You Are Not Alone

There is not a moment of any day where any one of us is really and truly alone anymore. We are connected via e-mail, voice mail, Facebook, Myspace, Skype, instant messaging, text messaging, etc. We are linked-in and synced-up and shaped by dozens, hundreds, and thousands of relationships. Why would you think you could work alone? Why would you want to? 

When the CEO of Ford moved from Boeing to take this new position, Alan Mulally knew he would have to depend on the knowledge of others. Mulally admittedly knew a lot about airplanes but not much about cars. He was unashamed about asking for help from people in the company and beyond. He has five binders in his office filled with the notes he took during the countless interviews he did with people during his first months on the job. His leadership has been characterized by listening, as much as by talking; he has fired vice presidents who couldn't keep their mouths shut during meetings because they thought they were so important. He's not everybody's favorite guy, to be sure; nobody could be in Detroit these days. He's made a lot of mistakes (that notorious flight to DC to testify before Congress is just one of them). And the problems Ford faces are staggering. But as of today Ford is the only one of the Big Three to avoid bankruptcy; and it’s the only one posting third quarter profits. Mulally seems to know he can’t work alone in figuring out what it means to be an auto manufacturer in a new day. (See Alex Taylor's in-depth article at CNN Money about Mulally's leadership and the challenges he faces.)

Across industries, leaders know they can’t work in the old silos. They know they need the expertise of all kinds of people at the table with them. Take, for example, the process of “branding.” Branding used to mean that you (and maybe a few people on your team) would put your heads together and try to figure out what you wanted to communicate to the world. Not anymore. Today branding is more about cooperative communication. It is an experience. It is a participative process. In the words of one designer: 

Today, brands have to let the customers row too! Brands have to share….Now the best brands maintain a dialogue with customers--a real experience. 

A Renewal Enterprise has been in the middle of a rebranding effort of its own this year. This seemed like a natural thing to do as the team has grown. Each new member of the team brings something new–new insights, expertise, questions, perspective, creativity, passion. But we have been learning how to function in new ways, too, that have stretched even our understanding of what “using participative processes” means. Using Google.docs and other online tools, we’ve worked across state lines and national borders to collaboratively produce a whole line of new books and resources. We’ve developed graphics together with designers and artists we’ve never met in person before, via e-mail and phone. We have collaborated with clients and friends to sharpen our thinking, generate content, and clarify our message so much so that we can say without hesitation that ARE’s core identity goes way the founding partners and even the ARE team; it has been shaped by hundreds of people across the continent. 

Who is shaping who you are? What you do? Where you’re headed? Who do you need to engage in conversation about purposeful questions? Who should you be inviting to come and play with you? Who has something to teach that you need to learn? Look out across your team, your organization, and your community today. You're not alone. 

We think that's a very good thing.

Comments

[Steve Fiechter]

The world is a different place...do we not need to rethink concepts of value and competition? How can we, as folks striving to integrate faith and life (as if the two are separate!), allow our growing connectivity to be a force for positive changes in culture/society?

[Kelly]

How right you are, Steve! One of the basic ideas that frames the modern worldview is that "the world" is a threat that must be managed or conquered; resources are viewed as scarce; neighbors are seen as competitors. This approach is killing us and the planet we share! It's time for a new - renewable - way of living and working together that is characterized by cooperation. People of faith can help by remembering and teaching that "the world" isn't a threat; it is the locus of God's activity. God is on the loose in the world! God made the world and everybody in it. God loves the world. This perspective can set us free to see each other through new eyes, to recognize and embrace our common humanity, and to work together to co-create a better world for everyone. Thanks for joining the conversation!!!