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Embrace Discomfort

2020 disrupted families, businesses, and communities. The way forward is simple, not easy. As a nation and as a community, it’s time to rededicate ourselves to higher standards. It’s time to level up.

People want to be proud of their hometowns. People know it takes funding to protect their investment in public infrastructure and develop the community features they want. These people will not walk up to council members or council meetings to say so. Local governments should make time to acquire and discuss credible data. They should make time to engage residents in a deliberate, scientific way. They should make time to communicate ideas in a way that resonate with all the values we share. Often, issues that divide us have unifying values at heart. We spend so much energy reacting that we miss opportunities for uniting

Growth and prosperity blossom on the other side of discomfort. Renew thoughtful efforts. Renew deeper efforts to unite residents based on shared values. Become uncomfortable.

Here are some first steps.

1. Embrace blind spots. While local leaders talk to a lot of people in their communities, they usually spend the most time talking with people they have known for years. A surprising demographic and psychological gaps exists between long-term residents and new residents. In addition, many of us have different ideas and priorities than we did five years ago. Subtitle change creeps in not only through population turnover, but also through the maturing process for the remaining population. Reliable data can guide engagement and deliberation. A community metrics and engagement strategy strengthens understanding of emerging populations and evolving perspectives.
2. Remember that people who come to council meetings are weirdos (we mean that in the best possible way). “Normal” people are running crazy with kids, remote learning, sports practice, band practice, chores, two jobs, a dirty house, and animals to take care of. People who make time to sit through a council meeting and have the guts to speak up are highly atypical. Again, balance loud voices with data. The softer voices can help you identify what to investigate, and representative data is a must-have input to your decision-making process.
3. Break out power washers and paint. Poorly-maintained community buildings, roads, and parks send a loud message to prospective business, residents, and anyone on the fence about moving in or out. A community that doesn’t smell like fresh paint or sound like nail guns has cancer. It doesn’t cost much to fix window trim, power wash sidewalks, or paint playground equipment. Often, funds can be found in the existing budget or through local donations from individuals and social organizations. For new projects such as trails, park improvement, and road repairs, our research clearly shows that residents will pay more in fees or taxes to make it happen, if it’s communicated effectively. Consider a $10/month dedicated millage to fund the creation and maintenance of an integrated trail system and speed street repair - that’s less than Netflix, adds to property values, and grows the community – in population and in spirit. Some vocal residents will gripe. That is the sound of progress.

 
Who can help?

For a road map, begin by talking to your state associations, university extension offices, and communities that have successfully implemented what you want to do. National organizations such as Main Street also provide guidance.

For data, Consider Cobalt. We’re a non-profit created to help you have credible data. We offer an affordable annual data report with population changes and market information called Community360. We offer customized research to help you scientifically measure and benchmark community priorities, support, and attitudes. And we offer data on the characteristics of people who visit your community, how many, and where they come from. It’s called Visitor360. These can be separate programs or combined into an affordable monthly service called Cobalt360.

Community360 Annual Metrics Report

"A community that doesn’t smell like fresh paint or sound like nail guns has cancer."

Further reading

For more information on how Cobalt can help you adapt and thrive in the changing demographic, economic and social environment, visit the Cobalt website or reach out to us by email. Let us know if you need anything at all for benchmarking or research data; we are here for you. 

Cobalt Community Research is a national 501c3 nonprofit, non-partisan coalition that helps local governments, schools and membership organizations measure, benchmark, and affordably engage communities through high-quality metrics, mobile geofencing data, surveys, and dynamic population segmentation. Cobalt combines big data with local insights to help organizations thrive as changes emerge in the economic, demographic and social landscape. Explore how we can help by calling 877.888.0209, or by emailing Information@CobaltCommunityResearch.org.