Relationships are Key

An important part of my role as an AmeriCorps VISTA is to enhance the capacity of my organization to run smoothly after I am gone.  For this reason, I am writing a manual for the next person who comes in to fill my position, since I will most likely not be here to help them transition.  


Here is an expert from the "Lessons Learned" section of my manual:


Make friends with all of the member of the council.  If they like you, they will be more likely to call you back, more likely to open your e-mails and more likely to come to the meetings.  They will be more likely to volunteer to be on subcommittees.  It just works.  Don’t be shy; don’t be rude.  Persistence is key. Put aside your own personality preferences and find something in common with everyone.  Make an appointment with them to sit down and get to know them.  Write down some questions that you’d like answered about who they are, what they do and why they do it.  The conversation will usually get off topic, but that is where some of the real relationship building starts.  


As the saying goes, "It's not what you know, but who you know."  Certainly, you need to know some stuff to get very far.  One of the things you need to know (or learn) is how to know people.  If you don't know them, find a way to know them.


The idea of a Juvenile Justice Council is to foster relationships between all relevant stakeholders working in prevention, diversion and intervention for youth.  By working together, we can achieve so much more than when we try to do all of the work ourselves.  Of course, this doesn't just hold true for our council, but for any project, vision or goal that you may have, be it personal or professional.