Human Centered Design
If it sounds like I am kind of choked up in this short clip, it’s because I am. This is the last snippet I plan to share from a talk I gave at the Yellow Conference last year in LA. (Fun fact: It’s a women’s conference and I was the only guy speaker. đ )
A core issue I continue to witness with well-intentioned social impact services — and the businesses that seek to support them — is a disconnect between short-term thinking and long-term results. When we seek to meet an immediate need through any sort of intervention, we are inserting ourself into a process and saying to those we are serving that they are incapable of helping themselves. While this is typically true in the short-term, the reality is that long-term success will only happen if it is personally owned.
Therefore, it has to be our goal as social entrepreneurs and activists to see through the specific issue at hand, to the people its affecting. We must believe in the capabilities of others and change the mindset of our work away from a savior complex, to one rooted in partnership.
The success of our work hinges upon how well we listen.
Hello Kohl, I arrived here from Kyle Westawayâs newsletter. Thank you for this poignant and, IMHO, critical perspective. When we shift from the perspective of âgiving aid to those who donât have enoughâ to one of âempowering humans to achieve their needs and realize their own potentialâ I believe weâll see a monumental leap towards the positive outcomes we all desire. As someone who comes from a privileged background, I have been guilty of the former mindset. The first step towards change is awareness so I appreciate you expressing the POV you have here.
Thanks for chiming in here Katherine. Indeed this concept of âlistening firstâ seems obvious when read but we all fall under the trap of thinking we know whatâs best. We all need to help remind each other of its importance.