Things have changed so much! Hard to believe it is the same place. When we see a community, or a place of work, or even a person often, changes in them appear to take place gradually. Things seem to move slowly or not at all. When we’re away for a while and then see the person or place again, changes may feel dramatic.
After my book Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America was published, I was invited to Elkins, West Virginia, to present at the 2020 Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce event. My visit included a workshop based on the book. Attendees completed a community assessment. Questions were rated on a 1-10 scale. Some of them were: How engaged are your community’s citizens? How vibrant is your downtown? How attractive is your town to a new business and/or talent?
As it turned out, Covid hit the next week. And last month I was invited back.
Whenever I work in a community, I keep track of how things are going. Over the past five years, it has been exciting to read about what was happening in Elkins. The Tygart Hotel, built in 1906, was renovated and reopened in 2023. A new $2.2 million swimming pool and splash pad were installed. A groundbreaking for a Railyard Event Center occurred. The Elkins Riverfront Plan was developed and presented. This is only some of the progress.
To prepare for my March of 2025 presentation, we sent out the same survey. The good news is the community rated almost all areas as improved. What surprised me was the ratings were not higher. People who see things every day tend to not notice the changes as much as people who are not present all the time.
The same is true in Pensacola, Florida, where I live. When people visit for the first time, they are taken aback (in a good way) by how vibrant the downtown area is and how much building is in progress. The people who are even more impressed are those who visit after not having been in Pensacola for a while. One might describe them as being in awe.
Something similar happens inside organizations. People who have been there a while get acclimated to positive changes and don’t see them. That’s why it’s a good idea to narrate them. A few tips:
- Document the progress that has been made. When I was president of a hospital, I showed the employee engagement from years back and then showed the progress that was being made.
- Be intentional on communication. I recently sent a company 10 positive articles about Pensacola that have appeared in publications including the Wall Street Journal. Keep information in front of people.
- Ask people why they chose to work where they work and/or live where they live. I do this in groups all the time. Capture the positive comments and communicate what was said.
When I hear people complaining about where they work or live, I wonder why. Unless one has no choice, it is better to make things better.
Quite often, things are already better than they realize. When we narrate and celebrate the positive, we can shift their perspective to one of appreciation and gratitude.
