City Year Los Angeles

City Year is always changing, like sand beneath our feet. That’s good. Learn to love change. Change is what keeps the organization moving forward. The ancient Greek idea of torsos is at work at City Year: a boat is at sea, and to survive the journey without docking the boat, the crew must fix and replace every board, one at a time, while at sea; by the time the boat returns to the harbor, it is a completely different boat; but of course, it is the same boat. Every year there is new change to be embraced- the growth of the corps, new locations, and new ideas!

We all have special concerns, insights and sensitivities that we carry with us seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These concerns, insights and sensitivities are very important. However, we all must be very careful not to let them harden into an overriding personal agenda that prevents us from having the flexibility to learn and grow, receive new information, examine new ways of thinking — or most importantly — get our work done and meet our commitments.

Simplifying things is hard work — but it’s essential. Apple Computer Founder Stephen Jobs reminds us that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

At first, the solutions to most problems seem very simple. But the more we understand the problem, the more complicated everything becomes, and soon we are coming up with “all these convoluted solutions.” “That’s sort of the middle,” Jobs observes, “and that’s where most people stop. But the really great person will keep on going and find the key, the underlying principle of the problem — and come up with an elegant, really beautiful solution that’s simple and works.”

Whenever you are implementing or programming anything at City Year go back over the final result. If it’s too “convoluted” keep working until you make a breakthrough to real simplicity.

Doing so makes it easier to fix things, and encourages others to admit mistakes — and soon we all realize that it is all right to make mistakes, just so long as we learn from them.

Having a hard head means being mentally tough, courageous, disciplined, and persever-ent in the face of obstacles. All great endeavors and all social change requires people with hard heads. As Robert F. Kennedy said to a group of young South Africans, “The world demands the qualities of youth—not a time of life, but a state of mind, a temper of the will, quality of the imagination, the predominance of courage over timidity, and the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.”

At the same time, a hard head is best accompanied by a soft heart, by compassion, empathy, and understanding. A soft heart means being emotionally available and supportive to those in need. All social change also depends on people with soft hearts.
Both qualities require the other. A hard head without a soft heart can lead to cruel-ty or a survival of the fittest mentality. A soft heart without a heard head can be overindulgent, condescending, and even patronizing.

Our work at City Year is nothing if not fun. National Service, as a movement, looks to tap into the energy and idealism of our nation’s young people. Laughter is full of energy and idealism. Employ laughter as you would a tool—and watch what it can do!

Truly effective communication means (1) developing simple, clear messages and (2) using diverse, appropriate and often creative methods of communicating those messages so that real communication actually occurs. Sometimes it means holding a special briefing in advance, or developing a skit, or writing a document, or having a testimonial or pairing people up for a discussion — sometimes it means all of these and more. Also, be very aware of language used, including body language — the words we choose and our body language are powerful aspects of communication. Be extremely sensitive to both.

Don’t let the unknown standards of others limit the possibility for your success. For example, if your whole presentation away from headquarters depends on having a slide projector, and you are told they are “99 % sure” they are going to have one for you, bring a slide projector anyway (and an extension cord).

You know you are truly leading when you do at least three things a day that make you a little bit uncomfortable.

What would the world be like if this were practiced universally? Perhaps a world without poverty, pollution or war.