Is our fear > than our hope?

By Nory Angel, ALF Houston / Gulf Coast CEO, ALF National Board Chair

As I careen towards my 50th birthday in 5 days, I’m inspired to share observations of my work in the community – especially in my role leading the American Leadership Forum (ALF) which gives me a balcony view to what leaders are grappling with in their work and in their lives.

We recently held an ALF community convening and farewell dialogue to spotlight the work of Dr. Stephen Klineberg and his 40+ years of conducting the Kinder Houston Area Survey. We provocatively titled the dialogue, “40 Years of Data, So What, Now What?” as a way to signal to our attendees that our action and leadership are needed if we’re going to live up to the promise and potential of our region. Or, as Dr. Klineberg shares in a recent OpEd:

“This city is called upon to take the lead in building something that has never existed before in human history — a truly successful, equitable and inclusive multiethnic society, made up of virtually all the peoples, all the ethnicities, all the religions of the world, gathered together in this one remarkable place.”

How can you not be inspired by this vision for our region? And yet, as we invited our attendees to share their fears for our region and their aspirations, it became evident, in a very visible way, that our fears are outweighing our hopes. 76 to 50 to be exact.

Some of Houston’s brightest minds and most impactful leaders were in attendance, and yet our focus is tied up in our fears and not our hopes.

At ALF, we talk about leaders co-creating new possibilities for our community. And yet, we as a society are living in fear. You see it and hear it every day – on the news, in the latest road rage incident, in the latest shooting, in latest viral video, and the list goes on and on.

How do we intentionally create a new vision for our larger community – one where everyone has access to opportunity and is prepared for the future when the present is mired in fear?

I don’t believe we can create possibility from the energy of fear. New ways of thinking and envisioning our future will not come from past data or even from history. There is no golden age for us to look back to and learn from. In fact, most of our history is a warning of what we do not want to become again.

I’m grappling with how do we create more vision and clarity for reimagining our lives, our communities, our work?

This is not a blog to offer you my 10 steps to creating more vision and clarity. This is a blog to invite you to join me in grappling with this question and seeing what emerges when we get curious, seek clarity (over answers) and continue to reach out because ultimately, the work of hope is best done in community.