We can always use power* to make people do things. Or, we can use education and influence to make them want to — one of these works better and lasts much longer.
As I contemplate my new role and challenge I’m mindful that I’m operating in an arena where the focus is on power. How to get it, use it, keep it. Flex it. Because the game is power, it sucks up a lot of energy. There is nothing generative about seeking and keeping power. Think Sisyphus. Tired.
Getting meaningful work done, however, is generative. It feeds us and sustains us for more. And more. You can see it in the glow of a team in sync, aligned, and on target.
Hard to change the rules of the game. But it’s possible to be in the arena and ignore the game. Yes, I(we) might get hit, but I(we) also get a chance to do meaningful work.
TEAM WILLING
It is really important to me to enlist every willing “wants to” person in the effort of making our region more resilient**.
And therein lies the meaningful challenge.
- How do we come to a shared, realistic understanding of resiliency in a risk vulnerable region?
- Where is the boundary and balance between “you’re on your own” and “we will take care of you”?
- What systems can we realistically guarantee? Protect at all costs?
- What will always be at risk no matter what we do?
There are (relatively) few people even interested in those questions. But those of us that are tend to think of little else.
I write this for me but also to invite you to think with me about where we go from here. As a city. Together.
Love,
Angela
Definitions:
*power: control over resources and their allocation and distribution
**resilience: ability to navigate waves of upheaval and uncertainty. Capacity to restore survival critical systems and functions.
