Coach's Corner— Short pieces of advice on some aspect of public problem-solving.

#4 Creating a Specific Project — The First Steps

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Choosing the problem you want to work on answers the question “What do I care about?” “Violence in my kid’s school” and “Global warming” are examples of problems.

But problems are often broad and diffuse--great for inspiring action but not so great for providing detailed guidance. So after you’ve done basic research on the problem, the next step is to create a specific project that helps solve it--something you can plan and implement with the time and resources you’ve got or can get. Creating the project answers the question “How, specifically, can I make a difference?” A good project has a vision, goals, timelines, and a budget. “Creating a conflict-resolution program in my kid’s school” and “Getting the city council to create carpool lanes” are examples of projects created in response to the problems cited above.

The key point: choose the problem before creating the project--but don’t ignore either step.

#3 Getting Started

—by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

You’ve found a problem you care enough about to get involved. Maybe it’s local or maybe it’s global, but whatever it is, you’re ready to get to work. Now what?

#2: Finding an Issue — Which Path is Yours?

- by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Some time ago I went back for a reunion to the high school in Tacoma I graduated from. Nearly all my classmates were leading comfortable lives in business or the professions. They talked about their houses and their investments and how well their kids were doing in college. To be blunt, I was bored to death. Except by one man. I’ll call him Tom. He’d been the "slow one" in our class, the butt of jokes. But for 30 years he’d been directing a social service agency in the worst area of Tacoma and had just started a controversial needle exchange program. Tom was fascinating. He spoke about his work with addicts with the charisma and energy and peace of mind of a person who had truly found his calling and answered it with everything he had.

#1 Motivation — How to Get in the Game and Stay There

- by John Graham, activist, author and former diplomat

Why get involved in trying to solve problems in your community or beyond? Why spend all that time and perhaps risk criticism, conflict and failure?

Good questions.

The organization I work with—the Giraffe Heroes Project—honors people who stick their necks out for the common good. These “Giraffe Heroes” are men and women, young and old, from every ethnic and economic background, tackling every kind of public problem you can think of. As part of our work, we try learn as much as we can about what makes these remarkable people tick so we can share it with others.

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