The Power of Assets: Fixing What’s Wrong by Building What’s Strong
Building Assets Across the Lifespan 002:
from Kathy Snyder, Director of the Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition
What if, in our well-meaning attempts to fix what’s broken, we’re actually missing what’s most powerful?
What if the key to addressing our challenges isn’t to zero in on what’s wrong—but to start with what’s already right?
Here’s the twist: this isn’t about ignoring problems. It’s about approaching them differently. Rather than exhausting ourselves trying to fix weaknesses head-on, what if we asked: What strengths could help us solve this? When we lead with assets—individually and collectively—we gain more traction, more energy, and more impact.
David Cooperrider, founder of Appreciative Inquiry, emphasized that when we focus more on what’s already right with us, our weaknesses become either irrelevant—or can be better addressed through our strengths.
Let me make it personal.
I’ve spent plenty of time trying to become more self-disciplined in my health habits—and ended up frustrated. Self-discipline is hard. But I also love structure, organization, being social, and getting outside. So instead of grinding my way to willpower, I now build my goals around my strengths: I schedule workouts with friends, plan meals with my husband, and block time in my calendar to be in nature. Same goals, wildly better results. The weakness didn’t vanish—but it became easier to manage because my strengths were doing the heavy lifting.
This is the heart of the Assets Framework that the Midland community is expanding at the end of 2025.
For over two decades, our schools and youth-serving nonprofits have supported youth by measuring and strengthening their developmental assets—building blocks that help them thrive. For the past ten years, that work has expanded to evaluating assets of older adults, using community input to improve services and wellbeing.
Now we’re filling in the middle.
A new Adult Thriving Asset Framework for ages 19 to 64 has been developed by a team at the University of Pennsylvania and is being finalized by a Steering Team led by The Legacy Center for Community Success. And with it comes a new set of questions:
What’s working well for working-age adults in our community?
How can we better leverage assets to support those adults who are struggling?
In light of the dual role many in this age group play—supporting youth and older adults—what key assets contribute to their ability to thrive?
How do we as a community strengthen key assets at every level—individual, relational, and organizational, - throughout our community?
These are the kinds of questions which will be explored in the Assets Across the Lifespan surveys, which will launch in late 2025 and early 2026. We hope you’ll join us by taking the survey yourself and encouraging others to do the same.
Let’s use what’s strong to fix what’s wrong—and build a more thriving Midland for everyone.
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?