatemoststronglywithyourteam.

Part3:IndividualWork(5minutes)

Inlightofwhatyoulearnedfromthelastsession,writeanewsentencethatyouthinkcanarticulateasharedpurpose,usingsomeofthekeywordsandthemes.

Ourteam’ssharedpurposeisto

Part4:TeamWork(5minutes)Wewillreadoursentencesagainandchoose–orcombine–onethatcanbestarticulatethesharedsenseofyourteam.


WORKSHEET:DEVELOPING TEAM NORMS

TEAMNORMS/EXPECTATIONS(10minutes)Reviewthesampleteamnormsbelow.Add,subtractormodifytocreatenormsforyourteam.Besuretoincludegroupnormsoneachthemebelowandhowyouwillselfcorrectifthenormisbroken.(Ifyoudon’tselfcorrect,thenewnormwillbebreakingthenorms.)Decision-making:Whatistheprocessbywhichwewillmakedecisions?

-Majorityrules:Whatevergetsthemostvoteswins.-Consensus:Everyonemustagree.-Delegation:Nominateoneortwopeopleonyourteamtobetheultimatedecision-makers.-Coinflip:Leavethedecisiontofate!-Other:DiscussionandDecision-making:Howwewilldiscussoptionsandreachdecisionsasateamtoensurevigorousinputanddebate?AlwaysDoEngageinopen,honestdebateAskopen-endedquestionsBalanceadvocacywithinquiry

NeverDoEngageinpersonalattacksFailtolistentowhatotherssayJumptoconclusions

MeetingManagement:Howwillwemanagemeetingstorespecteachother’stime?AlwaysDoStartontime;stayontimeBefullypresentthroughoutthemeeting

NeverDoCometomeetingsunpreparedAnswercellphonesordoemail

Accountability:Howwewilldelegateresponsibilitiesforactionsandactivities?Howwillwefollowthroughoncommitments?

AlwaysDoClarifyunderstandingProvidefollow-uponactionitemsAskfor/offersupportwhenthereisaneedWeeklycheck-in

NeverDoAssumeyouhaveagreementAssumetasksaregettingdoneCommittoataskthatyouknowyouwon’tdo

Howwillyou"selfcorrect"ifnormsarenotfollowed?**Teamsworkbestwhenyouhavearegular,reliabletimetocoordinatetogether.Whatwillyourteam’sregularmeetingtimeandplacebe?


WORKSHEET: DEVELOPING TEAM ROLES

UnderstandingTeamRoles(10min.):ReviewtheTeamCoordinatorrolebelowasanexampleofwhatrolesmightlooklikeinyourindividualcampaigns.Thinkingabouthowyoushouldorganizethenextevent/meeting,discusshowyourroleswouldfittogethertocreateaninterdependentleadershipteamthatsupportsoneanotherinyourindividualprojects.Whatwouldeachrolehavetobegoodat?Basedonthediscussionabouttheroles,goaroundthecircleandaskeachpersontotellothers:1)whatexperienceandtalentstheyhavethatmightcontributetotheleadershipteamand2)whatspecificallytheywanttolearninmoredetail(30secondseach).Howmightthesetalentsmatchuptoparticularroles?Arethereanyclear“fits”?

Note:Theseteamrolesshouldnotbeseenaspermanent.Fortheteamtobestrong,allleadersshouldhavetoearnleadershipbycarryingoutresponsibilitiesrelevanttotheroletheyseek.

Role Responsibilities Youwouldbegoodforthisroleifyou...

InterestedTeammembers&RelatedSkills/Talents

TeamCoordinator

Coordinatetheworkoftheleadershipteam.Prepareformeetings,givesupportandcoachingtotheteam.


TEAMNAMEandCHANT(5minutes)TEAMROSTER

NAMEPHONE EMAILADDRESS


CREATINGSHAREDSTORY:STORYOFUS

Whoisthiscommunityandwhatarewecalledtodo?


INTRODUCTIONTOSTORYOFUS

WhatisaStoryofUs?Youtellastoryofselftoenableothersto“getyou”–toexperiencethevaluesthatcallyoutopubliclife.Youtella“storyofus”toenablethemto“geteachother”-toexperiencethevaluestheysharethatcaninspirethemtoacttogether,findcourageineachother,andfindhopeintheirsolidarity.Inotherwords,the“us”thatthestorytellerbringsaliveisbasedlessonwhat“category”describesthem(race,gender,language,etc.),a“categoricalus”,thanvaluesthesharerootedincommonexperience,an“experientialus.”Bylearningtotellastoryofusyoucanbringthosevaluesaliveasasourceofsolidarity,hope,andthemotivationtoact.CraftingaStoryofUs.Onewaypeopledeveloptheirsenseof“usness”isbysharingstoriesthatcelebratevaluestheyshare.Theymaysharestoriesoffamily,community,faithtradition,schoollife,profession,movements,organizationalhappenings,nationalexperience,generationalmoments,culturalevents,orevenglobaloccurrences.But,asstories,they’reaboutourexperienceofthesemoments,challengeswefaced,obstaclesweovercame,ordidn’t,valueswetested,orthattestedus,andlessonswelearnedthatmadeuswhoweare.Thecharacterinthestoryofusisthepeopleyouaremotivatingtoact.Ourstoryofselfisinterwovenwithstorieswesharewithothersthroughcommunitiesweareapartof,whichhavestoriesoftheirown.Theseincludestoriesofourfamily,community,faithtradition,school,profession,movements,organizations,nationsand,perhapsworld.Itisthroughsharedstoriesthatweestablishtheidentitiesandexpressthevaluesofthecommunitiesinwhichweparticipate(family,faith,nation)andofnewcommunitiesweareforming(newsocialmovements,neworganizations,newneighborhoods).


Tolearnhowtotellthestoryofourcommunityinawaythatreflectsoursharedvalues,hopes,andexperiences

EachparticipantpracticestellingaStoryofUsandgetsfeedbackontheirstory


Tellinga"storyofus"requireslearninghowtoputintonarrativeformexperiencesthe“us”intheroomshare,that“liftup”thevaluesonwhichyouwillbechallengingthemtoact.Thisstoryofusmaywellreachbeyondthepeopleintheroom,drawinginawiderrangeofexperience,andlargerstoriesofus,buttobeeffectiveitmustberootedintheexperienceofthepeopleintheroom.TheStoryofUsintheRoomAlthoughthereachofastoryofusmayextendfarbeyond“peopleintheroom”itbecomesrealonlyintheexperienceofthe“peopleintheroom”–ornot.Thetestissimple.Asweheardthisstorydidwebegintofeellikeanus?Theexperienceofsharedvaluesmaygrowoutofstoriesofhistoricmomentsweremember,orhaveheardof;theymightbestoriesoflifeeventslikehavingchildren,storiesoffindingoutyouwereacceptedtothisprogram;storiesofwhathappenedthefirsttimeyoumet,orlastnight,orthismorning.And,likeallstories,themoredetailed,themorespecific,andhemorevisualtheyare,themoreeffectivetheywillbe.Whatwerethenamesofthepeopleinvolved?Whatdidtheylooklike?Howweretheydifferent?Sometimesstoriesofusemphasizeobviousdifferencesinrace,religion,gender,age,forexample,mayactuallyhighlightcommonalityofvaluesorcommonpurpose.LinkingStoryofSelfandStoryofUsAstoryofselftellspeoplewhoyouareandwhyyouarecalledtodotheworkthatyouaredoing.Thegoalisforthemto“getyou”,toconnectwithyou.Sinceorganizingisaboutbuildingpowerwithothersforsharedaction,yourpublicnarrativealsoneedstotellastoryofthevaluessharedbythosewhomyouhopetomovetocollectiveaction.Thetestofastoryofusiswhetherornotthey“get”theirconnectionwitheachother.


NarrativeStructure:Challenge,Choice,OutcomeRememberthestorystructureweintroducedintellingyourStoryofSelf?JustlikeinyourStoryofSelf,yourStoryofUshasaclearchallenge,choiceandoutcome:TheChallenge:Thechallengesyourcommunityhasfacedinthepast,orfacesnow(maderealwithstories,images,anddetails,notstatistics).TheOutcome(hope):Storieswithvividimagesthatremindyourcommunityofwhatyou’veachieved.Yourownexperiencesofhope,experiencesthatpointtoyourfuture.TheChoice:Forastorytobeastory,itcentersona“choice”.Inastoryofus,thatchoiceisonethatmetchallengewithaction,andthuscanbeasourceofhope.Foundingstoriesrecountchoicesmadebythosewhoinitiatedthecommunity,enablingustoexperiencethevaluesthatmotivatedthem.Choicesmadebypeopleinthecourseoftheworkshop–totakerisks,tobeopentolearning,etc.–canbecomepartofthe‘storyofus”oftheworkshop.StoriesofuscanbegintoshiftpowerrelationshipsbybuildingnewcommunityandnewcapacityOftenafterwe’veheardothers’storiesofselfandwe’vestartedbuildingrelationshipstogetherwediscoverthatwefacesimilarchallengesthatarerootedinverydeepsystemsofpowerinequality.LearningtotellstoriesofUsisawaytobegintojoinourstoriestogetherandacknowledgethosesharedchallengesandtherootsoftheproblemasacommunity.Howeveragoodstoryofusdoesn’tjustconveytherootofourchallenges,butalsoliftsupourheroes,andstoriesofevensmallsuccesses.Thosestoriesgiveushopethatifwecometogetherandtakeactionasacommunitywecanuprootsomeoftheunderlyingcausesofoursuffering.


VIDEOREVIEW:SUSANCHRISTOPHER

We'llbewatching3minutesofSusanChristopher’sStoryofUs.Asyouwatchit,focusontheelementsoftheStoryofUsthatyouhearinherstory.

CHALLENGE

CHOICE OUTCOME

Whoisthe“us”towhomsheappeals?Howdoesshearticulatethegroup’schallenge?Whatimagesdoesshecreate?

Whatmomentsofchoicedoessherecall?Whatarethevalues?

Wheredoesshelocatethesourceofhope?Whatistheoutcomeofthecommunity’schoices?

1. WhydoesSusanChristopherbeginasshedoes?

2. Whatchallenge,choice,andoutcomeareatthecoreofthestoryshetells?

3. Whatdetails,images,momentsdoesherstorybringalive?

4. Whatvaluesdoesherstorycommunicate?


TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:STORYOFUSPRACTICE

Goals• DevelopaStoryofUs.Learnhowtocommunicatethecorevaluesofthecommunityyou’re

buildingthatcaninspireotherstoidentifywitheachotherincommonaction.• Coachothers’storiesbylisteningcarefully,offeringfeedback,andaskingquestions.


1. Gatherinyourteam.Nominateonepersontobeatimekeeper.

2min.

2. Takesometimeasagrouptobrainstormthe“Us.”Usetheworksheetthatfollows.

3. TakesometimeasindividualstosilentlydevelopyourStoryofUs.Howdoesyourstoryrelatetothestoryofyourpeersinthisprogram?Whatsharedvaluesdotheyevoke?Usetheworksheetthatfollows.

5min.5min.

4. Asateam,goaroundthegroupandtellyourstoryone-by-one.Usetheworksheetthatfollowsasscratchpaperforyourfeedback.• 2minutestotellyourStoryofUs• 3minutestoreceivefeedbackfromthegroup

25min.

5. Facilitatorinvitessomeonetotelltheirstoryofustothelarger

group.Rejointhelargergroup.**NOTE:Youhave2minutestotellyourstory.Sticktothislimit.Makesurethetimekeepercutsyouoff.Itencouragesfocusandensureseveryonehasachance.

3min.


WORKSHEET:DEVELOPINGYOURSTORYOFUS

Thepurposeofthestoryofusistocreateasenseofcommunityamongindividualswhomayormaynotyetseethemselvesasacommunityandtogivethemhopethattheycanmakeadifference.Itbuildsonsharedexperiencesandoutcomesofpreviousactionstoestablishthecontextinwhichtotakefutureaction.Yourgoalhereistotellastorythatevokesoursharedvaluesasyouraudience,andshowswhyweinparticulararecalledtotakeresponsibilityforactionnow.Yourstoryofusmaybeastoryofwhatwe’vealreadydonetogether(commonexperiences),challengeswe’vealreadyfacedandoutcomeswe’veachieved.Oritmaybeastoryofsomeofoursharedheroes,challengestheyfacedandoutcomesthey’veachieved.Hearinghowwe’vemetchallengesinthepastgivesushopethatwecanfacenewchallengestogether.Brainstormallthestoriesyouknowofaboutyouraudienceandyourcollectivestoryandexperience.Yourstoryofusmaychangeeachtimeyouaretalkingtoadifferentgroupofpeopleasyoucreatenewcommunitywiththem.AsaGROUP,brainstormthroughthefollowingquestions(5min):Whatmeaningfulexperienceshaveindividualsintheroomshared?Theseshouldbeevents(notcharacteristics)thatyourgroupcouldfeelconnectedwith,whethertheyoccurredbeforeorduringthisworkshop.

Whichspecificsharedexperiencesofthiscommunityexpressthosevalues?Theseshouldbeevents(notcharacteristics)frombeforeorduringthetimethatthisgrouphasbeentogether.

Whatarethechallengesinthesestories?Whatarethesourcesofhopeinthesestories?


INDIVIDUALWORKNow,onyourown,chooseafewofthestoriesyoubrainstormedabovetofleshoutinvividdetail.Remember,youcanusethisspacetodrawpicturesinsteadofwritingwords,tohelpyouthinkaboutwheretoadddetailandnuanceinyourstory.(5min.)CHALLENGEWhatwasthechallengewefaced?What’stherootofthatchallenge?

CHOICEWhatspecificchoicedidwemake?Whatactiondidwetake?

OUTCOMEWhathappenedasaresultofourchoice?Whathopecanitgiveus?

EACHSTORYTELLERSHOULD:

Ø SELF–Startyourstoryinacoupleofsentences(ExamplesofsentencesthatcouldcreatethespaceforanUS-Icareabout becauseofmyownlivedexperience,beforeIcamehere,IthoughtIwasalone)

Ø US–TAKETWOMINUTEStotellyourstoryofUSasitrelatestothepeopleyouaretalkingwiththatconnectstoyoursharedvalues.CreatethespaceforanASKbyevokingasharedvalue,experience,urgency


COACHINGTIPS:STORYOFUS

RemembertostartwithpositivefeedbackFIRSTandthenmoveintowhatcouldbeimproved.Focusonaskingquestionsinsteadofgivingadvice.Thepurposeistocoach,notjudgeorcriticize;listenfullytoofferwaysthatthestorytellingcouldbeimproved.CoachingQuestions

1. INTERWEAVINGSELFANDUS:Didthestoryofselfrelatetothestoryofus?Ifso,whatwasthecommonthread?

2. THEUS:Whoisthe“us”inthestory?Doyoufeelincludedinthe“us”?

“Couldyoufocusmoreontheexperiencesweasasmallgroupsharedtodaythatreflectourvalues?Forinstance, .”

3. THECHALLENGE:Whatwerethespecificchallengesthestorytellerfaced?Howwerethose

challengesmadevivid?“Iunderstoodthechallengetobe________.Isthatwhatyouintended?”

4. THECHOICE:Wasthereaclearchoicethatwasmadeinresponsetoeachchallenge?How

didthechoicemakeyoufeel?(Hopeful?Angry?)“Tome,thechoiceyoumadewas_______,anditmademefeel_______.”

5. THEOUTCOME:Whatwasthespecificoutcomethatresultedfromeachchoice?What

doesthatoutcometeachus?“Iunderstoodtheoutcometobe_______,andittaughtme_______.”

6. THEVALUES:Couldyouidentifywhatthiscommunity’svaluesareandhowthiscommunity

hasactedonthosevaluesinthepast?How?“Yourstorymademeseethatwevalue________because_________.”

7. DETAILS:Weretheresectionsofthestorythathadespeciallygooddetailsorimages(e.g.

sights,sounds,smells,oremotionsofthemoment)?“Theimageof________reallyhelpedmefeelwhatyouwerefeeling.”


WORKSHEET: COACHING YOUR TEAMMATES’ STORIES OF US

RecordFeedback/CommentsfromYourTeamMembersOnYourStoryHere:

CoachingYourTeam's“StoryofUs”:Asyouheareachother'sstories,keepingtrackofthedetailsofeachperson’sstorywillhelpyoutoprovidefeedbackandrememberdetailsaboutpeopleonyourteamlater.Usethegridbelowtotrackyourteam'sstories.N AM E V A L U E S C H A L L E N G E C H O I C E O U T C OM E


CREATINGSHAREDSTRATEGY

Howdowecreativelystrategize?


S T R A T E G Y

Whenyoustructuredyourleadershipteamyoudecidedonasharedpurpose:youroverallmission,yourconstituency,andthekindofactivitiesyou’llundertake.ThechallengenowistostrategizejustHOWyouwillcarryoutthatpurpose.

Thefirststepistoidentifythepeoplewhomyouareorganizing,yourconstituency,andmapouttheotherrelevantactors.Thesecondstepistocomeupwiththegoalofyourorganizingeffort:whatexactlyistheproblemisyouhopetosolve,howwouldtheworldlookdifferentifitweresolved,whyhasn’tthatproblembeensolved,whatwouldittaketosolveit,andtowardwhatclear,observable,andmotivationalgoalcouldmembersofyourconstituencyfocustheirworktogetstarted,buildtheircapacity,anddeveloptheirleadership?Thethirdstepistofigureouthowyourconstituencycouldturnresourcesithasintothepoweritneedstoachievethatgoal:whattacticscouldituse,howcouldtheytargettheirefforts,andhowwouldtheytimetheircampaign.Strategyis“turningresourcesyouhaveintothepoweryouneedtogetwhatyouwant-yourgoal.• StrategicGoal(whatyouwant):Thegoalisaclear,measurablepointthatallowsyoutoknowif

you’vewonorlost,andthatmeetsthechallengeyourconstituencyfaces.

• Power(whatyouneed):tacticsthroughwhichyoucanturnyourresourcesintothecapacityyouneedtoachieveyourgoal.

• Resources(whatyourconstituencyhas):time,money,skills,relationships,etc.HowStrategyWorksStrategyisMotivated:What’stheproblem?Wearenaturalstrategists.Weconceivepurposes,encounterobstaclesinachievingthosepurposes,andwefigureouthowtoovercomesthoseobstacles.Butbecausewearealsocreaturesofhabit,weonlystrategizewhenwehaveto:whenwehaveaproblem,somethinggoeswrong,somethingforcesachangeinourplans.That’swhenwepayattention,takealookaround,anddecidewehavetodosomethingdifferently.Justasouremotionalunderstandinginhabitsthestorieswetell,ourcognitiveunderstandinginhabitsthestrategywedevise.


• Tolearnanactor-centeredapproachtostrategizing.

• Tobegindevisingstrategyforacommunityorganizingproject.


StrategyisCreative:Whatcanwedoabouttheproblem?Strategyrequiresdevelopinganunderstandingofwhytheproblemhasn’tbeensolved,aswellasatheoryofhowtosolveit,atheoryofchange.Moreoverbecausethosewhoresistchangeoftenhaveaccesstomoreresources,thosewhoseekchangeoftenhavetobemoreresourceful.Wehavetousethisresourcefulnesstocreatethecapacity–thepower–togettheproblemsolved.It’snotsomuchaboutgetting“more”resourcesasitisaboutusingone’sresourcessmartlyandcreatively.

StrategyisaVerb:Howcanweadaptaswelearntosolvetheproblem? Therealactioninstrategyis,asAlinskyputit,inthereaction–byotheractors,theopposition,andthechallengesandopportunitiesthatemergealongtheway.Whatmakesit“strategy”andnot“reaction”isthemindfulnesswecanbringtobearonourchoicesrelativetowhatwewanttoachieve,likeapotterinteractingwiththeclayonthewheel,asMintzbergdescribesit.Althoughourgoalmayremainconstant,strategizingrequiresongoingadaptationofcurrentactiontonewinformation.Somethingworkedbetterthanweexpected.Somethingdidnotworkthatwehadexpected.Thingschange.Somepeopleopposeussowehavetorespond.Launchingacampaignonlybeginstheworkofstrategizing.Thisisonereasonyourleadershipteamshouldincludeafulldiversityoftheskills,accesstoinformationandinterestsneededtoachieveyourgoal.Wecallthis“strategiccapacity.”Sostrategyisnotasingleevent,butanongoingprocesscontinuingthroughoutthelifeofaproject.Weplan,weact,weevaluatetheresultsofouraction,weplansomemore,weactfurther,evaluatefurther,etc.Westrategize,asweimplement,notpriortoit.

StrategyisSituated:HowcanIconnecttheviewinthevalleywiththeviewfromthemountains?Strategyunfoldswithinaspecificcontext,theparticularitiesofwhichreallymatter.Oneofthemostchallengingaspectsofstrategizingisthatitrequiresbothamasteryofthedetailsofthe“arena”inwhichitisenactedandtheabilitytogouptothetopofthemountainandgetaviewofthewhole.ThepowerofimaginativestrategizingcanonlyberealizedwhenrootedwithinanunderstandingofthetreesANDtheforest.Onewaytocreatethe“arenaofaction”isbymappingthe“actors”arethatpopulatethatarena.


K E Y S T R A T E G I C Q U E S T I O N S

1. WhoaremyPEOPLE?

2. WhatCHANGEdotheyseek?(Goal)

3. WherecantheygetthePOWER?(TheoryofChange)

4. WhichTACTICScantheyuse?

5. WhatistheirTIMELINE?

S T E P O N E : W H O A R E M Y P E O P L E ?

ConstituencyConstituentsarepeoplewhohaveaneedtoorganize,whocancontributeleadership,cancommitresources,andcanbecomeanewsourceofpower.Itmakesabigdifferencewhetherwethinkofpeoplewithwhomweworkasconstituents,clients,orcustomers.Constituents(fromtheLatinfor“standtogether”)associateonbehalfofcommoninterests,commitresourcestoactingonthoseinterests,andhaveavoiceindecidinghowtoact.Clients(fromtheLatinfor“onewholeansonanother”)haveaninterestinservicesothersprovide,donotcontributeresourcestoacommoneffort,nordotheyhaveavoiceindecisions.Customers(atermderivedfromtrade)haveaninterestingoodsorservicesthatasellercanprovideinexchangeforresourcesinwhichheorshehasaninterest.Theorganizersjobistoturnacommunity–peoplewhosharecommonvaluesorinterests–intoaconstituency–peoplewhocanactonbehalfofthosevaluesorinterests.Leadership Althoughyourconstituencyisthefocusofyourwork,yourgoalasanorganizeristodrawuponleadershipfromwithinthatconstituency–thepeoplewithwhomyouworktoorganizeeveryoneelse.Theirwork,likeyourown,isto“acceptresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievepurposeinthefaceofuncertainty.”Theyfacilitatetheworkmembersoftheirconstituencymustdotoachievetheirsharedgoals,representtheirconstituencytoothers,andareaccountabletotheirconstituency.Yourworkwiththeseleadersistoenablethemtolearnthefiveorganizingpracticesyouarelearning:relationshipbuilding,storytelling,structuring,strategizing,andaction.Bydevelopingtheirleadershipyou,asanorganizer,notonlycangetto“gettoscale.”Youarealsocreatingnewcapacityforaction–power–withinyourconstituency.Forthepurposeofthisexerciseyourgrouphereisyourleadershipteam.OppositionInpursuingtheirinterests,constituentsmayfindthemselvestobeinconflictwithinterestsofotherindividualsororganizations.Anemployers’interestinmaximizingprofit,forexample,mayconflictwithanemployees'interestinearningacomfortablewage.Atobaccocompany'sinterestsmayconflictnotonlywiththoseofanti-smokinggroups,butofthepublicingeneral.Astreetgang'sinterestsmayconflictwiththoseofachurchyouthgroup.TheinterestsofaRepublicanCongressional


candidateconflictwiththoseoftheDemocraticcandidateinthesamedistrict.Attimes,however,oppositionmaynotbeimmediatelyobvious,emergingclearlyonlyinthecourseofacampaign.

SupportersPeoplewhoseinterestsarenotdirectlyorobviouslyaffectedmayfindittobeintheirinteresttobackanorganization’sworkfinancially,politically,voluntarily,etc.Althoughtheymaynotbepartoftheconstituency,theymaysitongoverningboards.Forexample,Churchorganizationsandfoundationsprovidedagreatdealofsupportforthecivilrightsmovement.CompetitorsandCollaboratorsTheseareindividualsororganizationswithwhichwemaysharesomeinterests,butnotothers.Theymaytargetthesameconstituency,thesamesourcesofsupport,orfacethesameopposition.Twounionstryingtoorganizethesameworkforcemaycompeteorcollaborate.Twocommunitygroupstryingtoservethesameconstituencymaycompeteorcollaborateintheirfundraising.OtherActorsTheseareindividualsandactorswhomayhaveagreatdealofrelevancetotheproblemathand,butcouldcontributetosolvingit,ormakingithardertosolve,inmanydifferentways.Thisincludesthemedia,thecourts,thegeneralpublic,forexample.Mappingtheactorscanhelpusidentifythosewhomayberesponsiblefortheproblemourconstituencyfaces,wheretheycanfindallies,andwhoelsehasaninterestinthesituation.S T E P T W O : W H A T C H A N G E D O T H E Y S E E K : G O A L S ?

Wethenmustdecideonastrategicgoalforourcampaignbyaskingwhatexactlytheproblemis,howtheworldmightlookifitweresolved,whyithasn’tbeensolved,andwhatitwouldtaketosolveit.What’stheproblem?Whatexactlyistheproblem,inrealterms,intermsofpeople’severydaylife?Brainstormyourteamsunderstandingofwhattheproblemiswithasmuchspecificityaspossible.Digintoitandgobeyondtheacceptedanswers.Howwouldtheworldlookdifferentiftheproblemweresolved?Whathappensifwefailtoact?Whatisthe“nightmare”thatawaits–ormayalreadybehere?Ontheotherhand,whatcouldtheworld look like ifwedoact?What’sourrealistic“dream”,apossibilitythatcouldbecomereality?Whyhasn’ttheproblembeensolved?Iftheworldwouldlooksomuchbetterforourpeopleiftheproblemweresolved,whyhasn’titbeensolved?Hasnoonethoughtofit?Didpeopletry,butfoundtheyweremeetingtoomuchresistance?


Didpeoplenotknowhow?Didtheylackinformation?Didtheylacktechnology?Wouldsolvingtheproblemthreateninterestspowerfulenoughtoderailtheattempts?Whatwouldittaketosolvetheproblem?Moreinformation?Greaterawareness?Newtools?Betterorganization?Bettercommunication?Morepower?Whatchangesbywhatpeoplewouldberequiredfortheproblemtobesolved?What’sthegoal?Towardwhatgoalcanweworkthatmaynotsolvethewholeproblem,butthatcouldgetuswellontheway:itwouldmakearealchange,couldbuildourcapacity,couldmotivateothers,couldcreateafoundationforwhatcomesnext.Noonecampaigncansolveeverything,butunlesswecanfocusoureffortsonaclearoutcomeweriskwastingpreciousresourcesinwaysthatwon’tmoveustowardsourultimategoal.Herearesomecriteriatoconsiderforamotivational,strategicorganizingcampaigngoal—onethatbuildsleadershipandpower:

1) SpecificFocus:It’sconcrete,measurable,andmeaningful.Ifyourconstituentswin,achievingthisgoalwillresultinvisible,significantchangeintheirdailylives.Thisisthedifferencebetween“ourgoalistowinreproductivejustice”and“ourgoalistoensurethateverystudenthasaccesstofree,roundtheclockcontraceptiononourcampus.”Wemakeprogressonthefirstonebyturningitintosomethingthatcanbeachievedbymovingspecificdecisionmakerstoreallocateresourcesinspecificways.Yourconstituencywillneedthisfocustomoveintoaction.

2) Motivational:Ithasthemakingsofagoodstory.Thegoalisrootedinvaluesimportanttoyourconstituency,requirestakingonarealchallenge,andstretchesyourresources:Itisn’tsomethingyoucanwintomorrow.ThinkDavidandGoliath.

3) Leverage:Itmakesthemostofyourconstituency’sstrengths,experienceandresources,butisoutsidethestrengths,experienceandresourcesofyouropponent.

4) BuildsCapacity:Itrequiresdevelopingleadershipwhocanorganizetheirownconstituencytoenhancethepowerofyourorganization.Itoffersmultiplelocaltargetsorpointsofentryandorganization.

5) Contagious:itcouldbeemulatedbyotherspursuingsimilargoals.Thispyramidchartoffersawaytothinkaboutwherethegoalofyourcampaigncanbenestedwithinalargermissioninscopeorinscale.Ateverylevel,strategyrequiresimagininganoutcome,assessingresourcesavailabletoachievethatoutcome,and,inlightofthecontext,devisingatheoryofchange:howtoturnthoseresourcesintothepowerneededtoachievethatoutcome,atheorythatisenactedthroughtactics,timing,andtargeting.Inthebusboycott,planningtheinitialmeetingrequiredstrategizingasmuchasfiguringouthowtosustain


thecampaignforthelonghaul.Itislikelydifferentpeopleareresponsiblefordifferentstrategicscopeatdifferentlevelsofanorganizationorfordifferenttimeperiods,butgoodstrategyisrequiredateverylevel.Afteragreeinguponcriteria thatmake foragood strategicgoal in your context,brainstormagain,generatingasmanypossiblegoalsasyoucan.Thenevaluate themeachagainst thecriteriayou’veestablished.Thencomeupwithan“if-thensentence”, imaginingwaysyourconstituentscouldusetheirresourcestoshiftpowerinordertoachievetheirgoals.S T E P 3 : W H E R E C A N T H E Y G E T T H E P O W E R : T H E O R Y O F C H A N G E ? Figuringouthowtoachieveastrategicgoal–orevenwhatgoalisworthtryingtoachieve-requiresdevelopinga“theoryofchange?Weallmakeassumptionsabouthowchangehappens.Somepeoplethink that sharing informationwidely enough (or “raise awareness”) about a problemwill changethings. Otherscontendthat ifwe justgetall the“stakeholders” intothesameroomandtalkwitheachotherswe’lldiscoverthatwehavemoreincommonthanthatseparatesusandthatwillsolvetheproblem.Stillothersthinkwejustneedtobesmarteraboutfiguringoutthesolution.Communityorganizersfocusonthecommunity,theirconstituency,becausetheybelievethatunlessthecommunityitselfdevelopsitsowncapacitytosolvetheproblem,itwon’tremainsolved.Anotherword for “capacity” is “power” or, as Dr. King defined it “the ability to achieve purpose.” Powergrowsoutoftheinfluencethatwecanhaveoneachother.Ifyourinterestinmyresourcesisgreaterthanmyinterestinyourresources,Igetsomepoweroveryou–soIcanuseyourresourcesformypurposes. On the other hand, if we have an equal interest in each other’s resources we cancollaboratetocreatemorepowerwitheachothertobringmorecapacity tobearonachievingourpurposesthanwecanalone.Sothequestionishowtoproactivelyorganizeourresourcestoshiftthepowerenoughtowinthechangewewant,buildingourcapacitytowinmoreovertime?Sincepowerisakindofrelationship,trackingitdownrequiresaskingfourquestions:

• WhatdoWEwant?

• WhohastheRESOURCEStocreatethatchange?

• WhatdoTHEYwant?

• WhatresourcesdoWEhavethatTHEYwantorneed?If itturnsoutthatwehavetheresourcesweneed,butjustneedtousethemmorecollaboratively,then it’s a “power with” dynamic. If it turns out that the resources we need have to come fromsomewhereelse,thenit’sa“powerover”dynamic.Sothequestionishowourconstituencycanuseitsresources inwaysthatwillcreatethecapacity itneedstoachievethegoal. IFwedothis,THENthatwilllikelyhappen.Testthisoutwithaseriesof“If-Then”sentences.Onceyoursatisfiedyouarereadytoarticulateyourorganizingsentence:


“We are organizingWHO to achieveWHAT (goal) by HOW (theory of change) to achieve whatCHANGE”S T E P 4 : W H A T T A C T I C S C A N T H E Y U S E ? Rememberwhata“tactic”is?It’stheactivitythatmakesyourstrategyreal.Strategywithouttacticsisjust a bunch of ideas. Tacticswithout strategywastes resources. So the art of organizing is in thedynamic relationship between strategy and tactics, using the strategy to inform the tactics, andlearningfromthetacticstoadaptstrategy.Yourcampaignwillgetintotroubleifyouuseatacticjustbecauseyouhappentobefamiliarwithit-buthaven’tfiguredouthowthattacticcanactuallyhelpyouachieveyourgoal.Similarly,ifyouspendallyourtimestrategizing,withoutinvestingthetime,effort,andskilltolearnhowtousethetacticsyouneedskillfully,youwasteyourtime.Strategyisawayofhypothesizing:ifIdothis(tactic),thenthis (goal)mayhappen.And like anyhypothesis theproof is in the testingof it. Criteria for goodtacticsinclude:

• Strategic: itmakesgooduseofyourconstituency’s resources tomakeconcrete,measurableprogresstowardcampaigngoals.SaulAlinskyandGeneSharpareexcellentsourcesoftacticalideas.

• Strengthensyourorganization:itimprovesthecapacityofyourpeopletoworktogether.

• Supports leadership development: It develops new skills, new understanding, and, most

importantly,newleadership.Therearetwowaystooperateintheworld—youcanbereactive,asmanyorganizationsare,oryoucanbeproactive. Inorder tobeproactiveyouhavetosetyourowncampaigngoalsandtimeline,organizingyourtacticssothattheybuildcapacityandmomentumovertime.S T E P 5 : W H A T I S T H E I R T I M E L I N E ? Thetimingofacampaignisstructuredasanunfoldingnarrativeorstory.Itbeginswithafoundationperiod(prologue),startscrisplywithakick-off(curtaingoesup),buildsslowlytosuccessivepeaks(actone,acttwo),culminatesinafinalpeakdeterminingtheoutcome(denouement),andisresolvedaswe celebrate the outcome (epilogue).Our efforts generatemomentumnotmysteriously, but as asnowball.Asweaccomplisheachobjectivewegeneratenewresourcesthatcanbeappliedtoachievethesubsequentgreaterobjective.Ourmotivationgrowsaseachsmallsuccesspersuadesusthatthesubsequentsuccessisachievable-andourcommitmentgrows.Acampaigntimelinehasclearphases,withapeakat theendofeachphase—athresholdmomentwhenwehave succeed in creating a new capacitywe can nowput towork to achieving our nextpeak.Forexample,onephasemightbea2monthfundraisingandhousemeetingcampaignthatendsin a campaign kickoffmeeting or rally. Another phasemight be 2months of door-to-door contact


with constituents affected by the problem you’re trying to solve, collecting a target number ofpetitionstodeliverwithamarchontheMayoratCityHallattheend,anotherpeak.Butwithineachphase there is a predictable cycle, which in a sense is a mini-campaign in itself: training, launch,action,moreaction,peak,evaluation.Whenorganizingapeak,keepinmindaspecificoutcomethatyouwantthepeaktogenerate.Forexample,ifyouwanttosign-up50newvolunteersataneventorlaunchthreeneighborhoodteams,howdoyoumakethathappen?Aftereachpeak,yourstaff,volunteersandmembersneedtimetorest,learn,re-trainandplanforthenextphase.Oftenorganizationssay,“Wedon’thavetimeforthat!”Campaignsthatdon’ttaketimetoreflect,adjustandre-trainendupburningthroughtheirhumanresourcesandbecomingmoreandmorereactionaryovertime.

Foundation

Kick-offgoal

Peakgoal

Strategicgoal Evaluation&nextsteps

Peakgoal

Capacity(people,skills,etc.)

Time


TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:STRATEGYI

Goal• Toidentifywhothepeopleare:Whoisyourconstituency?Whoaretheotheractors?• Todecideonastrategicgoalcanhelpyousolvetheproblem.• Developatheoryofchange:howwillyouachieveyourgoal?

AGENDATOTALTIME:95minutesAsateam,youwillcomeupwithastrategicgoalforyourteam’sorganizingcampaign,maptheactors,anddevelopourtheoryofchange.Thenyou’llgetfeedbackbeforebreakingoutagainforasecondstrategizingsession. 1. Gatheryourteam.Chooseatimekeeperandscribe.Reviewagenda.

ReviewtheOrganizingSentence.Fillinthewhoandwhatpurposesectionsyoudraftedduringthesharedpurposeexercise.

5min.

2. Getfocused:whoareyourpeople?Whatchangedotheyneed?Whatisyourpurpose?

35min.

3. Definethefield:whoaretheactors?

15min.

4. Developyourtheoryofchange.

5. Decideuponyourstrategicgoal.

15min.10min.

6. Reviewyourwork,summarize,visualize.

7. Youwillbedebriefingwithanotherteam.Choosetwomembersofyourteamtopresent,intwominutes,thepictureofyourstrategicgoalandyourorganizingsentencetotheotherteam.

DEBRIEF:Joinanotherteam.**SEEAGENDAforpeer-to-peerdebriefonpage71.**

10min.5min.30min.


WORKSHEET:DEVELOPING STRATEGY I: PEOPLE, POWER, CHANGE

1.REVIEWTHEORGANIZINGSENTENCE(5min.)

Ononepieceofflipchartpaper,writeoutyourorganizingsentence.Fillinthewhoandwhatpurposesectionsyoudraftedduringthesharedpurposeexercise.ORGANIZINGSENTENCE:Weareorganizing(who)___________________topursue(whatpurpose)

__________________by(how:theoryofchange)____________________________toachieve(whatstrategic

goal)________________________________by(whatdate)_______________.Wewilldothisbyusingthese

tactics_____________________toachieve___________outcomeby_________.

*Busboycottexample:WeareorganizingAfrican-AmericansinMontgomerytoachieveracialjustice(orendinstitutionalizedracism)bybuildingthepowerweneedtocompelthebuscompanyandcitycounciltodesegregatethebussesforaslongasittakes.Wewilldothisbyfilingalawsuit,mobilizingaboycott,organizingacarpool,buildingoutsidesupportforlaunchingoureffortby______.

Nowyouwillbuildastrategicgoalbasedonananalysisofwhoyourconstituencyis,whattheywant,andhowtheycangetwhattheywant.Followthestepsbelow.

2. GETTINGFOCUSED:WHOAREYOURPEOPLE?WHATISYOURGOAL?(35min.)Step1:Withyourteam,fillinthetablebelow:

PEOPLE(5min)WhoAreMyPeople?

(constituency)

CHANGE(30min)WhatIsTheirProblem?(5min)

HowWouldtheWorldLookDifferentIfTheirProblemWereSolved?(5min)

WhyHasn’tTheirProblemBeenSolved?(10min) WhatWouldItTakeToSolveTheirProblem?(10min)


3. WHOARETHEACTORS?(15min)

Step1:Createthemap(15min)Drawamap-of-actorschartliketheoneyouseebelowonflipchartpaper.Writethenamesofalloftheactorsonstickynotes,indicatingtheirresourcesandtheirinterests.Thenplacethemonthemapofactorswhereyouthinktheyaremostlikelytobe.Startwithyourselves.Usewhatyoulearnedfrombuildingrelationshipstofillthisout.Brainstormotherrelevantactorsatlocal,state,andnationallevelsbynameorspecificpositionwhereverpossible.Putthesenamesonpost-itsandaddthemtothemap.Besuretoincludethefollowing:a. Whomightbemembersofyourconstituency?b. Whomightbeyouropposition?c. Whomightbeyourallies?d. Whomightbecompetitorsandcollaborators?e. Whomightplayotherkeyroles,dependingonhowtheyaremobilized(courts,press,voters,etc.)


4. WHERE’STHEPOWER?DEVELOPINGYOURTHEORYOFCHANGE(15min)Yourtheoryofchangeisyourhypothesisabouthowtoorganizeyourconstituents’resourcestoaffectthosewhoholdtheresources/powertosolvetheproblem.Whatwouldittaketogetthesedifferentactorstotakeactionsthatfurtheryourstrategicgoal?Atwhatpointwilltheyactuallyfeelyourconstituents’power?Thinkbacktoyourgoal,above:Whoholdstheresourcesanddecision-makingpowerneededtoachievethatgoal?Fillinthecorrespondingtablebelow:

POWERWITH

POWEROVER

Ifyourpeopleneedaccesstotheresourcesheldbyotherstoachievethegoal,completethefollowing:

Whatresourcesdoourpeopleholdthattheycanusetoachievetheirgoal?(makeacreativeandspecificlist)

Whatresourcesdoourpeopleneedtoaccesstoachievethegoal?(makeaspecificlist)Whichactorsholdthoseresources?

Whyhaven’tourpeopleusedtheseresourcestoachievetheirgoal?

Whatresourcesdoourpeopleholdthattheseactorsneed?

Howcanourpeopleusetheirresourcesinnewwaysthatcanachievetheirgoal?

Howcanourpeopleleveragewhattheyhavetogetwhattheywantfromtheseotheractors?


5. DECIDEONYOURSTRATEGICGOAL(10min)

Reviewcriteriaforagoodstrategicgoal(2min)

• Focuseseffort• Motivatesparticipation• Leveragesresources• Buildscapacity• Canbeemulated

DecideonaStrategicGoal(8min)Whatconcreteoutcomewillyouaimtoachievethatwillhelpyourconstituentsgetwhattheywant?Firstopenlybrainstormandbuilduponeachidea,thenuseyourcriteriaabovetoevaluatethem,andmakeadecision.

Whatisthegoalofyourcampaign?

6. REVIEWYOURWORK,SUMMARIZE,VISUALIZE(10min.)

1. Reviewyourteam’sworksofarinthissectionanddiscussthesequestions:

a. Areweclearonourconstituency?b. Dowewanttospecifyourgoalmoreconcretely?c. Areweclearaboutourtheoryofchange?

Ontwopiecesofflipchartpaper,writeoutthefollowing:

2. Writeoutyourorganizingsentence.ORGANIZINGSENTENCE:Weareorganizing(who)___________________topursue(whatpurpose)

__________________by(how:theoryofchange)____________________________toachieve(whatstrategic

goal)________________________________by(whatdate)_______________.Wewilldothisbyusingthese

tactics_____________________toachieve___________outcomeby_________.

*Busboycottexample:WeareorganizingAfrican-AmericansinMontgomerytoachieveracialjustice(orendinstitutionalizedracism)bybuildingthepowerweneedtocompelthebuscompanyandcity

Writeyourtheoryofchange:

Ifmypeopleusetheirresourcestodo…

Thentheresultwillbe…

Because…


counciltodesegregatethebussesforaslongasittakes.Wewilldothisbyfilingalawsuit,mobilizingaboycott,organizingacarpool,buildingoutsidesupportforlaunchingoureffortby______.

3. Drawapictureofyourstrategicgoal.Whatwouldtheworldlooklikeifyouachieveit?

Chooseonepersonfromyourgrouptopresentinoneminutethepictureofyourstrategicgoalandyourorganizingsentencetothelargegroupduringdebrief.

··· STRATEGYIPEER-TO-PEERDEBRIEFAGENDA(30minutes)*Teamsof3willhave10min.pergroup.*

1. Gatherwithoneotherteam.Eachteamshouldchooseatimekeeperandscribe.(1min)

2. Team1:Presenterssharepictureofstrategicgoalandorganizingsentence.(2min)

3. Team2:(7min)

a. ClarifyingQuestions:Askclarifyingquestionstobetterunderstandcampaign.(2min)

b. CoachingQuestions:ProvidefeedbackintheformofquestionsONLY.Team1shouldlisten

SILENTLYandnotedownthequestions.Besuretoaffirmwhat’sworkingaswellasliftupwhat

canbeimproved.(5min)

4. Team1:cannowrespondtothequestions.(5min)

SWITCH

5. Team2:Presenterssharepictureofstrategicgoalandorganizingsentence.(2min)

6. Team1:(7min)

a. ClarifyingQuestions:Askclarifyingquestionstobetterunderstandcampaign.(2min)

b. CoachingQuestions:ProvidefeedbackintheformofquestionsONLY.Team2shouldlisten

SILENTLYandnotedownthequestions.Besuretoaffirmwhat’sworkingaswellasliftupwhat

canbeimproved.(5min)

7. Team2:cannowrespondtothequestions.(5min)

*Endofpeer-to-peerdebrief.Pleasetakea10-minutebreakandmeetbackintheplenary.*


TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:STRATEGYII

Goals• Todecideonthetacticsthatcanhelpyouachieveyourstrategicgoal.• Toputthosetacticsonacampaigntimelineculminatinginapeak.

AGENDATOTALTIME:45minutesAsateam,youwillbrainstormtacticsthatwillhelpyouachieveyourstrategicgoal,sequenceyourtacticsintopeaksonacampaigntimeline,andvisualizeyourkickofftactic. 1.Gatherinyourteam.Nominateatimekeeperandscribe.Reviewagenda

andclarifyconcepts.2.Reviewyourtheoryofchangeandstrategicgoal.IncorporateanyfeedbackfromStrategyI.

2min.5min.

3.Whattacticscanhelpyouachievethegoal?Onwhattimeline?Usethefollowingworksheettohelpyoustrategize.4.Brainstormandvisualizeyourkickofftacticsusingtheworksheet.5.Choosesomeonefromyourgrouptopresentyourcampaigntimelineandthevisualizationofyourstrategicgoalandkickofftactictothelargergroup.Rejointhelargergroup.

---**NOTE:Wewillbedoinga“gallerywalk.”Pleasepostthepicturesofyourtimeline,goalandkickofftacticonthewallintheplenaryspacesothatwecanallwalkaroundandlookateachone.

20min15min.3min.


WORKSHEET:DEVELOPING STRATEGY II: TACTICS AND TIMELINE

1.TACTICS&CAMPAIGNTIMELINE(Total:20min)Step1:BrainstormTactics(10min)

Asateam,brainstormasmanytacticsasyoucanin10minutesonflipchartpaper.Yourtacticsshouldbebasedonyourtheoryofchange.Howwillyouorganizeyourconstituency’sresourcestocreatethechangetheywant?Goodtacticsarebasedinthecultureandexperienceofyourpeopleandreflectyourvalues.

Thendecideonthetopthree,usingthefollowingcriteria:dotheymakegooduseofyourresources?Dotheybuildcapacity?Dotheyhelpyoutoachieveyourgoal?

Step2:SequenceTacticsintoPeaks(10min)

StrategizeBackwards.Howwillyouorganizeyourtacticsovertimetoachieveyourstrategicgoal?Foreachtactic,determineapeakgoal—whatwoulditlookliketoachieveit?Apeakistypicallyaneventoractionwithyourconstituencythatshowsallthecapacitythat’sbeengeneratedsincethelastpeak.Startingatyourstrategicgoal,workbackwardstosequenceyourpeaksonacampaigntimeline(seeexamplebelow).

Ensurethateachpeakbuildsonwhatcamebeforesothatyouaregainingpowerandcapacityovertime,culminatinginyourstrategicgoal.Whatoutcomedoyouwantfromeachpeak(forexample,howmanynewpeoplesignuporhowmanypeopleparticipateinamarch)?


2.KICK-OFFTACTIC(Total:15min)

Step1:BrainstormKickoffTactics(5min)

StrategizeForward.Nowfocusonyourfirstpeak:yourcampaignkickoff.Whatmeasurableoutcomewillyoutrytoachievewiththisfirstkickoff?Howwillthekickoffbemotivationalforyourconstituency?Howwillitrevealtoyourcommunityitsownresources,courageandsolidarity?Brainstormasmanytacticsforyourkickoffasyoucanin10minutesonaflipchartpaper.Trytouse“Yes,And!”strategizing,ratherthan“No,But!”Buildoneachother’sideas.Thenuseyourdecision-makingprocess(fromyesterday’steamnameexercise)todecidewhichtacticyouwillorganizeasateam.

Step2:Visualize(10min)

A.Asateam,drawapictureofyourkick-offtactic.Whatwillitlooklike?Whenwillittakeplace?Where?Whowillbeinvolved?Howmany?Whatwilltheybedoing?Whatwilltheybewearing?Whatwillyoubedoing?When?

OurKickoffTacticVisualization:

B.Makealistofthethingsthatneedtogetdonebetweennowandtheninordertoeffectivelyorganizeyourkick-offtactic:

•

•

•

•

•


MOBILIZINGSHAREDCOMMITMENT:ACTION

Howdoweinspireotherstojoinusintakingaction?


S H A R E D M E A S U R A B L E A C T I O N

Whatisaction? Actionconsistsofmobilizinganddeployingconstituencyresourcesinwaysthatcancreatethepowerneededtowin.First,effectiveactionproducesresultsthatcontributetoaccomplishingyourgoals.Second,effectiveactionstrengthensyourorganizationandattractsandengagesnewpeople;itincreasesourcommunity’scapacitytoeffectchangeinthefuture.Third,effectiveactioncontributestothegrowthofindividualsinvolvedinthecampaign;itdevelopsleadership.

Goalsforthissession:• Learntocommitpeopletojoiningyouinaction.

• Learntodesignactionthatwillmotivatepeopletorecommittodomore.


Howcanweengageineffectiveaction?Effectiveactionrequirescommitmentandmotivation.

Howdowegetclearcommitments?First,wemustmobilizeotherstomakeexplicitcommitmentsinordertoachievespecific,measurableoutcomes.Whenwecommitotherstoaction,wearegivingthemanopportunitytomakeameaningfulcontributiontoacausetheycareabout.Sowhydon’twealwaysjustask?Sometimes,weworryaboutburdeningothers,orweworrythattheywillsaynoandwe’llfeelrejected,ormaybethey’llsayyesandthenwe’llhavetocommitourselves!Whenweaskotherstojoinus,itiscriticalthatweuseclear,conciselanguage.Sometimeswemaytrytominimizethecommitment,makingitseemsmallerorlessimportantthanitreallyis.Butrespectingothersmeansbeingvery transparentabout theworkahead,about thesupport they’ll receive,andgivingthemachoiceofwhetherornottocommit.Mobilizingeffectivecommitmentsrequiresfoursteps:


1. Connect: Make the “ask” as specific as you can to the person whom you are trying tomobilize. Identify yourself, why you’re doing what you’re doing, and let them know whyyou’reaskingthemtohelp.Thiscanbedonewithfewwords.

2. Context:Explainwhytheactionyouareaskingthemtotakeisurgent.Bespecificaboutthechallengeandthehope.

3. Commitment:Explicitlyask theotherperson ifyoucancounton themtoengage inactionwithyou.Beveryspecificaboutthedate,time,andplace.

• “Canwecountonyoutojoinusin_____________?”• “Willyoujoinmeindoing____________?”

LISTENCAREFULLY.Istheanswer:

“Yes!Definitely!”(Great!Confirmthedetails)“Maybe...”(Askwhatquestionstheyhaveandhowyoucanfollowup.)“No,I’msorry.”(Askwhy?Givethemyourcontactinfoincasetheychangetheirmind.)

4. Catapult: Ifsomeonesays“yes”thengivethemtherespectofhavingrealworkandrealresponsibilityatyouractionandarealplantogetthere.Ask:

• Canyoubringsomethingtotheevent(i.e.food,posters,etc.)?• Canyoucommittobringing2friendswithyou?• Howdoyouplanongettingtotheevent?(peoplewithplansaremuchmorelikely

toattend!)


Howdoweconfirmandfollowuponcommitments? InourIntroductiontoOrganizingwegavethefollowingdefinitionofleadership:Takingresponsibilityforenablingotherstoachievepurposeinthefaceofuncertainty.Takingresponsibilitymeansthatwecan’t just get a commitment to action, pocket it like change, and walk away. We have theresponsibilitytofollowupanddoeverythingittakestosupportothersinjoiningus.Mostimportantare“remindercalls”andtheclosertotheevent,themoreimportantandeffectivetheremindercallwillbe.1) Recruit others and get a specific

commitmenttoaction.

2) Confirm the commitment a few days out.Check in and see if the people whocommitted need a ride, can invite others,or can take responsibility for part of theaction.Confirmthedaybeforetheaction.Provide full details on the place, time andpurpose of the action, including anyupdates on the agenda or attendees.Confirm one more time 30-60 minutesbefore theaction—theperiodwhenwe’reall most likely to find something moreurgenttodo.Conveyhowexcitedyouaretohaveothersjoinyouinaction.

3) ACTION! Lead a motivational action that respects others’ time, but also provides full training,opportunitiesforrelationshipbuilding,andpurposeful,measurableaction.

4) Evaluate&celebratetheactiontogether.Tallyupallmeasurableoutcomessothateveryonecansee that they’repartofabiggerwhole. Debrief indetailwhatworkedandwhatshouldchangenext time. Thencelebrate!Whowants tospendtheir freetimewithouthaving fun?! Generateroutines forhowpeople in yourorganization celebrate together, perhapswith food,musicor aroundofstoriesfromtheday.

5) Thankeveryonethenextdayfortheirparticipationinaction.Tellthemspecificallywhatimpacttheactionhadinthecampaign.Askfortheirinputonwhatworkedandwhatshouldbechangednexttime.

6) Moveparticipants to thenext levelof leadershipwhere theycanhelpyouandyour teamplanmoreactionsintheircityorneighborhood.

1.Recruit

2.Confirm(3X)

3.ACTION!

4.Evaluate&Celebrate

5.Thankyou!


Howdowedesignmotivationalaction?Foractiontoengageothersinwaysthatexpands—ratherthandepletes—ourresources,weneedtodesignactionmindfully.Ifpeoplefeelthatwhattheyaredoingisinsignificant,orthattheyarebeingused,orthattheymustdoboringandmeaninglesswork,thentheyareunlikelytotakeinitiative,solveproblemsorrecommit. Howdoesmotivationaltaskdesignwork?Outcomes:Whenataskiswelldesigned,peoplewhoparticipatewillfeelmoremotivated,takeinitiativeinsolvingproblems,andmakeadeepercommitmenttothework. Design:Creatingtheexperiencetoachievetheseoutcomesrequiresattentiontothesefiveelementsofdesign:

• TaskSignificance(TS)–Experiencingtheimpactoftheworkontheworld.• TaskIdentity(TI)–Recognitionofyour“ownership”ofaclearpieceofthework.• SkillVariety(SV)–Engagementofavarietyofskillsincludingheart,hands,andbrain.• Choice(C)–Havingthespacetomakecompetentchoicesabouthowtodothework.• Feedback(FB)–Resultsarevisibletothepersonperformingthetask,evenastheyperform.

DesigningMotivationalTasksUsingthechecklistbelow,wecanevaluatetaskstodeterminehowmotivationaltheyare,redesignthemtomakethemmoremotivational,andconstructthemsoastocreatealeadershipladder,opportunityforpeopletoearngreaterresponsibilities.

TaskCharacteristics OutcomesTaskSignificance(TS)(“thetaskreallymatters) MotivationTaskIdentity(TI)(“mycontibutionisclear”) ProblemSolvingSkillVariety(SV)(“takesmyheadandhands) Commitment Choice(C) (“choosinghowIdothework”)Feedback(FB)(“seeinghowI’mdoingasIdoit”)


TaskDesignLadder Level1 Level2 Level3TITSSVAFGettingintoactionnowTheactionwe’llengageinatthistrainingistomakeaclearaskofyourpeerstosupportyouinaspecific,measurableaction,andmakingphonecallstoaskotherstojoinyouforyourkick-offtactic!


TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:ACTION

Goals:• Practicethecoreorganizingskillofrecruitingotherstomakearealcommitmenttotranslate

theirvaluesintoaction.AGENDATOTALTIME:45min.

1.Gatherwithyourteam.Chooseatimekeeper.Reviewtheagenda. 2min.

2.Asateam,decideonyourgoalforthisexercise:howmanytotalcommitmentswill 3min.youneedtogetforyourkickoff?Howmany“asks”willyouhavetomake?Writeitontheworksheetthatfollows.

3.Asindividuals,taketimetonotethekeyquestionsyouwillasktogetaconversation7min.going,thekeystoriesyouwillsharetobringyourselftothetable,andthespecific“ask”youwillmake.Thisisnota“script”thatyouwillread,butratheraguideforameaningfulconversation.Usetheworksheetthatfollows.Youmayalsopracticeleadingtheconversationwithothersinyoursmallgroup.

4.SetupRole-play.Gatherinthecenteroftheroom.Listenforinstructions5min.fromtherole-playfacilitator.

Startrecruiting!Forthefirstround,halftheroomwillbetheorganizers,andthe10min.otherhalfwillbetheconstituents.Theorganizershave10minutestohavemeaningfulcommitmentconversationsandgetcommitmentsfortheirkickoffevent.

Eachindividualshouldusetheworksheetthatfollowstotrackhowmany“asks” you’vemade,howmanycommitments,andhowmanycatapultsyou’veobtained.

5.Switchandstartrecruiting!Nowtheotherhalfoftheroomwillhaveachance10min.tobeorganizersandrecruitcommitmentsfortheirkickoffevent.

Eachindividualshouldusetheworksheetthatfollowstotrackhowmany“asks” you’vemade,andhowmanycommitmentsyou’veobtained.

Debriefwithyourteam.Organizers,returntoyourteamtoreportbackandtallyup 5min.yourwholeteam’stotals.

7.Returntotheplenaryforthedebrief. 3min.


WORKSHEET:DEVELOPING THE SKILL OF ENGAGING REAL COMMITMENT

Step1:Decideonyourteam’sgoalsforthisexerciseandrecorditinthetablebelow(3min.)TEAMNAME TEAMGOAL:Howmanytotal

commitmentsdoweneed?Howmanypeoplewillwemake“asks”toinordertoreachourgoal?

Step2:PrepareforYourMeaningfulCommitmentConversation(7min.)Usingthestoryworkyou’vedonetohelpyouwriteyourrecruitmentcallscript.Thekeysherearethatyouaskquestionstounderstandthemotivationsofthepersonyou’reengaging,thatyourstoryincludesomethingaboutyou,andwhyyou'remotivatedtoact;youtellalittlebitaboutwhoyourgroupis,andwhythey'vecometogethernowtoworkonthis;andpresentthechoicethatyourlistenerhastomake–joinusatourupcomingaction.Don’tdon'tworryaboutgettingitexactlyright;yourconversationswilleachbedifferentanyway–theyshouldbeconversationalandrespondtoyourlistener,notoverlyscriptedorformal.Buthereisagoodlistofsampletalkingpointsthatyoucanusetoorientyourself.YOUR“SCRIPT”:Hi,mynameis___________________,andI’mat_______today.Igotyournamefrom________whosaidyouwouldbeagreatcandidatetohelpuslaunchalocalcampaignnextmonthtofightforqualitypublicschoolsforourkids.Somethingstokeepinmindasyouprepare:

• CONNECTION:Letthepersonknowwhoyouare,whyyoucareaboutthisissue,andaskhowtheyhavebeenaffected(drawingonyourstoryofselfandstoryofus).Keyquestionstoasktogetconversationgoing(remembertoLISTEN):

• Haveyouheardaboutthemovementwe’rebuildingat______?Ifnot,letmetellyouaboutit…


• Tellthemaboutyourexperiencehere,thepeople,andthe_________campaignbeinglaunched

• Howdidyougetstartedorganizing?Inwhatcontext?(on/offcampus/inyourcommunity)• Howareyoualreadyinvolvedwithworkingonpubliceducationissues?

Makenoteofthekeypartsfromyourstoryworkthatrevealyourmotivationtodothiswork:2)CONTEXT:Explainwhatyouandyourteamareplanning.Providedetailsaboutwhoyourgroupis,theexactchallengesthatmoveyoutoactionrightnow,therealhope,andastrategicchoice.

3)COMMITMENT:Gettingcommitment:Willyoujoinmeinlaunchingthiscampaigntodo__________on_________date?Whatdoyouthink?

§ WAITforthemtothinkandrespond.§ ConfirmtheDATE,TIME,LOCATION.“CanIcountonyoutobethere?”§ “WhoelsecanyousuggestIcontact?Orwouldyouliketohelpmerecruit?”

4)CATAPULT:NextSteps:Thankthemfortheirtime,findatimethatyoucanfollowupinafewdays,explaintherecruitmentprocessgoingforward.Iftheysaid“yes”tojoiningyou,givethemthechancetolead.Whatrolesareemptyonyourleadershipteam?Whatworkneedstogetdonetoprepareforyourevent?Howcouldtheyhelpyou?


Step3:StartRecruiting!(10min)Whenitisyourturntobeanorganizer,writeyournameinrow1.Asyourecruit,keepatallyofhowmany“asks”youmakeandhowmanycommitmentsyouactuallyget.

Individualteammembers’names:

Howmany“asks”didyoumake?

Howmanycommitmentsdidyouget?

Howmanycatapultsdidyouget?

1.YOURNAME:

2.Teammember2:

3.Teammember3:

4.Teammember4:

5.Teammember5:

WHOLETEAMTOTALS

Step4:TeamReportBack&Debrief(5min)Whenyougathertodebrief,fillintherestofthetable,above,byhavingeachmemberofyourteamreportbackthenumberof“asks”made,commitmentsreceived,andcatapultsobtained.Tallyupthetotalsforyourwholeteamandseehowitstacksupwithyouroriginalgoal.


PUTTINGITALLTOGETHER:STORYOFNOWANDLINKINGSELF/US/NOW

Howdowebringourvalues,strategyandactiontogether?

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INTRODUCTIONTOSTORYOFNOW

TheStoryofNowdescribesanurgentchoicefacedbythe“us”whomyouhopetomobilizetoact:achallengingvisionofwhatwillhappenifitdoesnotact,ahopefulvisionofwhatcouldbeifitdoesact,andacalltocommittotheactionrequired.Inthiswayastoryofnowmakesthebridgefromstory–whyweshouldact–tostrategy–howwecanacteffectively. Nowweknowwhyyou’vebeencalledtoyourmission.Wealsoknowwhothe“us”isthatyouwillcallontojoinyouinthatmission.Astoryofnowarticulatestheurgentchoicefacedbythat“us”thatrequiresaction:achallengingvisionofwhatwillhappeniftheydonotact,ahopefulvisionofwhatcouldbeiftheydoact,andacalltochoosecommitmenttotheactionrequired.The“character”inastoryofnowisyou,thepeopleintheroomwithyou,andthebroadercommunitywhomyouhopetoengageinaction.InWashingtonDC,August23,1963,Dr.MartinLutherKingtoldastoryofwhathecalledthe“fierceurgencyofnow.”AlthoughweallrecallhisvisionofwhatAmericacouldbe,hisdream,weoftenforgetthatactionwasurgentbecauseofthe“nightmare”ofracialoppression,theresultofwhiteAmerica’sfailuretomakegoodonits“promissorynote”toAfricanAmericans.Thisdebt,heargued,couldnolongerbepostponed.Ifwedidnotactnow,wecouldneverrealizethedream.Inastoryofnow,storyandstrategyoverlapbecauseakeyelementinhopeisastrategy–acrediblevisionofhowtogetfromheretothere.Andakeyelementinstrategyisasourceofhope–asenseofpossibility.The“choice”weoffermustbemorethan“wemustallchoosetobebetterpeople”or“choosetodoanyoneofthislistof53things”(whichmakeseachofthemtrivial)or“gotoxwebsiteandclick”.Ameaningfulchoicerequiresactionwecantakenow,actionwecantaketogether,andanoutcomewecouldachieve.The“character”inastoryofnowisyou,thepeopleintheroomwithyou,andthebroadercommunitywhomyouhopetoengageinaction.


Tolearnhowstorycanmoveustoaction

Tolearnhowtobridgefromstrategyintoaction

Eachparticipantpracticestellingastoryofnowandgetsfeedbackonhis/herstory


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TheElementsofaStoryofNow

• TheChallenge–Thechallengewearefacingnow(maderealthroughstories,notjuststatistics)

• TheOutcome--Aplausiblepathwaytoaction,asenseofthe“possible”,ofwhat“couldbe”ifweactnow.

• TheChoice--Achoicetocommittothatpathwaytoactionthateachpersoninyouraudiencecanmakerightnow.

WhyItMattersThechoicewe’recalledontomakeistoactnow.Leaderswhoonlydescribeproblems,butfailtoidentifyawaytoactaltogethertoaddresstheproblem,aren’tverygoodleaders.Ifyouarecalledtoaddressarealchallenge,achallengesourgentyouhavemotivatedustofaceitaswell,thenyoualsohavearesponsibilitytoinviteustojoinyouinactionthathassomechanceofsuccess.A“storyofnow”isnotsimplyacalltomakeachoicetoact–itisacallto“hopeful”action.


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VIDEOREVIEW:GANDHI

We'llbewatchingavideoofGandhitellingastoryofnow.Whileyouwatchit,thinkabouttheelementsoftheStoryofNowthatmakeuphiscalltoaction.

CHALLENGE

OUTCOME CHOICE

Howdoesheconfronthisaudiencewithareal,urgentchallenge?Whatimagesdoeshecreate?Whatisthesourceofanger?

Wheredoeshelocatethesourceofhope?Couldthecommunitydowhatheasks?Coulditworkiftheyacttogether?

Whatdoesheaskthecommunitytodo?Whatmakesitmeaningful?

1. WhydoesGandhibeginashedoes?

2. Whatdetails,images,momentsdothesestoriesbringalive?3. Whatvaluesdoeshedrawuponandchallengehisaudiencetoliveup?


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PUTTINGITALLTOGETHER:LINKINGPUBLICNARRATIVE

IfIamnotformyself,whowillbeforme?WhenIamonlyformyself,whatamI?Ifnotnow,when?—Hillel,1stcenturyJerusalemsagePirkeAvo

AsRabbiHillel’spowerfulwordssuggest,tostandforyourselfisthefirststep,butinsufficientonitsown.Youmustalsofindorcreateacommunitytostandwith,andthatcommunitymustbeginactingnow.Tocombinethestoriesofself,usandnow,youhavetofindthelinkbetweenwhyyouarecalledtothismission,whyweasacommunityarecalledtothismission,andwhatourmissioncallsonustodonow.Thatlinkingmayrequireyoutocontinuallyrethinkthestoriesofself,us,andnowthatyouareworkingon.

Storytellingisadynamic,non-linearprocess.Eachtimeyoutellyourstoryyouwilladaptit–tomakeyourselfclearer,toadjusttoadifferentaudience,tolocateyourselfinadifferentcontext.Asyoudevelopastoryofus,youmayfindyouwanttoalteryourstoryofself,especiallyasyoubegintoseetherelationshipbetweenthetwomoreclearly.Similarly,asyoudevelopastoryofnow,youmayfinditaffectswhatwentbefore.And,asyougobacktoreconsiderwhatwentbefore,youmayfinditaltersyourstoryofnow.Storytellingtakespractice.Ourgoalisnottoleavewithafinal“script”ofyourpublicnarrativethatyouwilluseoverandoveragain.Thegoalistohelpyoulearnaprocessbywhichyoucangenerateyournarrativeoverandoverandoveragain,when,where,andhowyouneedtoinordertomotivateyourselfandotherstospecific,strategicaction.


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VIDEOREVIEW:MAUNGNYEU

We'llbewatchingafive-minutePublicNarrativebyMaungNyeu.Whileyouwatchit,thinkabouttheelementsofSELF–US–NOWthatyouhearinhisstory.

SELF

USNOW

Whatexperiencesshapedhisvalues?Whosechoiceswerethey?Whyaretheystories?

Whoisthe“us”towhomheappeals?Whatmomentsofchoicedoesherecall?Whatarethevalues?

Whatchallengestothosevaluesdoeshedescribe?What’sthesourceofhope?Inwhatactiondoesheaskustojoin?

1. WhydoesMaungbeginashedoes?

2. Whatchallenge,choice,andoutcomeareatthecoreofeachstoryhetells?

3. Whatdetails,images,momentsdothesestoriesbringalive?4. Whatvaluesdothesestoriescommunicate?


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TEAMBREAKOUTSESSION:LINKSELF/US/NOW&ASKFORCOMMITMENT

GOALS

• Learnhowintegrateyourstoriesofself/us/nowintoapublicnarrative• Askforcommitmentsbyarticulatingaspecificchoicepointforotherstomake

NOTE:It’smorethanan“ask.”It’sachoiceaboutwhethersomeone’sgoingtostayonthesidelinesordiveinandactontheirvalues.It’sanopportunityforthemtojoinwithyou.

AGENDA

TOTALTIME:45min.

1. Gatherinyourteam.Nominateonepersontobeatimekeeper. 2min.

2. Takesometimeasindividualstosilentlydevelopyour“PublicNarrative.”Linkyourstoryofnowwithastoryofselfandstoryofus.Usetheworksheetthatfollows.

5min.

3. Asateam,goaroundyourgrouptopracticeyourfullpublicnarrative.• Eachpersonhas3minutestotellhis/herpublicnarrative,and

with2minutesforfeedback.• Besurethatyouendbyaskingforaclearcommitmentthatis

rootedinyourteam’sprojectandyourstrategy.**NOTE:Youhave3minutestotellyourstory.Sticktothislimit.Makesurethetimekeepercutsyouoff.Itencouragesfocusandensureseveryonehasachance.

25min.

4. Asateam,goaroundyourgrouptodoaroundofappreciations.Eachpersonhasupto1minutetoappreciatetheteammatesittingtoherorhisleftforacontributiontheyhavemadeoramomentyouhaveshared.

5min.

5. FacilitatorinvitessomeonetosharetheirPublicNarrativewiththelargergroup.Rejointhelargergroup.

3min.


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WORKSHEET: LINKSELF/US/NOW

Start here


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LinkingChart:Asyoubegindevelopingyourlinkedpublicnarrative,rememberthatyourvaluesarewhatlinkthedifferentpiecesofyourstorytogether,somakesureyoucommunicateclearandconsistentvaluesthroughout.Alsobesuretoincludeself,us

andnowaswellaschallenge,choice,andoutcome.Onceyou’vecraftedyourlinkednarrative,youshouldbeabletomarkan“X”ineachboxbelow.

Challenge Choice Outcome

Self

Us

Now

Clear&consistentvalues?☐Arevaluespresentthroughout?☐


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WORKSHEET:LINKSELF/US/NOWStoryofNowWhatstoriescommunicatetheurgentchallengesthatyourcommunityfaces?Whatstoriescanofferyourcommunityasenseofhope?StoryofSelfWhatstoriescanyoutellabouttheexperiencesand/orvaluesthatcallyoutotakeleadershipwithineducation?Thinkofparticularchallengesyoufaced,choicesyoumade,andtheoutcomesinthoseexperiences.StoryofUsWhatstorieshighlightthesharedvaluesandexperiencesofthepeopletowhomyou’respeaking?Thinkofspecificcollectivechallengesyoufacedasacommunity,thecollectivechoicesyoumade,andtheoutcomesofthoseexperiences.Whatspecific“ask”areyoumakingtootherstojoinyouinmeaningfulaction?______________________________________________________________________________


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COACHINGTIPS:PUBLICNARRATIVE

DON’Tsimplyoffervague“feelgood”comments.(“Thatwasareallygreatstory!”)DOcoacheachotheronthefollowingpoints:

1. THECHALLENGE:Whatisthespecificchallengewefacenow?Didthestorytellerpaintavividandurgentpictureofit?Whatdetailsmightmakeitevenmorevividandurgent?“Thechallengewasn’turgentenough.Whynotmention________?”

2. THEOUTCOME:Whatisthespecificoutcomeifweacttogether?Isthereaclearand

hopefulvisionofhowthefuturecanbedifferentifweactnow?“Theoutcomecouldbeevenmorehopefulifyoudescribed_______.”

3. THECHOICE:Isthereaclearchoicethatwearebeingaskedtomakeinresponsetothe

challenge?Howdidthechoicemakeyoufeel?(Hopeful?)“Whatexactlyareyouaskingustodo?Whenshouldwedoit?Where?”

4. VALUES:Whatvaluesdoyousharewiththestoryteller?Doesthestoryofnowappealto

thosevalues?“Insteadoftellingustocare,itwouldbemoreeffectiveifyoushowedusthechoicetobemadebyillustratingthewayinwhichyouvalue .”

5. DETAILS:Weretheresectionsofthestorythathadespeciallyvividdetailsorimages(e.g.

sights,sounds,smells,oremotions)?“Theimageof________reallyhelpedmefeelwhatyouwerefeeling.”“Trytellingmoredetailsabout_______sowecanrelatetothissharedexperience.”

6. INTERWEAVINGSELF,USANDNOW:Didthestoryofselfandthestoryofusrelatetothestoryofnow?Ifso,whatwasthecommonthread?Ifnot,whatthreadcouldthestorytellerusetorethinktheconnectionsbetweenself,usandnow?


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RecordFeedback/CommentsfromYourTeamMembersHere:CoachingYourTeam'sPublicNarrativeAsyouheareachother'spublicnarratives,keepingtrackofthedetailsofeachperson’sstorywillhelpyoutoprovidefeedbackandrememberdetailsaboutpeopleonyourteamlater.Usethegridbelowtotrackyourteam'spublicnarratives.

N AM E V A L U E S S E L F U S N OW


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AppendixMoreOnCoachingAsALeadershipPractice

HowdoIprioritizewhotocoachinorganizing?Whenyouhaveseveralindividualsorteamstocoach,wheredoyoustart?Wheredoyouputmostofyourenergytogetthebestoutcomes?

Investyourfirstcoachingeffortinthosewhoaredoingthebestwork.Thisseemscounterintuitive,butthepurposeofcoachingisnotjusttofixproblems–it’stohelppeopleachieveexcellentoutcomes.Coachingyourmostinnovative,productivepeoplefirstmaximizestheirproductivity,andprepsyoutocoachothersbygivingyouadetailedunderstandingofwhatexcellentworklookslikeinpractice.Andifyourbestfolksgetevenbetter,theycanhelpyoucoachandsupporttheirpeers.Next,coachthosewhoareshowingpromise.Withwhatyou’velearnedfromthestrongestgroups,moveontothosewhoaredoinggoodworkandhelpthemmaketheleaptogreat.Utilizethetipsinthe5StepCoachingProcesssectionforchoosinginterventionstohelpyoutailoryourcoaching.Finally,focusontheindividualsandteamswhoarestruggling.Watchthesefolksinactionbeforejumpingtoconclusions.Aretheystrugglingbecauseofcontextualfactors,likealackofresources,orbecauseofinadequateskilloreffort?Tryinvestingalittlemore(resources,trainingorsupport),andseeifoutcomesimprove.Ifso,great,keepcoaching!Ifnot,thenassesswhetherthispersonisintherightrole.Whetheryou’recoachingstafforvolunteers,makingsuretherightpeopleareintherightrolesbasedontheirskillandpassionisabasicformofrespect.Whileit’spainfulforallinvolvedintheshortterm,helpingsomeonemoveonfromarolethat’snotwellsuitedforthemwillonlyhelpeveryoneinthelongterm.


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Becarefultosetboundariesonyourcoachingwiththosewhoarestrugglingthemostsothatyoucontinuetospendtimeandenergytokeepyourexcellentfolksgoingstrong,andyourgoodfolksgettingbetter.HowdoIcoachorganizerstolearnfromfailure?Inherbook,Mindset,CarolDweckarguesthatwealltendtowardoneoftwomindsets:fixedorgrowth.Thefixedmindsetclaimswe’rebornwithourbasicqualities,likeintelligenceortalent,whichcan’timproveorchange(sowhytry?).Everheardsomeonegiveapoorpresentation,thensay,“I’mnotagoodpublicspeaker”?That’safixedmindset.

Thegrowthmindsetassertsthatwecandevelopourabilitiesthroughdedicationandhardwork.Ourjobascoachesistocultivateagrowthmindsetinthosewe’recoaching.Thatrequireslearningtolookdirectlyatfailureandunderstanditsowecanimprove.Herearesometipsforlearningfromfailure,whilestrivingforsuccess: Createacultureofdebriefing.Beforeworkbegins,scheduletimetodebriefintoeverystep.Maketimeaftereveryeventorprojecttoevaluatewhatworked,whatdidn’t,andarticulatekeylearning’stogether.Requireshortwrittenreflectiononmajorprojects,especiallythosethatfallshort. Differentiatebetweenactionsandcontext.It’seasytoholdsomeoneresponsibleforeveryoutcome.Butsuccessandfailureareacombinationofindividualactionsandsituationalcontext.Asyoudevelopalearningrelationshipwiththepersonyou’recoaching,paycloseattentiontothedetails.Whendoesoneactionleadtosuccess?Underwhatconditionsdoesthesameactionleadtofailure?Successrequiresconstantlyevaluatingthecontextandadaptingourbehaviortomaximizegoodoutcomes. Interpretwhathappened.Coachthepersonyou’reworkingwithtointerpretfailurewithcleareyes.Hidingfailureorpretendingitwassuccessdoesn’tfoolanyone.Showthoseyoucoachthatinterpretingfailureisanintegralpartofwinning.CheckoutBarackObama’sspeechafterhisNewHampshireprimarylossforagreatexampleofinterpretingfailureinawaythatstaysfocusedondrivingforsuccess(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms). Getbackoutthere!Whowantstowallowinfailure?Encouragethoseyoucoachtogetoutthereandtryagain!

LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZING, AND ACTION · LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZING, AND ACTION Organizing Workshop...

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