First of all this work is not standard. The job description isn’t, the gaining a role process isn’t, and the actual role definitely isn’t.
So it seems natural to work through the citizen incubator programme as a series of emotions.
Surprise
58 years old in a steady job and a message ‘would you like to find out more about what we’re up to’. I was more thinking of retiring than starting something new. And I completed the initial ‘sounding out what would work’ phases still with that in mind. I’d done a fair few community things, all on the basis of – I could give it a go and see what happens. Nothing formal. Just do it as a certain sportswear manufacturer may say.
Disbelief
A role in the community where anyone could apply for the role, no CVs, no degrees, no applications forms. All the formality stripped away just to get to the person beneath.
And an offer of a job where I could work within a team to come up with an idea alongside the community, testing it in the community and then rolling it out. With full back up from the employer. And when I say ‘full’ I mean it. Design support, mentors on tap, local high-flying community achievers for advice, wellbeing coaches.
Any idea? Yes. What if the employer didn’t like the idea? It’s community designed not employer designed so if it works it will be OK.
And does the idea have to be around a certain theme already in place? No. The team will come up with the ideas.
Is the idea to be used specifically for the employer’s customers? No, it’s for the community at large.
Is there any money to do it with? Yes everyone gets enough of a salary to tempt even those currently on benefits to give it a try. And then there’s money to do whatever you need to research, promote and test the idea.
As I say, disbelief. This had to be too good to be true.
Confusion
What was expected of me? Start where? Do what? With who? The last one was the easy one – on paper. Five very different characters to build a unique multi-skilled team. All with the drive to build an idea. All of whom at anytime may want to do something different, with no rules in direct ideas. How exactly was this going to happen?
Vulnerability
This could fail. It’s OK to fail. You can try again. Eventually there will be a win.
Enthusiasm
Once the research began and the ideas started flowing and the support started gathering. And there were always cheerleaders in the form of the expert delvery team. You can do this!!! Can I? Really?
Frustration
A direction in the early stages. Organise an event to test your research. OK…… So a fun day was born with stilt walkers, flying money phone boxes and whackamole machines. And the community came on the day. Around 250 of them. All giving their perspective on where the focus should be. Three areas became one.
Exaltation
We’d done it. Day over, fantastic feedback and a clear direction.
Epiphany
Oh that’s what they mean by design process, I get it (three months in).
Inspiration
How to present ideas. A drawing doesn’t have to be good – so long as its clear and you can tell a story as you draw it. Drawing brings the groups together and catches those who visualise and those who read.
Belonging
This is my tribe. I love community. It’s in my blood. And this role means that everyone can benefit. One day a conversation with a CEO of a multi-million charity, the next a conversation with someone who has never even heard of a £50 note, let alone seen one. All with an equal input into the ideas.
Success
Testing the idea, pulling people together, describing an idea that hadn’t been done before, asking for trust, as the original team asked of us back at the start. Showing the idea works, succeeding with the idea, but mainly enabling success for others – again as the original team did.
Disbelief
Did I really just do that? Was that idea really that good? Will it carry on? Will others get to understand what it is we’ve created? How long before others believe that this is the way to go?
Satisfaction
The buzz of the success is enormous. This is massive for everyone that takes part. Whether it’s measurable in pounds or wellbeing it is massive.
Pride
It’s huge. Bursting out of your body kind of huge. To have achieved something this good in such a short space of time is immense. No way would it have been an actual thing with the team behind it. It would have remained a seriously good idea in a house in a town. It took courage from the employers to do this. And their payback is brilliant ideas that they can say only came about because they were brave.
Trust
Everything we did was about trust.
We trusted the team when they described the project – even though for the rest of us that live on an established, rule driven planet earth this was out there.
We trusted the community to get involved.
We trusted our team to support each other.
We trusted that others would help us make it happen – without pay.
We trusted that into the future this could work.
We trusted that this would be a good way to spend a year of our lives.
Hope
Now I’m left with hope. Hope that in the future other organisations are prepared to let the community lead. Without intervention or distraction. Hope that organisations will believe that community don’t need to be steered on ideas that fit corporate ideas to come up with something magical. Hope that organisations let go. I’ll be clear – to middle managers and above – it doesn’t need to be your idea to be good. And a great manager makes it clear that it is someone else’s idea and is proud to have been along for the ride. More brilliant ideas will come with freedom. Freedom to express, freedom to test and freedom to claim.
Hope that the next generations get to know this as their new reality.
I truly believe they will, and it is thanks to leaders such as Public Life that their world will improve.
