The Iron Rule
Never do for people what people can do for themselves. Instrumental impacts on the lives of individuals who haven't participated in the achievement risk violating the "Iron Rule". Violating the Iron Rule disrespects the human capacity for agency and short circuits the ownership of outcomes.
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What is a victory?
Claiming victory in the context of democratic practice is more complex than calculating a simple metrics of impact. If ownership is faked or absent entirely, if leaders have learned little or nothing from the experience then the victory is hollow. Such a circumstance may undermine rather than build the power of an organization or more broadly a commitment to public life. In the world as it is, no one ever built a strong organization by losing. Establishing a tradition of specific, immediate, concrete wins is part of what Alinsky taught and the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) network has practiced since its inception. |