Building a movement.
Since March 2020, this is the first time we were outside other than getting a prescription, essential goods, exercise, or an emergency doctor visits. We did a 10 mile hike on a weekday morning at Starved Rock and wore our masks the entire time even though at times there were miles between us and other hikers. It isn’t worth the risk, and wearing a mask is such an easy accessory.
When you see a huge lack of leadership, you don’t sit on the sidelines and wait. You roll-up your sleeves and build a coalition of motivated leaders that have the potential to positively influence thousands.
When the pandemic hit, our discussions revolved around “What do we do?”
What do we do to keep ourselves safe (and sane)?
What do we do to keep those we love well and healthy?
What do we do to make the biggest positive impact for the global health and well-being of the Human Family?
We starting digging into numbers, guidelines, and the science. We made sure we were meticulously diligent in following the guidelines to stop the spread.
Ok. We totally can do this. These guidelines seem very doable. Stay home. If you do need to go out, physical distance and wear a mask. And keep your hands and surfaces clean and disinfected. Check. Check. and Check. Now what?
The question evolved into “What more can we do?”
How could we contribute beyond just following the guidelines?
We felt like we lacked leadership. No one was taking accountability. No one was giving us clear direction. No one was giving us the honest truths about the implications of the pandemic.
When there is a need, roll-up your sleeves and fill that role. If leadership is needed, leadership is what we will deliver.
Eric started thinking of what large posters he could hand create to take to the Daily Plaza in downtown Chicago to physically distance himself from others while protesting individually with a mask. We would brainstorm on what the signs could say: “Wait it out“, Go back to phase two.”, “Utilize what we don’t know as knowledge.”, or “Tell other Governors to bite the bullet.” And he took them downtown, and by himself tried to communicate messages that expressed our need to be diligent as a community, city, state, and nation. And so it became a weekly thing to think up an idea for a new sign, and for Eric to start lettering it on poster-board on the island in the kitchen with a giant sharpie.
It was moderately effective, but not as wide-scale as we hoped for. And the logistics of getting downtown and being in the public did pose some safety and transmission threats. So we started making 8.5x11" flyers; and posted them up on neighborhood poles. We even created a poster for our local running track that we titled “Covid-19 Track Rules” which included keeping certain lanes open, and gave rules on how to pass. We taped the giant sign to the clubhouse door back in April, and it is still there to this day.
When May hit, we started to see our friends and family relax on the guidelines. We started getting invites for brunch. We were asked to visit family back in Michigan. We felt disappointment when we saw groups playing soccer when the fields were supposed to be closed off to the public. It was disheartening to see people casually walking down the street without masks on. And concerning to see so many people flocking to public spaces and behaving in unsafe ways.
The guidelines are not being followed. And people are loosening up on what rules they have been following. If we are doing our parts individually, that’s good. But how can we help encourage others to do theirs?
Michelle started to bring up the discomfort she was feeling when she got invited to things she didn’t feel safe attending. How do we say no to a best-friend? To a family member? It became pretty clear that where the safety guidelines really were breaking-down were not on an individual level; but on a social circle level.
It became clear that strong individual influencers within social circles had the power to make mask wearing “a waste” or find a way to get the group together because “We’ve all been safe and aren’t sick, so it will be ok.”
How do we get everyday people to take on a role of a leader of safe behavior, within their social circle? How can we empower and encourage people to take on the role of positive influencer? What tools are needed to get people to commit to going beyond following the rules, and really creating new social group norms?
By changing social group norms, we change what is deemed as acceptable behavior. If we could help influence the social dynamic, we believe we could help stop the spread. We knew something was needed to change the narrative from “I’m going to look our for myself and my own.” to “We’re going to look out for each other”. By being role-models to those closest to us, we can have the biggest and most immediate impact in stopping the pandemic.
Leaders within social circles influence the social dynamic.
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The social dynamic influences what behaviors are deemed acceptable and favorable.
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Those behaviors influence what the social norms are within a society.
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And by changing social norms we really can change the world.
We had a pretty intense evening of discussion. Michelle woke-up the next morning, popped out of bed and said “We’re starting a movement. I’m building a website for it today, and it will be done by this evening.” And this is how MakeGoodTogether.com came into being. Serendipitously, Michelle had already owned the domain MakeGoodTogether.com which she used as a website to highlight everyday people doing good in the communities. And so it was done.
We create two key components for MakeGoodTogether’s campaign:
The Promise Pledge.
We ask people to make a promise to be a leader within their social circle to annihilate Covid-19.Covid Boundaries.
We help educate people on how to recognize and address their Covid boundaries. We recognize that even one’s best efforts can break-down on a social level (i.e. “My others friends don’t wear masks, so maybe I shouldn’t as well to fit in”).
From the day that the site was built we haven’t stopped.
We have schedules for MakeGoodTogether just like we would at a full-time job; well, we actually work on Saturday’s (officially), and are practically communicating with people everyday and every hour. We have strategic sessions, media outreach hours, daily debriefings, etc. MakeGoodTogether has essentially becomes both of our full-time jobs.
Michelle leads strategic communications and creative direction for MakeGoodTogether. She has extensive experience in brand strategy and communication; as she has been running her own design consultancy for over twenty years. Pair that with her love of understanding the human condition within the social context, and her desire to always help others become their best selves, and this project seems like it was a perfect match. Her traits of empathy, understanding, and dedication to making the world a brighter place drive her actions.
Eric is a strategist, content creator and editor-in-chief for MakeGoodTogether. He had been working as a Massage Therapist before the pandemic hit. He has a unique way of extrapolating and applying data, and is a wizard at recognizing patterns and trends. This project was well suited for him as well, as he was looking for a way to make the biggest contribution he could to help end the pandemic. His work-ethic and dedication help support the project, and his trait of being a master analyzer helps keep MakeGoodTogether flexible in adapting to new information and demands.
We can't think of a more impactful use of our time to help support Covid advocacy and awareness efforts. There is no greater gift we can receive than seeing those around us feeling empowered to be positive influencers in their social circles and communities.
With love & gratitude,
Michelle & Eric