Running Through the Middle
Having a shared positive future is critical for a football team. How else do you win? It also applies to communities. See why below.
In my youth, football was everything to me. I loved playing and watching football. If you wanted to play tackle football in our community, you joined a team in the “Junior Tackle” league. Numerous teams were scattered around the community, and most were sponsored by local businesses.
Right down the street from me was a team called Nelson-Storm that practiced at 25th Street Park (I know, not a very inspiring or creative name for a park). I never paid attention to the name, but it was a popular team, and at least a hundred kids would come out every year to try out for the lightweight and heavyweight divisions.
My Father would watch some practices and come to all of my games. As an immigrant from Latvia unfamiliar with this American sport, he thought the game was odd. All the starting and stopping, the chaotic look of the plays, the piles of people falling all over each other, and the multitude of armor and pads worn seemed silly for a man who had played and watched what we call “Soccer.”
When he first started observing football, he said in his thick accent, “Why does the runner (the running back) go to middle, the place where everyone is standing (blocking)? Why doesn’t he run around them? He would get much farther. I don’t understand this.” It was a logical question with a long answer.
“What it boiled down to, Dad, is that the play is called a certain way in that every person has their assignment. Suppose everyone does their job and carries out their blocking assignment. In that case, the running back should be able to run through the “hole” we linemen (I usually played offense interior line positions) have created with our blocks. If all of this happens, the running back should get a lot of yardage or even a touchdown,” was my response.
I know that my argument wasn’t convincing as it was met with a shrug and a shaking of the head, indicating he wasn’t buying my reasoning.
Teamwork was the answer: If everyone does their job, we win. If everything goes the way it is designed, we gain. If we work as a team, knowing what each of us can do, we will succeed. If we all share the same goal, we win. It’s our shared positive future.
Isn’t that what every organization and business is trying to do? Every organization or company wants to achieve its goals, gain market share, serve its constituents, or develop authority. Success can’t be achieved with everyone doing their own thing. The organization must have a shared sense of purpose and, hence, an appealing shared future.
What about communities? Daniel Coyles’s book The Culture Code says that organizations with a shared future have a positive culture, which one would assume would lead to success. The same could be applied to communities, towns, or regions.
A shared and positive view of the future is essential for a positive culture and, ultimately, success. A community with a population that does not have a connected future will not succeed. The first step to success is a connected community. Leaders can use numerous strategies and tactics to connect neighbors and neighborhoods at a basic level.
Community development activists and advocates point to Asset Based Community Development or “ABCD.” It is the community equivalent to the individual “positive psychology” movement as it looks to the positive,. The strengths and the attributes of a community, rather than what is missing or is weak, are what is promoted and on which energy is focused.
However, the shared view of the future can also be negative. A consistent downturn in a community’s economic, social, or environmental assets and systems can harm the shared future, which can certainly be dire and result in negative outcomes.
Economic development organizations can and should work towards a shared future within their organization and the community as a whole. Working with existing assets, an economic development professional, or for that matter, anyone in the community, can take the positive assets in their community and use them as a starting point for a positive shared future.
Creating a shared positive future for a connected community requires economic development professionals to implement strategies that foster inclusive growth, sustainability, resilience, and innovation. Here are five strategies to consider:
- Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration — Economic development professionals can facilitate inclusive decision-making processes that involve community members, local businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders. By engaging diverse voices and fostering collaboration, they can ensure that economic development initiatives reflect the priorities and aspirations of the entire community.
- Facilitate open dialogues and public forums that unite diverse stakeholders, including residents, business owners, civic leaders, and marginalized groups.
- Encourage active participation and gather insights on the community’s aspirations, challenges, and priorities for economic development. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of ownership and alignment towards a shared vision.
- Encourage cross-sector collaboration and partnerships between the public, private, and non-profit sectors to leverage resources and expertise effectively.
2. Nurture Entrepreneurship and Innovation — Encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation by providing access to resources, mentorship, and funding will spur the community’s economic growth and job creation. Economic development professionals can support aspiring entrepreneurs, startups, and existing small businesses through incubators, accelerators, and mentorship, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity.
- Join national advocacy groups that encourage startup culture, such as “Right to Start.
- Create ongoing group mentorship programs that nurture businesses in the middle of their success journey. Programs like Circles of Seven are designed for this purpose.
3. Promote Equitable and Sustainable Infrastructure and Environmental Stewardship — Prioritizing equitable and sustainable infrastructure projects and environmental stewardship initiatives can promote economic resilience and environmental sustainability. Investing in renewable energy, green transportation, waste management, and sustainable urban planning not only creates jobs and stimulates economic activity but also contributes to the long-term health and well-being of the community.
- Make sure that new projects don’t have an impact on underserved communities.
- Ensure green economy projects are accessible to underserved populations through job training, recruitment, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
By employing these strategies, economic development professionals and community leaders can facilitate a shared understanding of the community’s aspirations, leverage collective resources, and foster a sense of ownership and commitment toward a sustainable and prosperous future.
My Father became a big football fan at the end of his life. Sunday afternoons were devoted to watching numerous football games, even as my interest waned. As my Father lay dying in the hospital on life support, he made sure that I had Monday Night Football tuned in so it could be one of the last things he did.
The teamwork and shared future of the teams interested him the most. He now understood why they ran through the middle.
To learn more about connected communities and how to create connected cultures, contact me at martin@martinkarlconsulting.com.
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I have developed resources related to the business startup culture, climate change, and business mentoring. You can access those downloads here.
