Have you ever been wildly proud of something you or your team accomplished, but then wondered…Can this scale?
One of my favorite things about being a graphic recorder is that I get to work across sectors and pick up on patterns and shifts. For example, right now, three of my clients are all figuring out how to scale across the country in very different areas:
Supporting children with medical complexity and their families in hospitals and clinics
Helping communities become more resilient in the face of large-scale wildfires
And creating a national community of practice around community-led conservation
While there is not one path forward, some real gems became clear last week with the team working with children with medical complexity. I thought these ideas deserved a little airtime, and maybe YOU are working on scaling too…perhaps there’s a keeper in here for you!
Take an iterative approach - start small, test an idea, and learn and grow from there. Remember: It doesn’t have to be perfect!
Scaling complex work takes time. In a world of instant gratification and grant-makers wanting results, this may be tricky…and also imperative.
Relationships are key to building trust, which is key to being able to move quickly or be patient when needed.
Facilitate communication across teams regularly, in-person if you can, to build those relationships and cross-pollinate ideas.
Take what you’ve learned in each place and weave it together for solutions that are greater than the sum of the parts. You may already have a solution!
Ask those you’re serving to be part of the process (and compensate them for their expertise and participation!).
You already know enough. While it’s almost always tempting to want/NEED more data, you probably already know enough to take the first steps.
Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.
Cheers,
Where in the World is ConverSketch?
Chicago, Illinois: After working together remotely in 2020-2021, it was an absolute joy to get to meet the convening team and state teams working together to improve the lives of children with medical complexity and their families. Closing this multi-year pilot in a flawless hybrid meeting, the teams shared their key insights, discussed what’s next, and how to sustain the work moving forward.
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Graphically facilitating for a leadership team at US Fish and Wildlife Service to craft a visual metaphor telling the story of equity, inclusion, and creating a welcoming organization for all employees.
Virtual with Adobe Creative Campuses: Sharing and learning with Creative Campuses across the globe, these quarterly gatherings are always lively, a lovely way to build community virtually, and thoughtfully curated to create welcoming and informative spaces! The sessions start today, so here’s a graphic from the spring!