Harnessing self-interest for Collective Impact

I am obsessed with systems. Improving them, bypassing them, or changing them altogether. It’s not exactly rocket science to understand why. If we intend to make change that lasts for generations, we need to address the roots (or systems) of our current problems. Not to say that addressing the symptoms of the problems are not important as well, but I’ve always been a sytems kind of gal.

Because of this, I want to share an observation that I’ve had on how to get the most out of systems change. It starts with the notion of self interest.

In nonprofit circles, when we talk about changing the world, there is often a perception that we are talking about a selfless act, a sacrifice we must all make. But the initiatives and projects I’ve seen succeed have rarely been selfless, and have rarely been achieved through self-sacrifice alone. On the contrary, we are self-interested creatures and always have been. At its core, self-interest is a survival mechanism (as we secure food and shelter, for example), and as we ascend higher along Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it becomes about belonging, esteem and self-actualization. From my experience, initiatives succeed when self-interest is met, and initiatives flourish when self-interest is recognized and leveraged.