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Being Wonder Woman (or Superman)

I recently watching the PBS documentary, Wonder Women. This experience prompted me to draw comparisons between superheroes and change makers.  While both are committed to making the world a better place by helping people in need and combating an unjust status quo, there are also some key differences.  Perhaps what makes us feel so in awe of heroes, super or otherwise, is their seeming ability to generate significant positive change by having the innate ability to apply the right talents to the right cause at the right time.  Much like the superhero’s sidekick, the changemaker’s support system tends to be left out of the limelight.

In emulating Gandhi’s mantra of “… be the change you wish to see in the world,” we need to remember that this doesn’t necessarily mean doing it all alone.  Just as superheroes formed a Justice League, it’s important to develop a support system to help you accomplish the change you’re trying to bring about.  This includes enlisting the support of people in your organization, partners, and stakeholders as well as those in your personal life, such as family and friends.

At a minimum, we need two kinds of support—cheerleaders and challengers.  Cheerleaders are the people who unconditionally love and support us.  They celebrate our successes and cheer us up when we’re down.  Challengers are those who hold up a mirror when we need to be held accountable.  They also give us the honest truth, even when it’s hard to hear.  It’s especially fortunate when we have someone in our lives who knows how and when to play both roles.

A recent example of the importance of having an effective support system in place occurred when I served as the Co-Chair for a three-day professional development conference for organization development practitioners.  I was fortunate in working with a Conference Co-Chair who demonstrated as much concern for the quality of our relationship as putting on a successful event.  She demonstrated what it means to be a cheerleader and challenger by celebrating our successes and kindly confronting me when I started to slip into habits that would not serve the conference or me well.

The success of the organization development conference can also be attributed to attracting the right kind of support at the right time.  From the beginning we set the intention of having a highly participatory event, which was also borne out during the planning process.  By communicating with conference participants early and often we enlisted volunteers who helped us recruit speakers, facilitate conference sessions, design a brochure, and handled on site logistics.  We were also fortunate in having a supportive board.  In addition to helping us plan the event, they provided valuable feedback on the design and communicated just in time information that enabled us to adjust our plans on the fly in response to dynamics in the room.

How has forming your own Justice League helped you reach your goals?

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Kimberley Jutze is a socially responsible entrepreneur and Chief Change Architect at Shifting Patterns Consulting where she facilitates social change by working alongside organizations that think and act outside the box to address society’s most pressing challenges. Her work involves collaborating with social enterprises to help them obtain funding and strengthen
their organizational capabilities. For additional information on Kimberley and Shifting
Patterns Consulting, visit www.shifting-patterns.com or www.facebook.com/shiftingpatterns or connect with her on twitter @ShiftPatConsult