I have been thinking a great deal about buy in this week and how it is to get. I am noticing this in various areas of my life — our leadership class, with both general members of the RTA, and the executive members of the RTA, the people I work with, its all around me and it is so hard to achieve. The RTA is the Recreation and Tourism Association at VIU, of which I am the Professional Development Coordinator. We have faced many issues with commitment levels and meeting deadlines and motivating each other. We were very sad to have our Chair step down, which we thought would boost everyone to get their act together, but even that only lasted temporarily. We are supposed to be a group of 10 students are committed to our program and building community within our faculty, yet even we cannot get to together enough to work successfully. If we don’t have buy in within ourselves how to we possibly expect the rest of our members and fellow students to come to events and activity participate with the group? I am starting to realize our group as a whole in very apathetic. I am not sure if it is because we are all preparing to graduate and have emotionally checked out of school ( I know I am guilty of this at times!), or what but I see the struggle teachers feel, I feel it too as I try to prepare events that only have two students show up!
So of course this must lead to the question Why? Why can we not achieve buy in? I really don’t know. I think in some instances it almost needs to start fresh, re-design what we are doing and go back to the beginning. But that is not easy to achieve and not always practical either.
I recently read Start With Why by Simon Sinek, this book, as I have mentioned on here before explores the “Golden Circle” and how in order to get followers and loyalty you must first start with why you are doing what you are doing and have a clear understanding of it. Only then, when you show why you are doing it, can you get loyal followers.
An example of an organization that I think is doing an amazing job of starting with why and building a following of loyal supporters is Y.A.N.A.. Y.A.N.A stands for you are not alone, it is a charity in the Comox Valley to assist local families who need to leave the community in order to get medical help for their children. They are a very active charity in the community, one who nearly every person from there knows. For the past seven years they have put on a dinner and auction. I have been fortunate enough to volunteer with them for the past seven years on the night of this event. This year the sales went online and they sold out in 17 minutes! They were able to raise $63 800 in one night! For a small town to support this year after year blows my mind and makes me so proud.
To me, this is a prime example of an organization who has a clear and consistent WHY — to help child from Comox get the medical help they need, and have succeeded in not only getting buy in, but getting loyal followers
Taya McAstocker 