February 18, 2011

It’s organic, didn’t you know?

Your ideas count, or rather, my ideas count. That seems to be the unspoken motto of the Literacy Coalition. As the newest member of the team and plucked from a bureaucratic giant, words like “run with it” are not something I’m used to hearing.

Landing in such an organic, fluid, and intellectually-charged environment is daunting for someone like me who’s more familiar with the concepts of “top-down,” “vertical hierarchy,” and “boundaries” than the ideas of empowerment and cooperation. There’s no time clock. It’s you, your ideas, your team, and the community. All are dependent on each other for sustainability, expected to create an ever-evolving synergy with more direct impact than thought possible. It’s something I can get behind.

The bar is set high here where initiative, direct interaction among team members, and open communication allow for creation and flexibility. I witness community impact and capacity- and coalition-building, once vague and ill-defined notions for me, on a daily basis. It’s a collective force of energy and ideas, and I can’t wait to jump aboard. Wait, I am on board. I hope I can hold on…

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