This week has been extremely busy. I am organizing the workshop this weekend for KIEZconnect. Over the past few days, I was out in Kreuzberg for over 20 hours putting up posters and marketing the workshop. I try to enjoy everything I do, but carrying around the thirty-pound bag of posters is testing me. It feels like there are thousands of them.

While this week has stretched my work ethic to new limits, it has also allowed me to adapt my leadership style to new circumstances. My leadership style is very loud. I do not mean to suggest that I believe leadership is valued by volume, though I am a very assertive and prominent presence. While marketing, I used my characteristic projection to promote the workshop to everyone nearby whenever I was asked a question.

My old strategies work for face-to-face interactions, though language barriers complicate things. If someone asks me a question in English, I can confidently sell them on the model, but I would never want to advertise KIEZconnect as American. A few people asked if we had another agency in the U.S., which is something I often have to clarify.

Accordingly, I use unconventional strategies to draw attention to our cause. “Unconventional” is an unfortunately vague word, but I mean unconventional for both myself and my cause. I cannot speak fluent German; however, my coworkers are all fluent and native speakers. This week, I have both taken charge and stepped back to support my coworkers’ efforts. Despite taking a backseat at times, my coworkers and I have balanced each other well.

My view of leadership is heavily based on the ability to amplify a room—whether that means groups or individuals. We are uniquely incapable of knowing which perspectives will help us most.

Since I—and all leaders—cannot possibly select the “right” diversity, it is essential to give everyone a chance to speak.

At the Creative Bureaucracy conference, I spoke with a moderator from an event I participated in. Before that, I had no idea a moderator could fail; on the surface, moderation seems to require no original ideas or contributions. Yet, he gave me three key tips to avoid failing as a leader:

First, offer multiple forms of participation. Instead of funneling engagement through one rigid format, it helps to provide real-time discussions, suggestion boxes, or other flexible ways to contribute.

Second, ensure that when people ask questions, others actually listen. Since many conflicts arise from poor listening, this practice helps prevent unnecessary disagreements.

Finally, draw from past experiences. Using techniques or phrases that have worked before can make new challenges feel more familiar.

Rather than settling for the difficulty, I experiment with new and unconventional marketing strategies daily to distinguish our organization from those that harass people at U-Bahn stations. Two weeks ago, one volunteer even offered to bring me to my train instead of letting me leave. 

I often reflect on which organizations have sparked my own curiosity. One tactic that works surprisingly well? Letting people come to you. When you appear deeply focused—whether putting up posters or even performing—people naturally approach on their own. In the U.S. there are influencers that offer challenges to people who approach them, they do not approach anyone on their own. Instead, they await people quietly, without so much as a look to individuals who pass by. No frown present, but no smile either–just nothing. This plain face seems more like a performance than anything, and the lack of marketing turns into a scheme itself. People naturally approach and ask questions in German. As soon as this happens, coworkers can approach this interested citizen with all the answers they need, and I never have to reveal that I am American. As well as that, in situations where they only speak English, I immediately pop out of quiet mode to engage with any curious citizen. Overall this strategy has been extremely successful, and has gotten us about fifteen people to volunteer for 15 minute interviews about democracy. 

People are much more curious than I originally imagined. Curiosity is, accordingly, the best marketing tool I’ve discovered. It automatically filters out those who don’t want to be interrupted, empowers people to engage voluntarily, and—most importantly—signals that you’re not after their money.

Stepping out of my comfort zone has been essential to this experience. Without embracing the unknown, organizing this workshop would have been impossible. Organizing often feels insurmountable, and real-world experience has been instrumental in training me for new situations. That’s why I’m genuinely excited for this weekend – I can’t wait to share updates as everything unfolds.

See y’all next time 🙂