It’s been almost 6 weeks since my city’s municipal workers ended what seemed like a never ending strike. It was almost 8 weeks that they were away from the job, protesting issues that created great dialogue in every corner of the city. One set of the workers that were out were the men and women who collect our garbage. My initial reaction was concern for one particular area, our local park. In the summer Withrow park is a living breathing city unto itself! There is so much activity going on that it literally pulses. One of the thriving communities within the park is the dog community which I am a part of because we have a very loved mini poodle cross called Cormack. There are also tons of kids playing, organized soccer matches, street hockey games, and in the summer, many people who enjoy picnics. Oh gosh, where would all that garbage go that would get produced by all of that activity????
Fast forward to September 14th, and I just got back from the park and an evening visit with Cormac. I would without doubt say that the park has more garbage throughout the park and outside of the garbage bins then during the strike. It definitely has a ‘dirtier’ feel to it. Indeed!!! How can that be? Here’s my conclusion. Riverdale is a community that cares deeply about its green space and about our parks. Withrow Park is the main park in the community and lies in the heart of Riverdale. During the strike I regularly saw people picking up garbage. All of us pitched in. That included me. I saw signs up in the dog park asking people to be mindful of where they put their doggie bags. Additionally, and what seemed as miraculous, was that just when a garbage bin looked like it might overflow, it would be empty the next day. That may have been city management stepping in – I’m still not sure. One thing I know is that city management would not have had the time to pick up the garbage that would have landed on the grounds. It was the community. The mindset was one of everyone pitching in because they cared. They wanted their living space to remain clean, and it was ‘no one else’s job’. It was all of our jobs. In essence, the number of people collecting garbage probably increased 10 fold!!! Of course, others may have just been more mindful not to leave their garbage behind because who was going to pick it up?!
I’d like to highlight the opportunity here for organizations. If people are engaged in a common cause, and care about it, they will contribute to it. Additionally, if responsibility can be shared amongst many hands, more will be achieved. In fact, the end result might even be better! That is the power of community. Bringing people together and engaging their passion is not nearly as common in organizations today as it could be. I find when I begin working with a client, the majority of the time employees are waiting for that opportunity to occur, and keen for it to happen. It takes leadership, energy and some creativity to harness community, and once it happens the results can be transformative.
