At the end of my accreditation as a partnership broker, we were required to agree to a contract of professional best practices. On the surface they might seem simple and straightforward but the truth is that they capture the true complexity of partnering across sectors.
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Seven years ago I mentioned at the dinner table one night that I was interested in drawing meetings. It was a casual remark that my husband took it seriously. He is a committed creative who was helping me navigate a new career in community development after 15 years as FTA (full time artist). After a quick search he found David Sibbet’s Visual Meetings book and surprised me with a gift. This was the beginning of my love affair with sketching meetings.
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I love visual tools. Taking the time to draw a process or idea helps me better understand it. Visual stories have the ability to magically capture a whole lot of complexity in a snapshot. They are fast and slow at the same time. You are given an immediate impression that you can then settle on and consider. I've used the collaborative continuum from Tamarack over the past few years as a communication tool to explain and explore partnerships. It has helped focus conversations about the constant fluid nature of our partners relationship internally, within the partnership and the movement of their capacity to contribute. Being honest about the TURF to TRUST polarity is critical to keep on the table because its never helpful to hide that discussion.
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I find myself thinking in metaphors a great deal. Its geeky and amusing and how my mind works and wanders. As a partnership broker I get stuck pretty often and when I arrive home at the end of the day I'm not sure how to answer the affectionate question: "How was your day love?" On bad days I summarize it with a grrr and tiger paws and on great days I profess my brilliance. But what do I say on 99% of the time? Well I'm useless and want a nap.
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I am fortunate to have a reflective practice with friends and colleagues who are thinking about thinking. It didn’t happen over night, it took a few years and this blog is a shout out to Ann McCann, Carol Myles, Kim Cole, Jeanette Laanning, Chris Driedzic, Debbie Hynes and Zack Marshall. Some of you have never met but collectively you all bring richness to my head and heart. I am so grateful.
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Last fall I asked an extremely smart woman a question. I asked her to list three ways that she brings integrity into her social change work. The person was Melody Barnes (@MelodyCBarnes) and it was at Tamarack's Collective Impact Summit. Because she took a long pause to answer, I knew something solid was coming. Her honest answer was two-fold: 1. I act on what I want to see and 2. I hire people who have a sense of humor. Act on what I want to see. Act on what I want to see. What does that mean to my work in community?
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