How to Start & Grow a Movement

“Change doesn’t happen inside the halls of power. Change happens at kitchen tables, in living rooms…” Sara El-Amine, former executive director of President Obama’s Organization for Action.

Are you ready to make a change by starting a movement?

If you are like me, you often think that change only comes from larger-than-life people like Mahatma Gandhi, Harvey Milk, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. That belief has stopped countless movements before they ever got started.

Knowing this limiting belief, but not being sure how to get started inspired me to pick up Jennifer Dulski’s book Purposeful: Are You a Manager or a Movement Starter? after hearing an interview. Dulski is the Product Leader for Facebook Groups. Before that, she was COO at change.org.

Here’s an outline of how to start a movement to solve a problem and serve those you care about:

Getting Started

See a problem you want to slove.
Start with small actions.
Enlist others to join you.

Dulski defines the four underlying reasons why we may not take action to create the change we know needs to happen.

You don’t believe you can succeed.
You lack support.
You don’t have the tools.
You have no funding.

Number one is the most limiting. Confronting these limiting beliefs is where your personal growth work is found. Once you challenge the lie that you can’t succeed, support, tools, and resources will manifest.

Start Telling Stories

Facts, figures, and bullet points don’t inspire action. Stories inspire action!
Clearly, describe the world you want to create.
Know why this is important to you.
Find compelling stories to share.

Inspire Other to Fight With You

Motivate your team one person at a time – everyone needs something different.
Keep the purpose out front.
The best teams remember what or who they are fighting – cancer, racism, sexism
Track your progress and celebrate small wins.

Know There Will be Obstacles

The challenges will come.
It’s only failure if you quit.
Lean on your allies.
Surround yourself with people who have your back and ask you to hold yourself accountable.

And as Jennifer Dulski concludes in the last sentence of the book, “Now it’s your turn.”

Hit Reply: What movement will you start?

Comments