Woo Woo in the Workplace

My facilitation work is different.

It is grounded in care for the group and a commitment to processes that allow people to work together with greater ease and joy.

I believe in the power of the collective to solve our biggest challenges and the collective is made up of relationships.  The quality of our relationships determines the impact of our work.

In the spaces I curate:

We attend to beauty

We attend to the feeling in the room and amongst the participants

Without alignment, the work doesn’t move forward

The elephant in the room is sacred and we make space and time to get to know this creature, to honor them, learn from them, make them visible

We speak our truths, responsibly.

We practice gratitude and appreciation.

We move at the speed of trust.

We get shit done.

Yet, in more traditional settings, there can be resistance  to this type of culture work.

It’s too woo woo.  What does this mean?  Too feminine, emotional, soft, spiritual?

It’s uncomfortable – true!  But what is worse?  Swallowing your feelings or having the space to process and move to the other side of discomfort?  Having the toxic players dominate in the organization so everyone else just puts their heads down, gossips, quiet quits and endures?

The number one reason people are resigning in 2021 is “toxic work culture.”  If you aren’t attending to the culture work in your organization, you are going to lose your best people.

I believe everything we want is on the other side of the challenging conversation.

It takes trust, and building trust takes time and commitment to the process and each other.

Attending to our feelings is at the very core of equity and belonging work.

The power of the collective is only as strong as the golden threads of our relationships to each other.

Yes, we need solid financial planning, budgets and accountability

Yes, we need a strategic plan

Yes, we need policies, procedures and regulations

Yes, we need accountability and deliverables

Yes, we need to demonstrate our impact

At the heart of our work are the people.  We can only move at the speed of trust (Adrienne Maree Brown)

Not every leader is a skilled facilitator, and that’s ok.  But for the LOVE, please recognize this fact and bring in the expertise you need to create a culture that is aligned, passionate, well, invested and committed to the work and each other.

And if you want to do it the old way, that’s ok too.  Old structures, old processes, same old results.

My inspiration is drawn from:

Adirenne Maree Brown

Priya Parker

Brene Brown

Liberating Structures

The Facilitators Guide to Participatory Decision Making