I Need Not Always Be The Leader, But I Always Need To Be A Contributor
I grew up canoe paddling competitively and learned early on the importance of teamwork. In the canoe every seat, one through six, has specific kuleana. When setting a crew, a good coach will look for specific skills or better yet, find ways to grow his team to gain these specific skills. As a paddler, I sat in every seat from seat one (stroker) to seat five (powerhouse/bailer), but I never had the chance to sit in seat six (steersman) in a race. I realized that it didn’t mean I wasn’t a good steersman, instead I was a much more efficient seat two (pacesetter) than I was anything else when it came to the crew.
Setting the pace was my place.
Who’s in the wa’a, is a question I often ask myself when working in a group or on a team project. It prompts me to consider the skills, talents and potential each member brings to the group and if we have everyone we need to accomplish our set goal.
Who’s in the wa’a answers the essential question of who are you as a contributor? What seat in the wa’a best fits you?
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, to matter is to be human. To matter means that each of us – as individuals – contribute in a unique way that makes a difference. Contributing to society is humanity’s deepest need in understanding oneself as a human being. It is the very bridge that carries us from individual back to society.
I am a contributor.
As an active volunteer, I invest my time in capacity building and civic engagement within our Hawaiian communities. My current project as an executive board member of Hawai’i Maoli, a 501c3, is finding a shared vision in the Prince Kūhiō Community Center in Kapolei with the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. As a non-profit, we are exploring a social purpose real estate model by bringing our two organizations together in the same building to offer more services to address larger needs of the surrounding Hawaiian Homestead community. My role is to help develop a business plan for ongoing revenue and study indigenous models of management to help guide our work.
In this wa’a I picked the “seat” of community development because of the challenge. I believe my experience and creative perspective on culture can offer a different direction that is more homegrown and aligned to the communities we serve. I want my work to make a difference. Western models of management often overlook the major role of culture in longevity, success and growth opportunities in our Native Hawaiian community organizations. I believe we can be successful when we are most true to ourselves as humans, and in this case, as Hawaiians.
I am a contributor.
I want to matter to my community, not in the sense of public praise or acknowledgement, but in the sense that I belong to something larger. Culturally, we are social people with the strong understanding that we need one another in order to survive (consider the socio-economic structure of the ahupua’a). As a contributor I need to look at what skills, talents and passion I bring as an individual that will benefit the community as a whole.
I am a contributor, but I still need to grow.
The experiences and projects I will support as a team member will allow me to be a larger contributor to our communities.
Setting the pace was my place.
Who’s in the wa’a, is a question I often ask myself when working in a group or on a team project. It prompts me to consider the skills, talents and potential each member brings to the group and if we have everyone we need to accomplish our set goal.
Who’s in the wa’a answers the essential question of who are you as a contributor? What seat in the wa’a best fits you?
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, to matter is to be human. To matter means that each of us – as individuals – contribute in a unique way that makes a difference. Contributing to society is humanity’s deepest need in understanding oneself as a human being. It is the very bridge that carries us from individual back to society.
I am a contributor.
As an active volunteer, I invest my time in capacity building and civic engagement within our Hawaiian communities. My current project as an executive board member of Hawai’i Maoli, a 501c3, is finding a shared vision in the Prince Kūhiō Community Center in Kapolei with the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. As a non-profit, we are exploring a social purpose real estate model by bringing our two organizations together in the same building to offer more services to address larger needs of the surrounding Hawaiian Homestead community. My role is to help develop a business plan for ongoing revenue and study indigenous models of management to help guide our work.
In this wa’a I picked the “seat” of community development because of the challenge. I believe my experience and creative perspective on culture can offer a different direction that is more homegrown and aligned to the communities we serve. I want my work to make a difference. Western models of management often overlook the major role of culture in longevity, success and growth opportunities in our Native Hawaiian community organizations. I believe we can be successful when we are most true to ourselves as humans, and in this case, as Hawaiians.
I am a contributor.
I want to matter to my community, not in the sense of public praise or acknowledgement, but in the sense that I belong to something larger. Culturally, we are social people with the strong understanding that we need one another in order to survive (consider the socio-economic structure of the ahupua’a). As a contributor I need to look at what skills, talents and passion I bring as an individual that will benefit the community as a whole.
I am a contributor, but I still need to grow.
The experiences and projects I will support as a team member will allow me to be a larger contributor to our communities.