Engagement: It's more than checking the "like" box.

There is much to be said about the power of our connections to each other. Relationships should be more than passing moments where the currency of our exchange is social media "likes".  To be meaningful (and authentic) our relationships and the engagement we use to develop them, need to have depth and a degree of vulnerability. 

Last week I was looking for assistance with elements of a design-thinking challenge I am helping create, so I asked a couple friends to introduce me to their networks. Their willingness to do so, and then go beyond what I anticipated with the connections they made, was humbling. Being able to pick up the phone and ask to be connected to a someone's network is sort of like showing up at a friend's house and asking permission to raid the fridge. It takes trust, knowledge that there is something more than ketchup and beer in there, and the understanding that you would return the favor if you could. It takes relationships born from engagement.

Why is this important?  Because checking the "like" box in our interactions is fleeting, superficial, and has become somewhat indiscriminate. Collectively, we "like" so many things, but do we truly know what we are liking?  Unless that "like" is followed by more a more substantive set of maneuvers to actually connect with each other, it will not yield much for anyone.  In order to collaborate effectively we need to know each other. Our interactions will be more authentic, and our communication improved. If we claim our purpose is at all associated with the business of making change, the effort necessary for real engagement to occur is worth it.

The Passion Puzzle

Purpose; I am not sure how we exist without it in our lives, no matter what facet of that existence we are referring to. When I am talking to people about their careers, their work, and what works drives them, it is always fascinating to hear them tell me what they are passionate about. It may have nothing to do with what they scheduled the appointment for, but it helps frame our conversation in a few different ways. It helps me understand how well they know themselves, how clear they are in articulating their visions, and whether they're ready to influence through sharing.

Add caption

Knowing what you're passionate about means that you are aware of yourself. Passions run deeper then interests, and because of this they are things that may elicit a visceral response when we talk about them. Some self-study is required to be able to understand this. Personal notes taken in a journal, and open / vulnerable conversations with those who are close to us, can help us identify the things that make us tick.

Self-awareness is one thing, but being able to speak to it is something else entirely. I am not talking about creating "your pitch", I am talking about being able to very naturally speak to what you do that makes you happy. For me, connecting people, and seeing people succeed, are two the cornerstones of my happy place, and I will do almost anything to make those things happen.

The last piece of the passion-puzzle (having identified it and learned how to speak to it) is to put it into action. This is where the beauty of community comes into play. If you are (or want to be) in a social impact space, you have really no choice but to be engaging with other like-minded people interested in seeing communities thrive. Come to think of it, you ought to be engaging with some "unusual suspects" who may not yet be of the same mindset as you. Learning how to influence potential employers, collaborators, funders, etc. by speaking to your passions and having people understand the value you bring with respect to outcomes of mutual interest is clutch. Time and place on these conversations is important (something I will get into in a later post), but whenever you have the conversations, understand that the timing will choose you, not the other way around, so stay nimble.