When life gives you lemons…or green tomatoes…or anything for that matter.
Earlier this week a local grower at the market had a glut of green tomatoes he was getting rid of.
Most people walked on by, aiming for the juicy red versions. But not me.
Why? Green tomato chutney.
When I was a kid, I used to love my Mum’s chutney making days. The house would be filled with the fragrance of warm spices and I would be in awe at the transformation of veg into shiny jars with their cute labels and gingham tops.
Back in the day, lots of people would make their own preserves, and my Mum managed to squeeze this time in while working and raising a family. Partly because it saved money, partly because my Grandad owned a veg garden that would offer up huge amounts of one kind of veg at a time. And partly because she loved to continue the tradition handed to her by my Grandmother who was a demon preserver. And by that I don’t mean she would love to pickle devils. But she would always be freezing, jamming, pickling and baking.
So, when I saw those cheap green toms my immediate thought was of chutney, and the Delia Smith recipe my Mum was fondest of (you can find it here if you want to give it a go yourself).
But stick with me before you do.
I actually hated the taste of it when I was a kid.
But as an adult, it’s delicious I’ve carried on the tradition.
You might be wondering if I’ve decided to branch out into food blogging. Much as I love to cook, No. The community building link is coming next!
I love a good analogy.
If you’ve ever made chutney, you’ll know it takes a long time. Several hours of chopping, stirring and gentle simmering. And as I was stirring, I got to thinking about the skill of making the most of what we have.
There is a community development model from Kretzman and McKnight that focusses on how to make the best use of your resources. Its called the Asset Based Community Development model. Or ABCD (Yes! Kretzman and McKnight!). Their model is based on the idea that all members of communities have something they can contribute, be it skills, knowledge, networks or experience. Or maybe just heaps of tomatoes! I tackled this model when I interviewed Alex Elliott-Howery about creating community – and reviving the art of pickling - in her Sydney neighbourhood café, Cornersmith.
You can listen to that episode of The Missing Piece podcast here, on Apple Podcasts , Spotify
But there are some aspects of this model that I didn’t touch on in that first article that I think are particularly relevant to how we manage our businesses ,and our professional careers too.
For example, one of the underlying foundations of the model is to collect stories about past successes, and analyse them to assess your strengths, or that of your community. My family stories supported my chutney making adventures. And in business practice, connecting with the stories about how projects have succeeded or failed is one of the best ways we can grow as an organisation. If you don’t learn from what you did before, you are likely to repeat the same mistakes. However, this reflection is an activity that is often overlooked.
I regularly use story telling in my teaching practice too. It’s a powerful mechanism to build community in your face to face, or online course. Sharing a story about your personal journey, or a case study about a leader for example taps into our human need for narrative, can build meaningful connection between people and bring content to life.
One of my other favourite aspects of the ABCD model is that it focusses on strengths. Mapping your assets, whether that’s organisational assets like the skills and abilities of your people, your physical environment, your industry and social connections can be a powerful first stage in planning a new venture. Or for individuals, being clear on your strengths is a wonderful cornerstone to planning your next career move or building your leadership potential.
When times are tough, it’s easy to focus on what we are lacking. You might be surprised in the shift when you focus on the resources you do have rather than the things you do not.
In the case of my chutney making – I was able to draw on the stories from my social connections - my family’s preserving traditions - to recognise some cheap produce as a potential asset. I used the skills I had learned to transform that asset from tart and sour into fragrant and delicious. And in a few weeks’ time of mellowing the jars in a cupboard I will have some fab gifts to share amongst my community. Get in line!
My key takeaways from the ABCD model are:
Focus on your strengths – Map the skills, abilities, passions and resources you have available to you, your team or your organisation.
Share your stories – whether they are about your personal career journey, your team’s highs and lows, or a project success. Analyse what you learn and embed that learning into future decision making.
Build connection – Relationships within a community are assets too but building the connections between members of your community is vital. Think about how you can extend your professional network or create more connections between teams in your organisation.
This is all information I’m using on a daily basis to help build communities, because #belonging is better.
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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify
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Rachel Abel
Head of Making Friends
