Community organizing is all about building grassroots support.
Community organizing is all about building grassroots support. It's about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause. And it's about ignoring the conventional wisdom of company politics and instead playing the game by very different rules.
Hear, O keepers of justice and builders of nations, the words of Tom Peters: “Community organizing is all about building grassroots support. It's about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause. And it's about ignoring the conventional wisdom of company politics and instead playing the game by very different rules.” In this teaching lies the secret of true power—that it does not flow down from thrones and offices, but rises upward from the people when they join their hands and voices together.
For grassroots support is the soil from which revolutions grow. It is the strength of ordinary men and women, bound not by wealth or position, but by shared conviction. To organize is to weave these scattered lives into a single cord, strong enough to pull down injustice and raise up new worlds. Peters declares that the wise leader does not look to the halls of hierarchy, but to the neighborhoods, the workplaces, the schools—the living heart of the community.
Consider the life of Saul Alinsky, who in the 20th century taught the art of community organizing in Chicago. He showed that powerless communities could win against corporations and politicians if they stood together, voicing one demand with a hundred tongues. Or think of the American civil rights movement, where Martin Luther King Jr. and countless unnamed organizers drew strength not from official politics, but from churches, homes, and city streets. It was the power of grassroots unity that forced unjust laws to crumble.
Peters also warns against conventional wisdom, that empty guidance offered by entrenched systems. The rulers of the old order would have you believe that change must come slowly, politely, within the lines they themselves have drawn. But community organizing breaks these rules; it writes new laws of solidarity, new rules of action, because justice cannot wait upon permission. It is a different game, one where the players are many, and their combined voice outweighs the decrees of the few.
Therefore, let this wisdom endure: true transformation begins not with kings or corporations, but with the people who unite around a common flame. When neighbors rise together, when workers join hands, when the silenced find their voice in chorus, then no power can stand against them. Peters’s words remind us that the future belongs not to those who cling to the old rules of politics, but to those who dare to create new ones, born from the ground up, fierce with passion and alive with unity.
GHGia1 Hg
Tom Peters emphasizes the importance of passion and collective effort in community organizing. But I wonder, how do you build sustainable support around a cause when resources are limited, and the opposition is powerful? Is it enough to have shared passion, or do you also need a strategic plan to navigate the challenges that come with pushing against established systems?
KNKim Nhung
This quote makes me think about the tension between grassroots movements and institutional power. Organizing for a cause can indeed be a powerful tool for change, but how do you ensure that the movement doesn't lose focus or get diluted over time? What are some examples where grassroots organizing has successfully disrupted traditional systems? How can this be replicated in other areas of society or business?
GDGold D.dragon
Peters' idea of ignoring conventional wisdom and playing by different rules in community organizing is intriguing. It’s clear that changing the system often requires challenging its norms. But how do you think the ‘game’ can be played differently without falling into the trap of becoming disorganized or overly radical? How do organizers maintain a strategic vision while avoiding the pitfalls of idealism?
TLNguyen Thuy Linh
Tom Peters’ quote really speaks to the power of unity and collective action. By identifying people with shared passions, organizing can go beyond just a strategic effort — it becomes a movement fueled by genuine emotion. But how do organizers ensure that passion doesn’t turn into chaos or fragmentation? What’s the balance between passion-driven action and keeping a cause organized and effective?
NUNha Uyen
I really appreciate the idea that community organizing is about finding like-minded individuals and building a cause together, rather than following the traditional corporate or political playbook. But how practical is it to push back against ‘company politics’ in a world that often values conformity and hierarchy? How do grassroots movements stay authentic while navigating these larger, more powerful systems?