Any organization that hopes to achieve meaningful change inevitably must build a shared strategy. This is a layered process that requires time, effort, and thoughtfulness in its approach. Determining a shared strategy begins with answering five questions. First, you must pinpoint who your people are - that is, the people you’re working with and targeting, as well as opposing. Next, you must define your goals, and then determine a theory for how to get the power to achieve those goals, followed by finding specific tactics to follow through with. The fifth and final step of creating a shared strategy is [...]

Finding the ideal leadership team is one of the most complex goals that any organization can undertake. In the best cases, each member serves as a leader in their own right, and is empowered to use their strengths both individually and together with the group.  A properly functioning leadership team helps organizations of all sizes play to their strengths, dodge weaknesses, and remain nimble in their strategy, able to adapt to even the most unexpected of changes. Pulling together a group that’s able to accomplish these lofty goals is no easy task, but that initial challenge makes it all the [...]

Social media has fundamentally changed the way we relate to other people. As our networks grow like never before, some researchers suggest there may be a limit on how many authentic relationships a person—and, importantly, an organizer—can truly sustain. How Many Relationships Can You Really Have? “Dunbar’s Number” is a term coined by anthropologist and psychologist Robin Dunbar that suggests humans max out their capability for connection at 150 individuals. While his research was originally based on face-to-face interactions, Dunbar has maintained that online social networking carries a similar limit, and that people with social networks larger than 150 “seem [...]

Building relationships creates commitment, the glue of an organization. Leadership begins with understanding yourself: your values, your motivation, your story. But leadership is about enabling others to achieve purpose. The foundation of this kind of leadership is the relationships built with others, most especially, others with whom we can share leadership. The Art of the One-On-One One way to initiate intentional relationships is the one-on-one meeting, a technique developed by organizers over many years. But while it sounds easy enough to ask someone out for coffee, how do you ensure you are actually, actively building relationship during that conversation? 1. [...]

Each of us has a story that can move others to action. Hesitant as you may be to talk about yourself, recruiting others to join you requires developing a personal connection and sharing what calls you to leadership. If you don’t author your own story, one will likely be assumed for you. Public narrative is a leadership practice developed by longtime organizer and Harvard professor Marshall Ganz that articulates a story of why you were called to lead, a story of those whom you hope to mobilize, and a story of action. Story of Self What calls you to lead—in [...]