The three rules of organizing

I was bred to be a leader.  I came from a privileged class background, went to a fancy school (which i have been visiting for the last few days with my mother), have had access to money and contacts for much of my life.  Everyone thought i would go on to law or business school and be a politician or captain of industry.


Let me show you the way

Instead i feel thru the cultural cracks.  i got radicalized and became an organizer.  And while there are certainly similarities in these two roles, the difference in critical:

No job is too low for an organizer

When i was working in Europe i put some energy into developing what i felt were the three most critical rules for organizers which i think are:

1) Don’t get stuck

2) Don’t overwork the problem

3) Find Allies

The first rule is really a call for creative problem solving, if the solutions you are trying are not working, shift approaches, ask for assistance or use your imagination harder.

The second rule is a mix of recognizing when you  are unable to obtain your objective and equally important not investing extra energy into situations which you have already been successful.

The last rule is one of the places where leaders and organizers most differ, because for leaders this rule translates into “Find minions or followers”.

Organizers want to co-empower, leaders want to be calling the shots.  Which do you want to be when you grow up?