Walking the Talk

Better Is Based in Who We've Been

By Daniel Pryfogle

Something wonderful happens when we talk about what's working well in our organizations. We find we have the resources to be even better.

I'm always delighted to hear the stories people tell about peak moments in their organizations. I've heard a lot of stories along these lines since I started working with CHHSM last year and we began using the organizational development process called Appreciative Inquiry. The storytelling is powerful, but what really excites me is the awareness of capacity that storytelling kicks up – the aha of "Hey, we can do this!" – and the actions which result.

A community needs to improve trust among its staff. How to do that? First, we tell stories of moments when the staff trusted each other in the past, and we unpack the details: the specific activities that fostered trust, how people communicated, how they kept their promises. We may have to dig deep, but the trust is there, somewhere, in our experience. Once we locate it, we come to see we are capable of trusting each other even more. So we make commitments around practices that cultivate greater trust. And these practices leverage what has already worked for us.

Another organization struggles with marketing. The normal course of action is to diagnose what's wrong with the current marketing strategy and tactics. I spent the early years of my consulting practice doing just that kind of analysis for nonprofits, and it's the most common place to start. But what if we began by talking about what has worked well? An Appreciative Inquiry would first attend to why our customers chose us. We'd get clear about those messages that already connect with the market, and we would identify the activities that have served us well. With this awareness, we could then imagine how to strengthen our marketing practices.

In these instances we're not kidding ourselves about what we're capable of. This is not pie-in-the-sky fantasizing nor is it chasing after a model that has little to do with our particular context or the specific gifts of our colleagues. Rather, we're challenging each other to be better based upon who we have already been. Furthermore, we're not ignoring problems. We're just coming at them in a different way — with authentic strength.

The stories never disappoint me. And the time spent sharing is never wasted. I look around the circles of the groups I consult and feel the energy. It's palpable. People who are truly aware of what they are capable of are inspired and ready to act. Such storytelling leads to practice.

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I want to move on things. But I know I'll have a lot more energy for the journey if I first take stock of what's already moving. An appreciative perspective keeps me attuned to the resources present so that I clearly and realistically imagine how to be better. And here, being better means being faithful.

Daniel Pryfogle is CHHSM's director of consulting services and coordinator of Walking the Talk, a new consultative program for members. Learn more about Walking the Talk here.