Navigating the Territory: Good Ideas for Leading in Complex Environments
Volume 2, Number 8
October/November, 2010
Deborah Reidy
Greetings!
  
Some of the feedback I've been getting is that the newsletter is too long.  This month I'm trying to keep things short and focused.  My source of inspiration this month are families of people with disabilities but for those of you new to this newsletter, the topics have varied considerably from issue to issue. For back issues of this newsletter, you can find them in the archives:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs076/1102561682356/archive/1102700377250.html 

Thanks for your interest and support. Happy holidays!

Deborah
Building Social Capital: An Important Leadership Activity

By Deborah Reidy

A couple of weekends ago, I was teaching a leadership program for a group of families of people with disabilities.  One mother had taken on the challenge of revitalizing a parent advisory committee in the city where she lived.  She described how much work she had put into getting people involved, with modest results.  Many families were just too occupied with their own day-to-day lives.  They didn't have the time or energy left over to join another committee or get involved in a cause.  This is not an unusual experience for any leader trying to mobilize people to work toward a larger purpose when most people find just managing everyday life practically impossible.  Whether it's advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, raising funds for a new public library, or creating a high performing project team, leadership starts with making the case for why people ought to commit to work toward that larger purpose.


I've been there, you've been there, and we know it can be really frustrating.  Maybe we get into blaming mode:  Blaming ourselves for not being persuasive enough, blaming others for not being sufficiently motivated.  What was interesting about the mother I'm describing is that she didn't seem especially frustrated and she wasn't blaming anyone.  Instead, she seemed mildly concerned yet patient.  She said, "So even though I couldn't recruit all these people to get involved in the committee, I decided to start calling them up and just asking them how they're doing.  Not with an agenda in mind."


And I thought, "Bingo!"  That's part of the work of leadership that I've never consciously identified.  I've often thought that the main way leaders connect people to a larger purpose is by fostering a shared vision.  That's important, sure.  But there's a more relational way of connecting to people that is equally important.  It's about creating goodwill by taking positive actions that are not tied to a particular agenda, just like this mother has done.  In today's jargon this is known as building social capital and it's seen as an important process whereby communities and networks become and remain strong.  One definition refers to social capital as stocks of social trust, norms and networks that people can draw upon to solve common problems.

 

There's a lot that's been written on social capital, why it's needed and how to build it.  Some good places to look are listed below.  But it's not like we need to learn how to do it.  Most of us do it all the time.  We give someone a recommendation or a referral.  We take the time to listen when someone comes to us with a dilemma, even though we are running behind ourselves.  We introduce two people that we think would get along.  Social capital is what strengthens community, keeps relationships strong, and repairs misunderstandings or misbehavior.  Building social capital is just as important a part of what leaders need to be doing as creating shared vision.  It's an investment whose payoff is not guaranteed.  However, as this mother reminded us, making that investment to reach out to people may well yield big dividends in the end.  And if it doesn't?  At least she made the connection.


Social Capital Resources

Here are a couple of useful resources to explore the practical and theoretical aspects of building social capital:

Better Together

Social Capital Gateway

You may also want to check out Peter Block and John McKnight's new book, The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods.

They also have a great website:  www.abundantcommunity.com

What We're Up To
Where did October go?  It's been a glorious autumn and until last night we hadn't had a hard frost.  I've been busy working on several good-sized planning and organizational assessment projects along with an array of workshops. I have also been making progress on editing my book manuscript and I think I'm close to sending it to the publisher for their editorial review.  It's so encouraging to have people ask me how it's going, although I also feel slightly embarrassed that it's taking this long!

This is the season for the Massachusetts family leadership series, always a delight to participate in.  A couple of weeks ago, I took part in the Central Mass Family Leadership Series.  This past Saturday was the Southeast Family Leadership Series Weekend One:  This is their 19th year! And there will be opportunity to participate in the Western Mass series in January.  Kudos to all the amazing families who have
organized the regional series over many years, as well as those who have attended them. I'd like to share a few quotes from the inspiring presentations given by Southeast series graduates Pam Booth and Peggy Waters:

"I look at the vision as a guiding light for us.  At first, my vision was in my head.  It's moved to becoming a part of me, inside.  The vision has guided our decision making.  Alot of times you don't even think, you just do it."  Pam Booth

"I'm not hearing as much 'You can't.' I think part of that is because there's been a change in me.  I've moved to more of the 'Why not?'  People say no because they don't don't know, they're afraid.  So I take responsibility to educate people." Pam Booth

"We can transform while we are just muddling through.  We can do amazing things in the quiet corners of our ordinary days." Peggy Waters

"Use anger and indignation as kindling, but let your vision be the flame and us as the keepers of the flame."  Peggy Waters

If you'd like to know more about what we're up to, please contact me at [email protected] or 413-536-9256.
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Reidy Associates offers customized solutions that enable leaders and their organizations to succeed in complex and uncertain environments.

Deborah Reidy
413-536-9256
Go to Reidy Associates website

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