Sustainable Business Learning Community Conversations, November 2013 - December 2013

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November 7, 2013 Topic: Ways That Our Businesses Promote Community Wellness

Questions for the community:

• When we talk about community well-being, what do we mean by that? What does that look like?
• What have you experienced that represents an improvement in community well being as it relates to your business?

5 things we have identified that are foundational to community well being: 1. Relationships 2. Learning 3. Access 4. Health 5. Purposeful work

What do you think improves the community that you're involved with?

• Curt:

By doing business in Detroit, he shows his neighbors that there is value in Detroit - "You're the only person I know who has anything to do with Detroit" (his neighbor)

• Increase in communication - more of a conversation going on, whatever that is…

• Increase in collaboration: when true collaboration isn't happening, competition is happening. Collaboration works well when there is a mutual respect among the group and people are open.

• Lack of hierarchy makes for easier collaboration

• On collaboration: Earl: Problems with collaborations - competition and risk aversion gets in the way. You can have a positive comm impact - those companies with the biggest impact have the largest social context within which they work. These are the companies that hold a larger view of what they are working in and on. Important to have an awareness and understanding of a larger social context - just doing that is a contribution to community wellness.

• Do organizations filter their decisions thru their SEED? Do they remember what they're all about? You can't lose sight of what you're supposed to be about. Are you here to help the community at large? You can't limit yourself, close yourself off.

• Allowing yourself to take a risk and possibly get burned. The moment that you stop taking a chance and reaching out is the moment that you stop having a positive impact on your community.

• MJ: Many people just start out having fun. Many community contributions come just by people who want to do something just for fun - no money involved. Eventually they have to apply for grants because they will run out of their own money. (bus stop benches)

• Doing things naturally (not programatically). Fun = positive energy Doing something for fun means that there is passion and a gift there, and sharing. Something that is fun gives you an immediate feedback.

• Should be an element of joy in the work you do. There should be a steady enjoyment of the work that you're doing if you're gonna have well rounded success. That is a sustainable flow of energy - that nourishes you and sustains your energy. otherwise you will burn out (doing things you don't like to do….)

• Adults can forget how to have fun. Ask your kids - what made you laugh today?

• Simple things - cleaning the street - can make you feel better and help make your community better and healthier. Just cleaning your street can have a marked improvement in your community.

• People very encouraged when people come into a neighborhood and fix up a home. What you do for yourself you are also doing for your neighborhood. A clean neighborhood says that people live there who care and you have less crime. (Green Alley is an experiment in this idea)

• Ripple effect: when someone starts contributing to a community, others follow and the effects ripple out. One little thing can be a message that things are changing - a "quick win" the simplest thing that will have the biggest impact. (Adrienne's house story)

• 12 leverage points: Going from things that are very tangible to very ….

• Change can come from within and should come from within. Change includes a community of people as a core part of change. Real change comes from people within the community. Sometimes, those from the outside are those gathering people of the community together, someone with a fresh perspective.

• So how do you keep from getting into a rut? Where you stop making change happen?

• To prevent community from isolating itself, rotate meetings, get togethers to other places, etc. You're stretching the community a bit by doing something new, bringing something new to the community. People can be pretty tentative about their community and change coming into it.

• Being proactive - getting outside ourselves - and we can start a ripple effect when we take action.

• The power of presence: Your contribution and presence in a community can create respect from other community members. The indirect impact of your actions can be so much bigger tan your actions themselves.

You have to BE THERE

• You have to believe in what it is that you do.

• Most powerful way to impact a community is to live by example. Changes more opinions by building trust.

• Trust: If there's trust in a relationship, anything is possible cuz you can overcome anything. How do we work on trust in relationships?
  • you need to grow both emotional and intellectual solidarity.
  • by making your intentions clear
  • listening to others and their needs
  • consistency: people's behavior is consistent and you can build trust by treating people well consistently
  • Have integrity - be reliable
  • Transparency
  • The prisoner's dilemma - importance of communication and collaboration
  • Ask how can you help someone - it's an invitation to collaboration. Also, ask for someone else's help.
  • Disrespectful to come into a community and say that you're here to help without receiving anything in return from the community. It puts the community at a deficit - they need to feel that they can help you and themselves as well.
  • Trust builds from understanding and empathizing - asking permission to get to know others ideas and work.
  • Tunde: Making people feel comfortable by being authentic and yourself (within reason) Be comfortable in yourself.
  • Meet people where they are, respect that and be patient enough to build a relationship
  • We need to break the boundary of self-reliance at all costs - define the boundary - so that we can build a community and help one another.