My dear friends!

How are we feeling this new year?

If you haven’t put it into words yet, I have some potential options for you:

You could be feeling hopeful that, after a wild year, things can only get better. (Right? 😬)

You might feel hesitant, afraid to get your hopes up in the face of [insert your focal personal, professional, or political blow here].

Or you could just be feeling focused, heads-down on the priorities and plans in front of you.

And if you’re like me, you might be feeling an entirely different kind of h-word this new year: 

Honest.

Let’s circle back to why we’re all here, shall we?

The very first purpose Issue Space ever served was as a channel for truth-telling. That little symbol that lives in our logo and pops up in our universe? It’s inspired by this guy: 🗣️ – literally just the emoji that won’t shut up. 

What chance do we have to do great things through this work, I wondered, if we can’t honestly talk each other through the highs and lows that come with it? That question became the Issue Space podcast with its conversations on impact pro conundrums like professional identity, joy (or lack thereof), burnout, and other greatest hits.

Today, I keep Issue Space alive because, turns out, it’s not just the Expected Sector Challenges that need unpacking in our space. With nearly three years of solo exploration and deep reflection behind me, I’ve had the headspace to realize that our entire purpose-driven career journey is one long, wandering – and hopefully honest – conversation with ourselves.

It’s asking:

What are you willing to compromise or prioritize – from politics to personal lifestyle to everything in between – to shape a professional life that suits your values?

Where are you best positioned to make the biggest positive impact, whether it’s in building a new world or working with intention in the one that already exists?

Who are you willing to answer to in order to make change happen? What work feels most authentic to you? What work will make you proud?

No one is going to answer these kinds of questions for you but you. And no impact effort is ever going to be better than its builders are honest about their visions, values, incentives, and constraints.

I’ve shared before that I respect attempts to debrief on our sector’s efforts and assumptions as a way to refine both of those things with a kind but critical eye. And as much as I want to make a self-deprecating joke here chalking up that instinct to perfectionism and being a Virgo, I actually think the urge points to a value so many of us in this space deeply share – telling the truth. 

In impact work, we know honesty as a tool for change. Whether you’re calling someone out or calling them in, real talk about an issue is usually Step 1 in making a difference.

When it comes to looking at ourselves as practitioners, though, I don’t know if we let each other lean into this expertise.

It’s definitely not easy – in general but for sure in our line of work, honesty has to be wielded with care. Share it too harshly and risk crushing the spirits we depend on to show up. Pursue it too obsessively and risk slipping into rumination over action. Air it out pointlessly and become a draining, droning vent that distracts from the work. And lay it on too thick and risk undermining your own workforce — and all of the impact and opportunities you hope to gain through it.

But even fully aware that it takes intention and skill to wield truth the right way, I’d much rather commit to practicing that art and turning it into better actions than intentionally keeping my head in the sand. 

And frankly, I’d rather work with, build with, and believe in people who feel the same way.

Here’s what I’m thinking: 

I have soooo many questions about the work that we do. And more specifically, about our ability to actually do it.

Questions like – are all of us who work in positive impact actually internally resourced, mentally and emotionally, to do it? 

In issue based work, we are signing up for things like prolonged trauma and tragedy exposure; progress so incremental (and often so immeasurable) that it feels like a literal drop in the ocean; resources that hinge on the whims of an overwhelmed public and a power-wielding few; and socio-political contexts where, shockingly, not everyone agrees with your every word!

It takes, in addition to our ‘hard’ professional skills, a certain resiliency and perspective to maintain your sanity and momentum in this work. And at times, our effectiveness will depend on whether we’ve actually taken time to cultivate those skills. So…have we? Whose business is it if we do? Whose responsibility?

Or another burning question – are we all purpose-washing ourselves? 

I constantly meet inspiring people through positive impact work. But at the end of the day they’re all…people. Just like me, just like you. Imperfect, complex, and occasionally disappointing. Even knowing this, when I see obvious elitism, appropriation, or other dealbreakers, I have to wonder – do positive impact professionals reach a point where we just assume we no longer need to ace the basics of human kindness and respect? Or do we just stop being around people who will tell us that we do? And how could this work, and all that’s at stake in it, possibly afford either?

I personally believe that the moment you stop asking good-faith reflective questions about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and if it’s right is the moment you’ve checked tf out. Let’s not spiral into speculation, but also – let’s not let ourselves check out!

Not to be a job interview but – what are your strengths and weaknesses in the context of our work? Especially where the technical meets personal.

Maybe you can express complex ideas just beautifully, but have a hard time engaging with ones that aren’t your own.

Maybe you come alive in the moments of advocacy that bring emotional release, but have less patience for the brick-laying of long-game strategy.

Maybe you’re passionate and informed about society at scale, but aren’t always the person who makes quieter relationships grow.

You know yourself. You know that if you can’t, for example, deal with close ties to capitalism, a corporate impact job is probably not right for you. You know that if you’re easily overwhelmed by emotional exchanges, you might not be able to hang in a high-touch community role. Whatever the details or strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and lines in the sand – you know.

So I say we just embrace it. Be who you are. Go where you fit. Alignment is authenticity, and authenticity is honest. 

And guess what? All of that good stuff puts the right people in the right places and pays off in the work. ✨

Okay so let’s say you’ve faced your own personal purpose-work truths and (helpfully, graciously) asked hard questions to uncover bigger ones. Now what?

This is where, in my opinion, we risk losing our momentum. Whether it’s getting from a great advocacy narrative to actual commitments for change, or from a productive team debrief to real structural moves, it can be so hard to get groups of people from words to action in a meaningful way. And it’s so human to think that it’s hard. So at least we’re not alone!

Here is what I would do. Actually, here is what I do do as a strategist who’s paid to take all kinds of truths – statistical insights, historical facts, cultural sentiments, personal experiences, partner perspectives – and turn them into opportunities for change. 

I would go back to what we learn informally in positive impact work – that truth is a friend and a tool – and I would lean into that. But tactfully, with strategy and care.

With truth on your side, could you imagine:

It gets easier to picture. And a little less intense.

The truth is never going to be a cure-all, or even especially welcome news. And again, I strongly feel that it should not be morphed into a weapon to humiliate, undermine, or punish – unless you’re comfortable risking receiving the same energy in return. 

But a powerful truth from a grounded place can open a door that once seemed closed, make an old conversation feel new, and maybe even get the gears of meaningful change turning for good. 

—

If I’m being honest (ha), truth-telling has never been particularly hard for me. And I respect everyone for whom going from seeing something to saying something is a big deal. But I promise you – it’s worth it.

And I also promise, in this Space, to always be honest with all of you about how impact work is shaping, stretching, and stumping me. If nothing else, we deserve to keep it real.

In community,

💪 If there’s one thing purpose-driven pros know how to do, it’s show up when we’re needed. And I could use your help! If you get value from the Issue Space Letter and the content and community it brings, you can support by inviting a colleague or friend to join us here. You can also become an ~ official ~ Issue Space Supporter with a gift or subscription. But really — spread the word! ✨

I don’t always get super jobby in the Issue Space Letter, but I heard some uplifting news from a little birdie.

Okay, it was Robbie from Cultivate, yet again. (Note — explore renaming this segment “Jobby with Robbie.”)

The tea is that job prospects in the positive impact space have been looking, dare I say, not-the-worst?

Could it be?

This is for everyone searching for their next professional impact idea or opportunity, with encouragement to follow your gut and keep the faith. ❤️‍🔥

We’ve all enjoyed Something Sweet, and now some of you are craving something a little…spicier. 😉🌶️

Enter Unpopular Impact Opinions — a Space to share your takes on our sector’s approach to positive impact that you’d never say in a meeting.

(Or maybe you’ve said them. No judgment!)

In our first entry, a long-time social impact consultant genuinely wonders if we have too much of a good thing:

Okay so yes I did say to be honest, but — damn!

There are a handful of strong points in this take. What I hear most are the ideas that 1) any new impact effort should be a complement, not a competitor, to preexisting work, and 2) impact organizations who are already in the game should consider it part of their responsibility and influence to model admitting their missteps.

I mean, I get it! Innovative and challenger brands do the mea culpa thing well (“We were doing X all wrong, but now…”) and it would be great to see that bravery and honesty in impact, even though — or maybe especially since — there’s more at stake.

What do you think? Is this POV hitting? Read this letter online to leave your comments and submit your own unpopular impact opinion here.

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🗣️  Have an insight about life in the business of impact or an idea for the Space? We’d love to hear from you! Send a message on Signal at @issuespace.24, or email us at [email protected].

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