—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Nobody wants more structure on a team than is necessary. If overdone, it stifles both energy and creativity. But the need for structure grows with the size and complexity of the work. It’s crucial, early on, for the team to reach agreement on the five elements listed below:

• choosing leadership

• internal communications

• external communications

• decision making

• record keeping

The agreement doesn’t have to be signed in blood, but it should be formally written down in some form of minutes or bylaws that all agree to. Not to address these elements invites conflict, inefficiencies, and chaos.

#9: How to Build a Team

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Most of the public problems that cry for solutions today are complex and time-consuming. While change efforts are usually started by one or a few motivated people, long-term progress usually requires more than that. And it isn’t just the additional help that’s important. Given the power of the forces any citizen activist may confront, it’s simply too easy for one person to be marginalized. If you’re pursuing a cause by yourself, sooner or later those opposed to change are going to ask, if this is so important, why is she the only one making noise? Why don’t we just ignore him?

But simply collecting a large number of willing people isn’t enough. The work these people do has to be focused and coordinated. There has to be a team.

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Coach’s Corner #7 made the point that successful citizen activism often depends on individual people and/or small groups sticking their necks out to trust when no one else seems ready to take that risk. But how do you do that, especially if the people you’re up against are difficult?

- by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

You’ve got an issue, defined a project and created a vision for its success. You’re ready to act. No, not yet. Being a successful agent for change is about more than making the right moves. It’s also about making the moves right.

Public problem solving works best when people deliberate with respect, integrity, and concern for the common good. But that conduct is not what we usually see in the public arena—at any level—and it’s not the way most people think about any public process, especially where there’s conflict or the possibility of conflict. From the U.S. Congress to your local school board, too often we see the public process bringing out the worst in people, not the best. Getting involved in it often seems as attractive as having a root canal.

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

In the last Coach’s Corner (#5), I said that a vision is a mental picture of the result you want to achieve--a picture so clear and strong it will help make that result real. I explained why a vision is important and then listed the qualities a vision needs to succeed.

In this article, you’ll learn how to guide a group in creating and communicating a vision for its project. The instructions assume one group all working on the same project, but you can adjust the instructions if you have people in the room working on different projects, or if you are visioning on your own.

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

A vision is a mental picture of the result you want to achieve---a picture so clear and strong it will help make that result real. A vision is not a vague wish or dream or hope. It’s a picture of the real results of real efforts. It comes from the future and informs and energizes the present. Visioning is the most powerful tool I’ve witnessed in over twenty years of helping organizations and individuals get the results they want.

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Choosing the problem you want to work on answers the question “What do I care about?” “Violence in my kid’s school” and “Global warming” are examples of problems.

But problems are often broad and diffuse--great for inspiring action but not so great for providing detailed guidance. So after you’ve done basic research on the problem, the next step is to create a specific project that helps solve it--something you can plan and implement with the time and resources you’ve got or can get. Creating the project answers the question “How, specifically, can I make a difference?” A good project has a vision, goals, timelines, and a budget. “Creating a conflict-resolution program in my kid’s school” and “Getting the city council to create carpool lanes” are examples of projects created in response to the problems cited above.

The key point: choose the problem before creating the project--but don’t ignore either step.