Here's how you can cultivate resilience skills early in your community organizing career.

I have been working hands on with communities for almost two decades now. If there is one thing you can be sure about when you work with people is that you are going to fail. You are going to fail and you are going to fail again. The trick is to embrace this idea and then detach yourself from the individual outcomes. Working with the community is a journey. You will have to embrace that and whatever comes with it. Once you do that you will see that your activities will become more positive because your are no longer tied down by the string of failures.

Every failure has shown me another perspective of how to do it better. Failures should not define our results. It is an opportunity to improve and grow

One thing I believe strongly, is that every organizer will face challenges, others who believe differently, but every challenge opens an opportunity, to change minds, build respect, build coalition’s.

In my experience, everything that looks like failure was a learning curve. The joy of the success from practicing lessons from failures has made see both success and failure as the same. Every failure showed me what to do better and what to stop doing. I call failure a learning tuition fee.

There is so much value and knowledge to be gained from experiences that are not successful. I have learned to embrace failure, to have an intimate relationship which consequently yields the greatest learning.

Listen, listen and listen. This is such a powerful tool to understanding what is happening and why. Hear the stories, tuck them away for the future, and ask dumb questions then listen to the answers

Success is not often attainable in isolation. Having a strong support system as a community manager can be a lifesaver. It’s important to have a team and up lines who can guide and provide support when needed.

Early in your career it’s critical to build your “kitchen table” the folks with whom you could literally sit around a kitchen table and idéate and get mentorship and thought partnership from. There have been many moments in my career strategically, professional development and career advancement that led me to pull from trusted peers and mentors to help me process and think through possibilities to help inform my ultimate decisions. A caution not to take everything your trusted folks share as gospel, ultimately you will seek and hear varying perspectives but they are designed to inform YOUR ultimate decision not for them to decide for you.

Il doit s'ouvrir à tout le monde et considérer chacun comme une source d'information pour se faire. Ceci prend en compte aussi les personnes qui ne partagent pas les mêmes domaines d'intervention avec lui car l'organisation communautaire est un savoir-faire transversal. Demander de l'aide et entreprendre collectif fait parties des valeurs à cultiver. C'est pour quoi il doit être humble, ouvert et disponible

In my experience, I discuss the rules and guiding culture with every community I manage. In some cases, it accompanies a welcome note pending on the community platform. This helps to keep things in check to a large extent. I also have defined work hours. I ensure to communicate this too. Except for emergencies, I stick with my work hours and overtime, everyone adjusts to it.

As someone who has burned out a few times in my advocacy and community organizing career, setting boundaries is a just for your longevity in the field. The tides are shifting away from martyrdom in which organizers measure their “down ness” for the work with hours worked, turnout numbers and accomplishments to more sustainable models. I personally model this with my time by building flex days, taking and encouraging vacation and having an open door policy to discuss how folks on my team are managing work loads. Many of us start off in our careers burning out and the ultimate result is that we exit the movement which is a disservice to ourselves and our communities.

Il doit doit pouvoir comprendre que la réussite de sa mission dépend aussi de sa propre organisation et des principes qu'il s'est établis pour progresser dans sa mission; D'abord, il doit recadrer ses relations avec son environnement, comprendre aussi les principes, les cultures et les modes de chacun dans son environnement. C'est cet prdre qu'il pourra adopter le style de gestion qui facilite la réussite de sa mission. Il faut qu'il crée moins de pression mais soit rigoureux pour atteindre les objectifs fixés

I practice a lot of self care. Doing my own make up is therapeutic for me. Listening and singing is also therapeutic for me. Getting my nails done energizes me. These are some of the things that helps me release stress and help rejuvenate myself.

One thing that I have found helpful, is having self-less love for who you are. I find this as man’s priority on earth before any other thing else. As they always say; no one can ever love you the way you can love yourself… To accomplish this is by SELF-CARE. …You matter! In your place of work, you matter the most. In your family, you matter the most. In your society, you matter the most. In the life you have to walk on, YOU MATTER THE MOST! Love you, take care of you, see the need to be happy with life is only through self-care. For it is the integral part of building resilience.

Resiliencia y Liderazgo Comunitario: Lecciones de Barack Obama La resiliencia es clave para los líderes comunitarios. Barack Obama, antes de ser presidente, trabajó en comunidades de Chicago, donde desarrolló habilidades esenciales. Aprendió a escuchar y entender las necesidades de la comunidad, construyendo confianza y relaciones sólidas. Su adaptabilidad le permitió encontrar soluciones efectivas a problemas complejos. La persistencia y determinación fueron cruciales para superar obstáculos. La empatía le ayudó a conectar profundamente con las personas. Su visión clara y propósito firme le dieron la fuerza para liderar y motivar hacia un cambio positivo. ✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼

Accepting Different Perspectives: • Understand Vision Differences: Recognize that not everyone will see the vision you see. This is normal and doesn’t mean your vision lacks value. Stay committed to your goals even when others don’t immediately understand or support them. • Persistence: Keep going despite obstacles and skepticism. Your resilience will inspire others and eventually attract like-minded individuals who share your vision.