As we navigate political volatility, reduced funding, and uncertainty that is coursing through our sector, it’s more important than ever to build relationships that will sustain us for the long haul. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to do just this, when I spoke with a new acquaintance and friend Orion Camera from Narrative Initiative. He shared, “We can do it together, and we can’t do it alone.” These simple words have been resounding in my head all week.
While we don’t know what lies ahead, we know we will be facing moments of increased chaos, urgency, and uncertainty. In these moments we need to know who our team is- the folks we can reach out to for support, information, connection, and downright sanity.
Ironically, we need to build these relationships before we need them. Times of crises are not the moment we have the bandwidth to build new relationships; Put bluntly, when the kitchen is on fire is not the time to invite folks in for a cup of tea. This is by design, for our collective survival our nervous systems evolved to switch between two modes; sympathetic (often know as fight or flight) and parasympathetic, when we can rest and connect.
One of the dangers of chronic uncertainty and chaos is that it can get us stuck in a state of constant fight or flight. And when we’re stuck in this state it looks like the kitchen is on fire ALL THE TIME. This decreases our functioning, leads to worse decisions and actually inhibits us from building the very connections that can get us unstuck and help us regain perspective, regulate our nervous system, re-evaluate our conditions, and identify new solutions and possibilities.
What about when the kitchen IS on fire? Here are some go-to resources to support your organization, especially if you’re planning for financial changes now or in the future:
- Strategic Program Planning Matrix (helpful for financial planning and budget cuts)
- Organizational Health Review Assessment
- Planning for Uncertainty
- Stress Test Your Organization
- Planning for Organizational Stability
This is why in uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to notice when the kitchen is not on fire. To recognize when there are opportunities to rest and connect. And most importantly, to start building your A-team that will be your lifeline for the next time a fire flares.
In Okinawa, there’s a tradition of creating a moai. Moais are sometimes defined as “social support groups,” but what makes them unique is that they are established as children. Children are paired in groups (typically of 5) and commit to support and encourage each through their entire lives. Moai literally means as “meeting for a common purpose.” The purpose is mutual support, and the commitment is lifelong. This social technology has been identified as one reason why Okinawans have amazing longevity, often living past 100. It turns out we’re social creatures, and having a team literally helps us live longer.
So now is the time to build your movement Moai. This is not a metaphor. It is time to form intentional groups and communities that can support and sustain us in our work and in our lives. These are the folks you can turn to when you need information or advice, morale support or to be pulled out of a doom spiral of chaos. So let’s get strategic about who you need to connect with.
At TREC, we have been using the three-part strategy of mitigate risk, endure and sustain, and vision forward. It’s important to ensure that as you build your team, you make sure that you have folks that can tend to these three areas. For example, folks who work for civil liberties or immigrant rights are the superstars of mitigating risk in the current moment. Development folks, funders and those with financial wits and the ability to make hard calls might be your go-to for endure and sustain. Visionary leaders, artists, futurists, and eternal optimists may be go-tos to ensure you are continuing to vision forward.
As Zen master Norma Wong says, now is the time to keep “our eyes on the horizon” and as we look forward, our future selves will thank us for thinking about who is alongside us and investing time (when we can) to build and shore up the relationships we will need to sustain our work and our movements for the future.
What follows is a simple resource to help you think through who your movement moai is in your current work. I’ve also included a Risk Matrix that you can bring to your moai (or your organization) to think through what fires you’ll need to prepare for and get on your front foot to face the challenges and risks we may face now or in the future. Alternatively, you may want to fill out the risk matrix (along with a soothing cup of tea) and have this inform who you reach out to build your movement moai (aka your support team).
Warmly,
Building the Network You Need
The following questions will help you think through building your moai (social support network) to support you during times of stress, threat and uncertainty. Remember, we want to build the relationships we need before we actually need them for yourself and your organization. So take some time now to answer these questions and then list out in the matrix below an intentional group you can call on for support, now and in the future.
Mitigating Risk Matrix
This matrix is a tool as part of TREC’s three-part strategy of Mitigating Risk, Enduring & Sustaining and Visioning Forward. The following matrix can help organize your thinking about current and future risks and/or transitions. This matrix can be done individually or with a group.
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April loves dancing Tango and cooking up something new from whatever ingredients are on hand. In her spare time she likes to study Spanish and go bike-riding.
A place that brings April joy is the Shinto shrine in Granite Falls, Washington and the Oregon Coast for it’s beautiful rock formations and wildlife sightings (she once saw a whole herd of elk eating ivy!)
Recommended article from April: https://www.justsecurity.org/79978/combatting-authoritarianism-the-skills-and-infrastructure-needed-to-organize-across-difference/