What’s Your Lane?

Two weeks ago, I was at an event with nonprofit colleagues enjoying a beautiful start to fall. After the regular catch up questions, many of my conversations turned to the most recent terrible, horrible, very bad thing happening at the federal level: withholding SNAP benefits.

I was struck by the different ways people were responding to the challenge. One friend shared that she had activated her network to raise $1,300 to pay for food for her child’s teachers. Another told us she was looking for work in a state agency after being let go from the federal SNAP program. A third shared that cutting SNAP benefits has a huge impact on the economy and every $1 that is cut results in costs to society of $14 to $20.

Though the immediate crisis of cuts to SNAP benefits has hopefully come to a close with the reopening of the federal government, we all know that this is not the last threat to the array of policies and practices that we depend upon in our communities. Deepa Iyer has defined a Social Change Ecosystem Map that I found helpful as I reflected on the ways I heard leaders stepping in this latest moment. One was being a frontline responder, one a weaver, and one a storyteller. Deepa has identified ten roles. In the recent SNAP battle, were you playing another role, such as guide or disrupter? 

In order to make progress on the thorny issues of equity and justice, we need people and organizations in each of these roles. We need experimenters to try, fail, and learn what works. We need visionaries to imagine a better future and inspire us to create it. We need caregivers to nurture the people involved in the work. 

We believe that the Social Change Ecosystem Map applies to both individuals and to organizations. The guidance below is for both:

To start, claim your role. You could likely play multiple roles in the ecosystem, but which one do you find yourself in most often? What role best fits your skills and interests? Where have you had success in the past? With clarity about your role, you can better build your skills, shape your focus, and have a greater impact. Having a clear articulation of your role also minimizes decision-making fatigue. 

Though the pressures to fill multiple roles can be relentless, you’ll have the most success if you stay in your lane. Being consistent in your focus will allow you to shape your identity, strengthen your core skills, and build the resources you need to live into your role. When we stay in our lanes, we create space for others to contribute and we prevent competition especially when resources are insufficient for the scope of the challenge. Staying in our lane makes our collaborations more effective and more sustainable.

Finally, we encourage you to leave your lane strategically. There are times when you will need to venture outside of your lane. It might be that your community is missing an important piece of the ecosystem that you have the aptitude to fill in. Or that one piece of the ecosystem is more urgently needed and you can bolster that role. Whatever the reason, be clear about the choice you are making and why. 

For those of us operating inside organizations, you may find that your personal lane differs from your organization’s chosen lane. You may see yourself as a disrupter in the ecosystem, taking risks to shake up the status quo. Your organization may play a very different role, for example as a guide or builder. This tension can be productive, if acknowledged and accepted. This tension can be unproductive and even toxic if individuals decide to regularly challenge their workplace to step into a different role. As the wise leader adrienne maree brown said, “Not every workplace is going to be a political home. Your job is where you work. It may or may not qualify as your political home.”

What’s your lane? How can you respond to current challenges from the strength of your chosen lane? How do you build relationships and connect efforts with those fulfilling other roles?

- Heather