It Matters What You Stand For
A note to my team on finding and defining your own values and why it's important
To get a better sense of United Way of Central Indiana, our impact, our work, our relation to the community, etc., I have been on a “Tour de United Way,” meeting with board members, donors, volunteers, and community partners. This all adds significant perspective that helps me make good judgments on how the Major and Transformational Giving Team can do their best work.
Yesterday, I met with Ryan Brady of Glick Philanthropies, who I believe to be a genuinely nice person. From his now 20 year vantage point of being involved in Indy area civic life, he had some valuable insights to share about our community. I decided to read up a bit before meeting with him, so I checked his bio on the GP website. In it there is a paragraph that really stands out from anything I’ve really read in someone’s bio:
“In his work with Glick, Ryan is moved by teachers, caretakers and parents – especially single parents – that go to extraordinary lengths to give the next generation greater opportunity to reach their full potential.”
Wow. Yeah. In one sentence he just described exactly what motivates him to show up, what drives him, and shows a vision of the future if you will, in which he wants to lift others up to what they can achieve. Even writing the previous sentence doesn’t come close to how refined this statement about his purpose really is.
The bio continues with a connection to where he works:
“’Gene and Marilyn Glick’s story embodies the American dream. They were fair, hardworking and lived lives focused on others. As a result, they left the world a better place. Their ethos and values continue on in the Glick family and company. It is a true honor to do what I can to keep their spirit alive for future generations,” Ryan says’”
The combined paragraph makes it crystal clear what Ryan does, why he does it, and what he hopes the outcome of his work will be. It gives me the impression he is in the right place, doing the right work, from the right set of motivations. His work is driven by his values, his vision for the future, and it is no surprise that he works where he works.
Of course, since I read this, I’ve been frantically, and so far, unsuccessfully rewriting my own bio to be this succinct, yet this effective at getting across why I do what I do. I too show up for reasons beyond having a job. I too show up because my work aligns with my purpose. I too show up because there is something to accomplish way larger than my own interest. I think really defining this in the shortest possible way may be tremendously difficult to do, but nevertheless something worth pursuing.
And I think you should consider rewriting your own bio too.
Why?
At least for the reasons below:
Knowing yourself is hard, but it is a way to start knowing others. REALLY knowing what you stand for requires a tremendous amount of introspection and asking yourself what your motivations REALLY are. Tools like Michael Moody’s philanthropic autobiography, the BESTSELF core values deck, Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin Game (not for the faint of heart apparently), Rutger Bregmans’ new initiative, or Chris Anderson’s new AI tool are great ways to start exploring what is most important to you, and how you then can articulate why. Going through this yourself allows you to see the pathways necessary to reveal these closely held values in others. Those are the things that drive people’s generosity (just like your own) and giving is born of them.
It gives you the standing to be in the room. People can smell inauthenticity 100 miles from the abattoir. If you show up asking someone’s involvement in a cause you don’t truly believe in, or are not completely convinced of, this will reveal itself. Needless to say, showing lackluster support for your own mission lowers the chances of achieving what you came for. However, if you show up genuinely bought into the mission, because it aligns with your personal values, your energy and ownership of the mission will be infectious (in the best possible way). People give to people with causes, especially when they believe in them.
But, Maarten, what if I find out that I am in the wrong line of work or work for the wrong organization?
First, I don’t think you are (especially if you’re on my team 😃). Secondly, if you work elsewhere, this is OK: if your values are misaligned with the organization you represent, now you know that a different, more closely aligned organization is your path forward. Whatever drives you, if you have talent, experience, and you know and exhibit the values that give you the energy to show up every day and give your best, you will find that place; there is no shortage of demand for talent in the nonprofit world.
My challenge to you is to rewrite your own biography to include a couple paragraphs like Ryan’s above. It will be one of THE hardest things to get on the page, but well worth the effort. I look forward to reading it if you would share it with me.