THE PODCAST: March 30, 2021

ON FOUNDATIONS, FUTURES AND ‘ANYTHING CAN BE’

Join in as Tim & Tuesday discuss The Outside’s third anniversary and their changing role as co-founders and the face of The Outside. As the team and business expands, the founders must change how they lead.

Together, Tim Merry and Tuesday Ryan-Hart are THE OUTSIDE—systems change and equity strategists who bring the fresh air necessary to organize movements, organizations, and collaborators forward for progress, surfacing new mindsets for greater participation and shared impact.

3.13 — SHOW NOTES

Tuesday + Tim: This week, on the podcast, we are talking about the role of Tim and I in The Outside. We are 3 years in, this thing has been growing and we are trying to figure out what is the right role… and there is a little bit of a debate. Is the right role to keep centering Tim and I because we’re the face of The Outside and we do a lot of the work or - and Tim and I fall on this side - could we begin to expand The Outside as an organization that is seen as being beyond the two of us; that really shows and values and fronts the work that is happening across the organization with so many talented people? And underneath all of that is this ideology of the individual; this desire for people to want to follow particular people or be attached to particular people. We don’t want to build a discipled fellowship to our work. We want to put the work in the middle and build The Outside around it.
Tim: The Outside, 3 years in, is somehow a paradox between being fundamentally equity focused yet the business is still really dependent on the two founders. That tension is right at the root of where we are at. A lot of the feedback we receive is that Tuesday and Tim are the heart of The Outside and we [Tuesday and Tim] are like, “this can’t be all about us. We don’t want to build something that is all about us. We don’t even think that’s a good business model to have it all about us.”
Tuesday: To think of The Outside as just you and I is a disservice. The Outside is bigger than us. We have such a skilled team that is doing so much, with so much expertise and so much competencies. These folks are the absolute best at what they do. How do we begin to shift that perception… and also understand that Tim and Tuesday are the heart of the organization?
Tuesday: The reality of our work is that there are 17 people doing great work with us and I’m also wanting to take responsibility and not wanting to pull away too quickly. I’m wanting to hold both - our commitment to making The Outside something that is beyond us while really taking responsibility for our impact, our power, our influence and our stewarding of this particular work with this group of people.
Tim: One of my perpetual failings is that I am in a hurry. It’s the most painful thing about being someone who has visions of the future; even though you may see it, you’re not there right now. I’m learning patience is a defence. So I hear you and I still think that it’s important to continually loosen people’s attachment to us.
Tuesday: Three years in - I think this is a very interesting and unforeseen conversation to be in. When we launched The Outside it was an experiment that we didn’t know if it was going to work and now we’re trying to determine our right role in this organization that seems to be really building something. I had no idea that this would be where we were.
Tuesday + Tim: Our only answer cannot be to work harder or hand’s off, or crash and get sick. Our only pattern here is to establish a new pattern and know that it might take years.
Song: “Which Side Are You on?” by B. Dolan - House of Bees Vol.2
Poem: “Listen to the mustn’ts” by Shel Silverstein
Listen to Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don’ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.

An INVITATION to you, dear listeners: Would you be interested in participating in a 10-15 minute interview with our podcast producer? We have some questions for you about why you listen, how you listen and the role this podcast plays in your life and work. If you’d like to participate in an interview, send us a note at podcast@findtheoutside.com.

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Find the song we played in today’s show - and every song we’ve played in previous shows - on the playlist. Just search ‘Find the Outside’ on Spotify.