"Organizationlessness"

One of my friends told me that I spend a lot of time thinking about the world, but not enough time thinking about what I really want.  Along that lines, almost everything I have written in the past two decades longer than a random Facebook post is about some social issue or organizational process. This blog is about me.

In January, my politically appointed position ended.  It was an incredible opportunity I learned as much in 3.5 years of work life than I did in the previous 15 years. I did not have another job lined up when I left. While I have had job instability at other times in my life, I have always been able to jump quickly and keep my career trajectory going in a continuous and positive direction. I even survived my last political transition. This time around, it hasn't worked the way it did in the past.

While my family is not in danger of becoming destitute, I still feel incredibly unmoored. I  have come to realize how much my identity was tied to the organization for which I worked.  And now I don't have that anchor. I have given a name to this state. I call it "organizationlessness."  It's not nearly as serious as statelessness (and it's not lack of work because I am finding plenty of tasks to complete), but tenuous nonetheless.  I also worry about long term job prospects given the specter of middle age and changing technology.

I have been fortunate for many supportive family members and friends and that fact that I did not have to scramble for child care when school was cancelled six times for snow and cold.  I am also working on building a consulting practice, but I don't know if that will be viable either.

It appears that the universe has given me the following tasks:

1) Think about what I want (and try to figure out it someone will pay me for it).
2) Talk and think about myself in a different way.  One friend gave me an "F" for self promotion. I hired an interview coach and I am working on it.
3) Synthesize what I have learned in the last 20 years and transform it into "my" material.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.  And let me know how you have experienced "organizationlessness" in your life.

p.s. my next posts that are in my head to be written are about social issues

Government, philanthropy and change

Having now worked in leadership positions in government and philanthropy, I have been musing on how the two sectors might collaborate more effectively to make communities better.

In my previous government position, the agency that I worked for took regulatory action to reduce racial disparities in a certain sector. One of my roles was to talk to philanthropy about how foundations might support these efforts.

I found myself in a conversation with a representative from a local foundation about the project.  The representative remarked that it was going to take a lot of time to bring the organizations in question together and create buy-in for reducing the disparities.  My unspoken response was I am in government and we don't need to wait for their buy in. We can subpoena them and compel action with potential litigation.  However, we weren't in a position to pay for some of the resources the sector needed to truly change.

Government has the authority to compel. It has vast financial resources as well, but these resources can't always be used flexibly. Philanthropy has the ability to bring people together, create buy in and fund innovative projects and pay for important things government can't.

What would happen in the sectors formulated strategies together more regularly?  How much more effective could they be together?

My view is that leadership and social change could be amplified by understanding the power and role of each and using each in way that reinforces the other.