Truth - It's Not That Difficult

I was thinking about two movement campaigns tonight: Truth and It Gets Better. These two campaigns take a message that has not been heard or hasn't wanted to be heard or is hard to hear or whatever it is that keeps people from positive action vs. negative action, and yet they do it in very different ways.

The Truth campaign goes for shock value. The message tries to make you react to something and react at that moment. It isn't about creating a feel good moment that you will remember and hold on to. It is about rocking your current train of thought and derailing it in order to move you.

The It Gets Better campaign is powerful because it plays on human emotion. It is raw. It is real. It is truth. This type of movement campaign doesn't try to shock you (not always) into movement, but tries to humanize a tough issue that many people refuse to see as a human issue.

Both of them tell the truth. Both campaigns are not afraid to tell the truth and do not beat around the bush. The American Legacy Foundation and Dan Savage were not afraid to talk about the tough topics in a way that was both direct and effective. So why is that so hard for others? Organizations? People? Leaders? Everyone wants to hear the truth. Sure, sometimes you have to deliver it according to target audience, but regardless, you will be respected so much more if you speak truthfully, honestly and with integrity.

I have interacted with many people and organizations who/that refuse, for whatever reason - mainly fear - to be honest. Your donors, supporters, volunteers, friends, lovers, children, families and even strangers know (for the most part) when you are being honest and transparent and when you are talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Want to be successful? Want to be respected? Want to lead a movement? Want to be trusted? If you don't want to be involved, say so. If you don't want to raise money, say so. If you are feeling under valued, say so. If you don't feel as though you have the information you need, say so. Be honest. Be truthful. Have integrity and work with those around you to do the same.

Calling All Professional Change Makers

I was working with a group not too long ago that has a strong commitment to creating change in their community and beyond. Great! I like change makers. As a matter of fact, if I could change my title to Professional Change Maker, I would. But is it enough to WANT to create change?

The answer is simply, no, it is not enough. I also want to be a trust fund baby, but that isn't going to happen either. It is not good enough to wish for funding to come through your door or to wish that your board members would do everything you want them to do; we have to make those things happen. Ok, so perhaps that is a bit obvious, but it is amazing to me how many people truly believe that simply having a desire for something creates the end result after which is so desperately sought.

The question then becomes, HOW do we create change? How do we take a passion, idea, commitment and bring it to fruition? The easiest way I can say it is to have guts and follow through. It is difficult to create change. It takes perseverance, willingness, overcoming fear, dedication, open mindedness, leadership and money. It takes all of those things, but more than anything, it takes a shared vision and a commitment to take that vision and put it into action.

So step back for a minute, all of you change makers, and answer this question, "If you had unlimited funding and support and an open road, what would you like to see happen - big picture?" Then take it a step further and determine what impact that would create either in your community, region, nation, or globally.

If you know where you want to go and why it is so important to get there, you have just won half the battle (insert G.I. Joe theme song here). Hold a visioning session with your board and your staff. Gain their buy in and build their passion around a mutual goal, a long term vision. Then make the plan to get there. Acknowledge that it will not be easy. Accept that it is scary to make changes and to become something great.

And, if at the end of the day, you, your board and your supporters don't wish to become something great, I hope you will re-evaluate your organization's impact, mission and position in this world. There is too much work to be done to be walking around in the muck and the weeds everyday with no intention of change.