From Reaction to Creation
Why I’m relaunching this Substack– and what comes next.
Hi y’all,
When you hear the word “silo” do you think of farms or systems?
Last year, I launched my social impact agency, Root + Bloom Strategies, by asking this very question. As I shared in my first Substack post, I don’t see silos in the mission-driven work I have done over the last couple decades. Rather, I see trees.
Though we may treat them as separate entities, individual trees stretch their roots wide, grounding in an expansive diameter of soil and sharing resources with their neighboring trees. As their flowers bloom, they depend on an entire ecosystem of actors to bear fruit. A tree is not a silo. It’s an ecosystem.
Similarly, impact-driven leaders may work in silos, but we exist in ecosystems. The impact we seek only happens when we work together on purpose, for a purpose– when we collaborate. The world can change. But no one can change the world alone.
It’s Only Human to React
I firmly believe that collaboration is THE skill and strategy that mission-driven leaders need to create meaningful systems change.
This Substack was originally meant to be a space to expand and expound on that idea– I’d planned a series of essays that would dive deeper into the concepts that ground my work as the coach and advisor behind Root + Bloom Strategies.
But then, within the span of weeks, there were multiple seismic shifts in our ecosystems…
…and I found myself in an old pattern of leadership I’d both learned and seen time and time again: reaction.
In times of uncertainty, pressure, and massive change, it is only human to react. My clients, my colleagues, and I were all trying to move forward with intention while everything around us was moving too fast and out of control. Reaction felt like the most responsible thing to do.
And in many ways, it is. Leaders must react to the onslaught of change if we are to play any part in shaping it. However, so much reactivity leaves little room for the true work of systems change: creativity.
We Create the Way Forward
Systems change requires imagining a new world and coming together to shape it. It requires creation.
Reaction is about responding to what already exists; creation is about bringing something new into existence.
Much of my work coaching and advising mission-driven leaders has been to help them find clarity of vision. This clarity is what allows them to create– rather than letting the storm waves and currents chart their course, they have a “north star” to keep moving toward. It helps leaders quickly see what's important for their impact and what is just another distraction. And it helps leaders share what they see with others so they can all move forward together.
This clarity offers something that has felt increasingly out of reach– a way forward. An answer to “what do I do?” Something that feels rooted enough to actually promise a bloom, even in the midst of a storm.
We Can Change the World Together
No one can tell the future. But I believe we can shape it. Especially as leaders committed to systems change, I believe we must.
Unfortunately, I don't have The Answer™. In fact, I don't think there is one. Rather, I think we have to create it.
Mission-driven work is, by its very nature, human and dynamic. It requires adaptiveness, sustainability, and a level of creativity that cannot come from just one leader, one organization, even one movement.
The world can change. But no one can change the world alone.
Systems change requires collaboration. And though some may dismiss collaboration as a “soft skill” we all learned in kindergarten, the real work of collaboration is difficult and ongoing.
Break Down Silos, Build Up Collaborations
Up until now, this Substack has largely been reactive. But I am reimagining this space to practice what I preach.
I have my own clear vision of what it takes to create a lasting impact, and it has only crystalized in the year since I started Root + Bloom Strategies–
Collaboration is an advanced leadership skill and strategy. It is a creative practice, necessary for meaningful systems change. It is how we shape the future we wish to live in.
Collaboration is how we break down silos and cultivate thriving ecosystems.
Moving forward, From Silos to Ecosystems will explore the skill and strategy of collaboration for systems change. Expect an essay series covering topics like–
No One Changes the World Alone – Why Collaboration is the Defining Skill of Our Era
Breaking Down Silos – Meaningful Impact Requires Ecosystem Thinking
The Answer Isn’t Static – The Dynamic Reality of “Impact”
“Soft Skills” Are Hard Skills – Collaboration in the Age of AI and Nonstop Change
Simple in Theory, Complex in Practice – Collaborating Skillfully for Systems Change
Look for this and more every second Tuesday of the month. In between, I’ll share the insights, tools, and questions that shift perspectives from reaction to creation, based on what I’m learning from my work coaching and advising mission-driven leaders.
If you know that this work means working together well, this is the place for you. If you want to shift from reactivity to creativity, this is the place for you. If you want to break down silos and build collaborations for systems change, this is the place for you.
Let's move from silos to ecosystems,
Nia