Opinions aren’t enough; Information matters too
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A well-informed opinion is like driving a new car off the lot, it begins losing value immediately. The world is constantly changing; the people in our world are constantly changing; the context in which we live our lives is constantly changing. This means the impact and consequences of our decisions have the potential to constantly change too.
No matter how strongly we feel about a particular issue, we must continue to learn about it to make sure our opinion is still relevant and based on the current facts and knowledge around the issue. We must remain open to evolving our opinions based on new (or new to us) information.
The need for this is even greater for leaders. Leaders must pay attention to the bigger picture, which includes doing the additional work to understand how various issues are connected. For example, being passionate about public education without also being eager to better understand the housing crisis will limit your ability to address issues in education. Or, put differently, being passionate about workforce development means also being eager to better understand the elements of a thriving arts and culture scene. In Indy, being passionate about economic development means understanding the history of sports as a key driver. Issues are connected. Leaders recognize that and connect the dots, and then they continue to learn.
To be clear, I’m not encouraging you to overextend yourself by getting deeply involved in every issue. In fact, I have lots of thoughts about why we should all be doing less but that conversation is for another day. I am, however, asking leaders to be mindful of the issues and have a sense of the landscape. You can’t put out a fire by staring at the fire. You have to turn your head to find the water.
A great way to learn and stay informed is by hearing about the issues directly from the leaders working on them and having conversations with others who are also looking to make an impact.
Community leadership organizations and chambers of commerce can be useful resources, as they provide offerings to explore your city. Knowing your city better will make you a more effective leader, regardless of which industry you are working in.
This is not just a responsibility for individual leaders. Companies need to connect with each other, and communities need to connect with other communities as well. The team at Leadership Indianapolis regularly gathers with colleagues from around the country to learn more about what our peers are experiencing in other cities and towns. For example, as part of the National Community Leadership Collaborative, we spend valuable time with colleagues thinking about how we can leverage shared strategy, research, and conversations to amplify impact across our communities. This is one way we are doing our own work to understand the broader landscape and connect the dots. We know, just as each issue impacts another, each community impacts another.
Leadership Indianapolis offers a program called Opportunity Indianapolis to help individuals learn about the city and its pressing issues. On October 10 & 11, we’ll spend two days talking with leaders who are working on a variety of issues and exploring where each of us can have an impact. Whether you are new to the Indianapolis and just want to get to know your new hometown better; whether you’re a lifelong Hoosier who wants to find more meaningful ways to get involved in the community; or whether you are an employer who wants to support engagement for your civic-minded employees, we’d love for you to join us.
Leaders must be the bridge between what has been and what will be. The only way to do that is to know more tomorrow than we knew yesterday.