Each of us carries a collection of assets.

Some are easy to name, such as professional expertise, technical skills, experience, relationships, or access to resources. Others are less obvious. Maybe you are the person who asks the question no one else is asking. Perhaps you see connections between ideas.

You know how to bring calm into a difficult conversation. You have a relationship that could open a door. You are willing to make the first phone call, organize the first meeting, or simply listen when everyone else is rushing to speak. These are assets, too.

In Chapter 8 of ABC’s of Murmuration: Collective Wisdom of Nature, we explore Strategic Doing™, an approach that begins by recognizing what is already available within a group.

Rather than focusing only on what we lack, we become aware of the people, knowledge, skills, relationships, and resources already around us. This changes the conversation.

Imagine seven people sitting around a table trying to solve a problem. If everyone begins by focusing on what is missing, the challenge can quickly feel overwhelming. We don’t have enough time. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have the right connections. We don’t know enough.

But ask those same seven people, “What do we have?” and something begins to shift. One person has experience. Another has a relationship. Someone else has an idea. Another has time they are willing to contribute. Someone knows the community. Someone sees the problem differently. Suddenly, the table looks different.

Strategic Doing™ helps us recognize that meaningful action can begin with the assets already present. Each ME brings something unique, and those individual contributions become more powerful when they are connected to the contributions of others.

This is where autonomy and mutuality come alive. Autonomy says, I have something of value to bring. Mutuality asks, what becomes possible when what I bring connects with what you bring?

Neither requires us to become less of ourselves. In fact, the opposite is true. A strong WE needs each ME to become more aware of what they uniquely offer and more willing to share it.

Like starlings moving together, the strength of the collective does not come from every individual being the same. It comes from each one being present, responsive, and connected.

So, the next time you gather around a table, whether with colleagues, family members, neighbors, or friends, resist the temptation to begin with what you don’t have. Look around the table. Ask what each person brings.

Then ask the question at the heart of Strategic Doing™: What could we do together?