The Parable of the Bricklayers

by Josh Orendi

Have you ever heard the parable of the bricklayer?  An Australian company launched a campaign using an online children’s book and an old fable to move people toward their cause.  Before going on, read the short fable here .

That got my wheels spinning.  A series of questions came to mind:

How do we communicate with our members and prospects?  For that matter, what is the dialogue in our own minds about the daily things we’re doing on behalf of the organization?  Suffering bricklayer? Laboring volunteer?  Grateful contributor?  Perspective is a powerful thing.

The same activities (paperwork, Names List, recruitment meeting) can be defined as menial painful tasks or critical next steps toward the purpose of the organization.  What we choose to believe becomes our reality, impacts our productivity, and draws/repels people to/from our cause.

Bonus Thought: How would the story of your organization be told through a Children’s book?  If we could only communicate our recruitment message through a children’s book, what pictures and words would you choose to tell our story?  Or, here’s a blended fun zone and deep zone question:  How could the story of YOUR organizational experience to be written in a real children’s book that you would someday read to your own children?