How do we get people to give more and take less?

Sometimes, when I'm lying on my loveseat, writing out a blog post or article idea or 5 Minutes of Caring piece, I'll get really into it. I'll type away, churning out brilliant idea after brilliant idea, packing as much meaning as I can into just the right amount of words. I'll be hitting my stride, where nearly every sentence comes out perfectly, where rewrites and revisions are minimal, if they exist at all.

And then my overweight cat will come and sit on my chest.

At first she'll stand there, completely blocking my line of site to the laptop screen. She'll turn around a few times, trying to find her balance amidst the inconsistencies of shape that comprise my chest and stomach. She'll continue to circle until she sits, now only blocking half of the screen. Soon enough, if I'm lucky, she'll squash herself down in a space not meant for a girl her size, finally enabling me to finish what I began.

And she could care less.

She merely swoops in at her convenience, takes center stage, and then leaves without offering much of a contribution (other than inspiring a blog post). But this is what cats are supposed to do, I think. I'm pretty sure this is how they've been since the beginning. Certainly Noah meant to leave these animals off the ark. I bet he figured he had, until the pair of them crawled out from under a bed or behind a cabinet after they'd been floating around for a week or two. Noah felt bad and fed them, and the cats then disappeared for another day or so until they came back, merely wanting food, a scratch on their chin, and then they were off to sleep for the next 18 hours.

How many of the members of our YPO are like my cat – forever taking up space and center stage while we tirelessly try to get things done for the sake of others?

This happens in any organization – not just YPOs. People join groups and nonprofit boards, associations and organizations for what they can take – not what they can give. A few connections, some good sales leads, a little recognition, and then they're gone, forever leaving the same people to clean up the same mess and plan again.

Maybe they pay a membership fee, or make up for their taking with a little bit of giving at the end of the year. But, we all face the challenge of trying to get the cat in our midst to become an elephant.

Elephants travel in packs, with the matriarch as the leader of the group. When an elephant dies, the entire group lingers until the immediate family has had a chance to say goodbye. When attacked, the group of elephants huddles together to protect the youngest members as they effectively form a force field with the newborns in the middle. Elephant groups are very closely knit. Elephants give.

The challenge for any group, and especially a YPO, is to think of ways to get our cats to become elephants. The reason this is especially crucial for a YPO is because the YPO needs to be seen as giving something to the community it calls home, and not as an organization that simply takes and takes from its local environment. Elephants group themselves and move in a herd together. No one wants to herd cats.

What are ways we can ensure that young people want to be a part of our YPO? How can we see to it that they offer the group something, instead of simply swooping in to grab center stage? What are some ideas to encourage giving and generosity amongst the members of our YPO? How do we present the need for each member to actively contribute?

How do we get the cats off our chest and replace them with elephants?

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