Are You Building a Potluck or a Buffet?

I was talking with a colleague a couple weeks ago, and he shared that cities can be like a potluck, or like a buffet.

At a potluck, everyone brings something. 

Everyone contributes.

Everyone takes ownership of the final outcome, through their individual contribution. 

At a buffet, nobody brings anything. 

Everyone takes what they'd like from the buffet line.

Perhaps people go back for seconds or thirds. 

At a buffet, we might judge the buffet based on the quality of the food, the quantity of the food, or the overall presentation. 

At a potluck, we are contributors.

At a buffet, we are consumers. 

There is nothing wrong with visiting a buffet, of course.

And sometimes we need to be a consumer or an observer, before we can effectively contribute. 

However, when we are creating communities, building culture, or developing teams, we want to build the culture of a potluck –where everyone contributes, and where we co-create the type of environment we want to live or work in.

As Adam Grant would say, we want to create a culture of “give and take,” rather than just “take.” 

As leaders, we can do this by creating space for everyone to contribute; allowing all voices to be heard (and acknowledged); and drawing on individual strengths in service of shared impact and contribution. 

As participants, we can work to “create the thing we wish existed" and make sure we are bringing a dish to the metaphorical potluck.

We can ask ourselves, “what am I bringing to the table —and what is within my own sphere of impact, influence and control?”