It may strike you as unusual, even a bit strange, to see staff evaluations and philanthropy (or "fund raising") treated in such close proximity. After all, those are usually considered entirely different tasks, even different professions.
But I've found it useful to think of both as examples of an unspoken aim at the very heart of the social sector: to lift up the most noble qualities in human beings. Indeed, if you think about it, might that even sum up the highest purpose of the sector, a purpose that we could intentionally carry into the ways we work together?
When we make room for conversations about what we have going for us, what kind of world we want, and why our aspirations matter so much to us, we also make room for bold answers. We make it possible for individuals to see that the world they want actually might be possible and that they are capable of making a difference in bringing that about.
Then, of their own volition, they will set their sights higher. And then, freely and gladly, they will act--inspired acts grounded in their own convictions.
No one asked Barney Saunders to make such a sacrificial financial commitment. Nor did Linda ask her staff to set audacious goals. They made those choices because someone had carefully and mindfully invited their idealistic selves to come out of the closet.
As we've seen, these same ideas can be applied to reveal the boldness and energy latent in an entire group of people. Recall how the staff and board of the Guild's School looked back to the best of their past and present, to find the "stuff" of which they were made. Once they had taken stock of their assets and discovered their core ("belief in each other"), they were poised to ask themselves what their next level of success could look like. As we've seen, they gained the energy and confidence it took to dream more boldly and to turn that dream into action.
Yet it's common to skip or short-circuit this step, in all aspects of organizational and civic life.
What could be possible if we systematically allowed the greatness in people to come forward, and let their built-in contributory spirit be even more visible?