A PEACEMAKER'S LESSONS FROM THE ART OF WAR

Once upon a time, I was scrappy. Or so I was told, but I don’t think it was meant as a compliment. Especially for a five foot tall young woman inclined to speak before she’d think. And one who—shall we say—had a complicated relationship with authority. I was loud and proud of my caustic vocal push-back and smug questioning of norms. I saw myself as a loyal soldier in a smarter-than-you-more-moral-than-you-more-authentic-than-you army out to change the world.

Cute, right? Not so much.

Nor was it useful and certainly not productive to the ends I hoped to achieve. My involvement in the work had become more about how I’d show up than what I’d bring or could accomplish—which was often a few flashy ideas, a mob of riled up people, and a bit of chaos.

Now hear me out: chaos isn’t always a bad thing. You’ve heard of “the chaotic good”? It’s real and I love it. And trust me, I still show up with the same soul-deep value for disrupting the status quo that I did in my greener years. But after maturing in the work--and many hard lessons, yoga, and therapy, but I digress--I learned there’s a difference between flipping tables and flipping people off. Put more elegantly: passion doesn’t necessarily produce progress.

This growth spurt meant re-evaluating my approach. The element needing the most re-alchemizing was the one that would yield the greatest impact: shifting my thinking from Reactive to Strategic. What I thought was strategy was more of a flash-in-the-pan than a slow burn. I needed to understand the intentional, thoughtful, long-game of a good strategy.

Every battle is won before it’s ever fought. -Sun Tzu

To which I say, "Yes, Sir".

Strategy in practice will look different in varying contexts since not all situations--or locations or people or issues--are the same. But there are treasures to be handed down through generations of organizers, community dreamers, peacemakers, and apparently ancient Chinese generals, we would do well to remember. Here are a few:

Make the invisible visible.

Reflect on the public narrative around your issue. Is it even on the radar? What’s the most common cultural perception? Now, consider what you would write if you had the pen. No lasting change can happen until there’s a mindset shift in the larger consciousness. But I caution you, while the urge might be to force attention through noise and volume, most often it’s best done by writing people and possibility into the story you want to tell. And then telling it boldly, creatively, and interactively when possible.

Move the needle, not just the moment.

It’s a long-game and there will be many policy engagements and efforts to be had along the way. A short term “win” at the expense of your long term goal is no win at all. A good strategy beats shock tactics, even if it feels like you’re not moving fast enough. Sometimes the most strategic choice is patience-–not every move is the right move, not every moment is the right moment. Strategy sometimes requires slow work, but the time it takes to build something sustainable is crucial.

Preparation is the most underrated form of influence.

To get to the right destination, a traveler needs a map, a weather report, an itinerary, multiple modes of transport, and a thorough list of essentials. For advocates this means data, knowledge of the infrastructure and politics at play (both external and internal). It means walking in with the answer to the question they don’t even know they’re going to ask. If you name their concern before they weaponize it, you establish yourself as a credible partner and set up the conversation for solution-finding and consensus-building.

The predictable ask is the easiest to ignore.

When advocates always show up the same way, systems learn to wait them out—because they can. The move they've already prepared for won't change anything and the story they’re expecting won’t move their values. This is why I often caution advocates to be selective in carpet-bombing their senators or moving in with an inflamed demand that lacks nuance or reeks of self-interest. This is your chance to be innovative, collaborative, and magically unpredictable in your approach.

Remember that grassroots energy is a precious resource.

Consider this in your timing, your asset-mapping, and your tactics. Don’t mobilize until your goal is clear, your plan is in place, and the time is right. Maybe it's not winnable, but it should be worth the cost. Ensure that the advocates feel prepared and equipped so the efforts are economical. Communities will rally for a cause they believe can move, but if you call on them too often or too early and you'll spend the trust you need for the moment that really matters.

Give recognition that is intentional and earned.

Energizing communities to act is only the beginning—sustaining that energy requires that people feel the value of their participation. Recognition should be purposeful and tied to real contribution, and it should reach across coalitions without favoring the loudest voices or most connected partners. Make recognition specific. "Thank you for being here" fades. "Here is how your contribution changed the conversation" sticks. Blanket appreciation for passive participation implies that showing up halfway is enough. Motivation follows meaning.

One of the most important things in the work is to remember that it’s for people, by people; and that these living, breathing people are the most critical resource for building a better community, a better nation, a better world.

There are still parts of that well-meaning but mis-guided girl that show up in my work. I’m still five feet tall, I still question norms, and I still speak truth to power but perhaps with (at least a smidge) less self-importance, less reckless audacity, and more appreciation for the real and slow work. I had a lovely woman come up to me at a work event and say “whenever I see you come off mute (whas’sup, post-Covid zoom life), I always get excited for what’s going to come next.” Umm…thank you?

Remember, my friends, the power is in the strategy – in what you bring to the planning table. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with how you show up.