5 things I have learnt from Collaboration Station (CS)
CS is a regular public event dedicated to people turning their ideas into community action. I took a lead in developing it alongside a community team, as a touchpoint to give power to the Connecting for Good movement and our Community Organising (CO) practice, and the process has taught me a lot.
Planning actions without focusing on leadership development is just event planning
We started CS on a whim to see what would happen if we put lots of people working on making change together in one room. We wanted to show the power of the movement. We wanted people to connect with others who were working on completely different things under the same banner. Making change can be a lonely business & there is power in a show of numbers. CS became an important part of the ecosystem, a regular touchpoint and a place of celebration. However, for a while we became victims of our own success, regularly people would show up without any idea of what the content would be. Behind the scenes there was a constant race to get the next month’s schedule confirmed & I got to a stage of focusing on the success of the event itself, rather than the development of the people involved in hosting it alongside me. Although each CS was full of calls to action from the people who shared their ideas, our action had become an event, and the team volunteers rather than changemakers. For a while, they stepped into anything that was asked of them (and they did that fantastically) but it took a while for my focus to move from steering the ship towards building up the crew.
CO learning number 1: Focus on the people, not the stuff.
2. It’s easy to break the golden rule when under pressure
The golden rule of organising, “Do not do for others what they can do for themselves”. Seconds to say and a lot longer to master. People expect, ask, and wait for you to do for them. Our general understanding of leadership is that the person bringing people together is the leader and the leader does or tells. It is easy to fall into when seemingly under pressure. In this case, one action ends and planning starts for the next one — that usually involves lots of chasing people up. It’s easy to make excuses for others — they don’t have time — the message needs to be just so — and just get on with it. Golden rule broken. I have developed the mantra, “Check yourself”, to remind myself to stop when I am tempted to step in and do a task for somebody I am working with. If it doesn’t get done, we need to reflect and work out why. If I step in, there isn’t space for someone else to
CO learning number 2: Don’t just do it.
3. But people will step up when you ask them to
Focusing on the people, understanding their drive, reflecting together, and nurturing conditions for them to connect over all sorts of weird and wonderful subjects, propels the team into taking ownership. Having more direct asks and trusting in the CS team moved them from “Can we work on that together”, to “I have given it a try, will you check it’s ok”, to last week, “We’ve sorted it out, you’ll hear it when we get on stage to share it in front of 57 people!” Mic drop moment.
CO learning number 3: Trust in the people. Trust in the process.
4. And sometimes when you don’t ask them to…
I have had to learn this one over and over again. Creating an inclusive space doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone who wants to do every role. When the skills don’t fit, sometimes a person is just not right for the job. It becomes a disservice to them and to the action for them to jump into that role. Sometimes people will do it anyway and try to take it all on in the moment. It often doesn’t work well. Over the years we have seen the public space of CS inadvertently be used as a stage to develop ego, a space to share an idea and try to get others to make it happen on their behalf and a social soiree. I am learning to be clearer with people, to discuss boundaries so that everyone knows their roles and what is expected. Moving away from boundaries as cages and embracing them as safety for everyone.
CO learning number 4: Inclusivity doesn’t mean you have to let everyone in everywhere.
5: But when it works it’s magic
I have been picking out some of the more difficult learning from the development of CS over the years, but on the whole it has filled me with joy and pride. I have consistently been amazed by the power of bringing together people with an appetite for change. Newcomers to the space often leave sharing feelings of excitement, connection and hope. The team has been dedicated to holding a space that energetically welcomes and affirms people with different ways of showing up in the world. I am proud to see how they have grown in confidence and direction, and ever grateful to be on this journey alongside them. Together we have developed a solid structure that nurtures community action, we have been part of the development journey of 34 initiatives and campaigns, and we have done it all whilst having a lot of fun.
CO learning number 5: Sometimes magic is the only word that can do this work justice.
If you have a few more minutes, put a smile on your face with highlights from the CS 2023 January special (where the mic drop moment occurred)(1min)
and check out my little lockdown vid about the values of CS (5min20)
More info and updates from the CS ACTION itself here ;-)
