What Does Being Catalytic Mean to Me

The goal of the Harwood Catalytic Guide Program is straightforward, in concept. This training, a program of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, helps participants guide people to show up differently, turn outward, make change happen, and grow Civic Faith. 

During the first few weeks, the 25 participants from around the world, including eight from our area, realized that to get to a place where we can help guide others, we have to start with ourselves.

One of the tools developed by The Harwood Institute is a set of catalytic behaviors that guides are trained to internalize and, eventually, turn into habits. All ten of these behaviors are useful, the kinds of ideas that most of us want to embody every day, especially when working with people who strive for positive change in their communities.

Some are the kinds of things most parents hope to teach their children: follow through on your promises, hold people accountable for their actions, give people constructive feedback. Others encourage guides to stay focused on what we are trying to achieve, move conversations forward, take advantage of opportunities, and use the proven tools The Harwood Institute has spent decades developing.

Throughout the training, we have to rate ourselves each week on how well we are embodying these catalytic behaviors. Are we just paying lip service to the training and leaning into the status quo, or are we using the training and being intentional in our practice to improve and progress?

Everyone in the training has their strengths and weaknesses, but the one that I have really wrestled with is the first on the list: “I know my ‘why,’ which helps me stay grounded.”

At first, I thought my “why” was so obvious, it barely needed mentioning – I want to have a positive impact on my community. Simple. And true, as far as it goes.

The problem is, it never resonated with me. It’s an admirable but unfocused goal, and isn’t necessarily why I get up in the morning and go to work in my community. After a lot of thought (which, to be honest, is still ongoing), I realized that my “why” is more specific than just an urge for positive change.

I want to help people recognize that they have the power to enact positive change and achieve their aspirations for their community. 

When people remember that they do have the power to make things better, even in small ways, it can lead to a chain reaction that brings more positive change and can fundamentally change the Civic Faith of a community for the better. 

Though we’re only about halfway through the twelve-week intensive training, gaining a better understanding of my personal “why” has already been transformational. That self-knowledge is energizing, motivating, and positively informs almost everything I do. 

That’s what being catalytic means to me, and what I hope I can bring to the people I work with in my community.