I was happy to speak and participate on Saturday morning with the more than 100 ROC leaders from New Hampshire ROCs as well as four ROC leaders from Maine!
I was happy to run into leaders from Fisherville 107 in Concord. They tell me they’re celebrating their 20th year anniversary on August 9th. Congratulations!!! Their new sign is great and the community looks great! Nice job.
And, I was able to touch base with five leaders from Barrington Oaks, another co-op I worked hands-on with in 2002. They’re at 12 years and I think we concluded they’ve increased their rents just $65 in 12 years. That’s stability! Prior to buying, their rents went up $15 – $25 per year like clockwork.
I saw too many people to mention them all but the stories were long and laughs were loud. It’s clear, resident ownership works over the long-haul. For new ROCs, hang in there. It gets easier and the differences between your community and commercially-owned ones will become more evident.
I really enjoyed the keynote address by Betsy Black. She hit on a theme that’s familiar to Community Leadership Institute (CLI) participants, Positive Leadership.
She talked about three leadership tools and gave us some useful tips.
First, she said, focus on your strengths and operate from your strengths as an individual AND as a community. I found this interesting: It’s easier to get better at strengths than weaknesses.
What to be more successful? Think about what you do well and do more of that!
Second, she said, resilience is a key tool. She called it the “school of hard knocks” that every one of us has been through in our own way. Through it all, you’ve survived. There’s something to simply staying on the horse, or getting back on if you happen to fall off. No big deal, you’ve done it before!
And, last, she shared a made up phrase called “grounded positivity.” There it is again, positive leadership.
Now, she said, “grounded” which is another way of saying realistic. Positive yet realistic leadership, that’s the winning combination.
“So, is the glass half full?”, she asked.
“It’s both!”
The good news, it’s half full and with that there’s potential to do something great, or at least good enough!
We already know you are strong and resilient. Are you also waking up every day knowing that you can accomplish something great – or at least good enough? Both the good and the bad are contagious, so try grounded positivity today in a situation and see how it goes. And, keep trying, over and over again. It may take time.