My background is in the world of marketing and specifically in the field of marketing automation where the focus is on having meaningful interactions with customers online based on the digital cues they provide. This is called reading their ‘digital body language’.
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During my time at the Tamarack Community Change Institute, I noticed that many peoples’ focus was squarely on bringing techniques, tools and strategies back to their communities that could strengthen not only the work that they were doing, but act as a framework for future opportunities amongst partners, participants and others that have not yet come to the table.
Although, this insistence on an applicable, packaged toolkit may steer us in a direction that helps to bring ideas and actions forward quickly, it also has a downside. There is a way of approaching change, a concentration on philosophy, on values, on process that needs to be melded into the activities that we do in order to see sustainable impact.
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Hardly a day goes by without my adding a number of smileys to my emails or texts. In fact, here’s one now :) . Why? Well they are so expressive; so much better than LOL or BTW or FYI. So with one small icon, I seem to be able to convey information and feeling.
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Partnerships and collective impact initiatives are multiplying in Canada, as cross-sectorial collaborators come together to positively advance impact on complex social issues. Partnerships offer the potential for outcomes bigger than any one organization could achieve on their own. Done well, such collaborations enable innovation, create greater value and strengthen commitments from a broader range of people, perspectives and organizations. But success is not always guaranteed. Like anything that delivers great results, collaboration takes hard work, flexibility AND courage. The people involved in making partnerships happen are key to partnering success. How do they build knowledge and skills and possess the tools and insights to deliver positive partnering results?
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I typically approach my work with the following mindset; the busier you are the likely you are getting things done. I resonate with the following excerpt from Wendy Richmond,
“What is our goal? Is it worthy? What have we accomplished today? It’s a scary state. In our society, we are taught to have a direction, a five-year plan that we then break down into day-by-day lists. When we fear emptiness and lack of purpose, we rush to fill the void. And before we know it, that precious, empty space has disappeared.”
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I imagine the majority of us value collaboration. We believe that doing it increases impact, fosters innovation, and is especially called for when it comes to effecting large-scale systemic change (or transformational change). Many say collaboration is more efficient than disconnected social change or social service efforts.
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