Six Steps to Transforming Your Community

By Jessica Jack Wyrick

What does it take to transform a community?

The solution – much like the challenge – is complex. A variety of factors (social, historic, economic) shape communities over time. So when you’re working against decades of status quo, where can you begin to enact positive change?

Simply put, the best place to begin is at the beginning. A community needs a catalyst to change course. And, while bystander apathy isn’t what gets communities into trouble, it is a large part of what keeps them there. So, when many people are capable of action, who is responsible?

You are. Because you had the notion that something deserved a chance to change, you are. So step up.

The past five years have seen a rise in people stepping forward and creating catalytic community development initiatives nationwide. Some are targeted at the arts or small business; others address a specific neighborhood or even an entire city. All of them – if they’re doing it right – share this list of six principles for transformative community success.

1.  Listen, listen, listen.

And when you think you’ve asked enough questions and gathered enough data, ask and find some more. Without fail, people and organizations get overwhelmed with ideas and missions, and forget to listen. People won’t always seek you out to share ideas – but you’ll definitely hear from them if you neglect to engage them, and you may not like what you hear. Everyone wants to be involved – it’s human nature. Besides, if you don’t gather the stories that most accurately define your challenge, how can you hope to solve it? Charging forward with good intentions — but little community-inclusive groundwork– is a sure fire way to put your initiatives on ill footing with your most important client: the community itself.

2. Connect the dots.

In your quest to make your community awesome, isolation will cost you time and energy. Worse, it is a huge non-profit (and human) faux pas to hog creative and intellectual real estate. By creating connections between people and resources, you empower others and become known as a valuable connector. People love a connector, and collaboration is the new competition. When you win, only you win. When the community wins, everyone wins (including you!).

3. Play chess – and don’t be an amateur.

In chess, strategy from the first move is paramount in securing the win. A good chess player not only knows his opponent, but calculates at least three moves ahead before lifting a finger. You never know how your opponent will react – so its important to anticipate as many outcomes as possible, and plan for everything.

4. Build your toolkit.

What is your strength? What is the angle from which you will contribute to community improvement? When you’ve solidified your position, begin to build your toolkit and build it before you take direct action. Your toolkit may consist of material resources, people, liaisons with institutions, and more. Without these resources, your momentum will be stunted. Buy a hammer before you attempt to drive any nails. Otherwise, you’ll cost yourself time, energy, and points with the public and with clients.

5. Take the lead – sort of.

A person with an idea + the drive for action + the skills necessary for success = a leader. However, there are different brands of leaders. The best take the lead – sort of. The Tao te Ching tells us that there are three kinds of leaders: the kind who are feared (bad), the kind who are capable but seek credit and adoration (typical), and the kind who are great. The great leaders govern in such a way that the people say “Look at all the great things WE accomplished! Look what WE did!” Be that leader. When you lead with subtlety and without ego, you empower people. No one needs to see the reigns in your hand – they only need to feel the effect that your positive, capable guidance has on their own efforts at community improvement.

6. Analyze, analyze, analyze.

And when you think you’re done, analyze some more. The importance of consistently making sense of your progress is paramount. An organization that doesn’t consistently document and analyze reactions to progress is doomed to make very little of it. It’s easy to apply only emotional value to community work, but be brave and do the math. How many new people have you engaged? How many press articles have you landed? How many new doors have you knocked on? If you don’t have numbers, you can’t count on continued success.

The most important part of this list? No matter how small or large your organization or business, these principles can work for you. Don’t be afraid to apply them retrospectively, and often. Go ahead – be a catalyst, and take the lead.

Jessica Jack Wyrick is a documentary photographer, world traveler, researcher, and blogger and the designer behind the See Jane Write Magazine logo and header. When she’s not jet-setting or contributing to See Jane Write, Jack can be found renovating her historic home in Birmingham, Ala. and rebuilding antique cameras in her darkroom. She blogs at jessicajack.com and bhambuilt.com. Follow her on Twitter @clear_mirror.