If you think your organization (or group) is ready for a big cultural change, I can help guide that process. This will be customized to each organization based on your current culture, size, and biggest needs. This process works best if it involves everyone in the group- but crucial is a large commitment from those in leadership roles.
Shifting culture can be confusing and seem impossible. An outsiders perspective can be an invigorating force helping create new cultures of trust and accountability. Healing and listening are key- I can create containers to help you approach these with a curious mind.
If you are ready to commit to creating a culture of curiosity, trust, and accountability, I have a few recommendations to keep in mind.
Change takes time- Cultural shifts don’t happen overnight! At least a year of intensive work will be required for a significant shift, and it may take a few years for new norms to be fully established.
Change takes work- In the first year, I recommend committing to at least monthly times set asides for larger groups to come together to talk about your culture. In addition, I suggest having biweekly times for individuals or pairs to reflect and discuss. Even after the initial year, setting aside established time for all employees to continue to build trust will continue the cultivation of a curious culture.
Change is worth it- Imagine how much better it will feel if everyone in your organization feels trust and has the tools to hold themselves and others accountable in gentle ways for mistakes or misunderstanding- instead of responding with fear and anger. Projects will run more smoothly, communication will flow, and conflicting ideas, instead of being seen as a problem, will be met with curiosity that can lead to learning and growth.
You are ready for your entire organization (or a subgroup with an organization) to simultaneously work on a new, better way of interacting. I can develop a program to develop trust and a curious culture utilizing a mix of a variety of activities, customized to your group. This could include the workshops or goal setting listed here with larger groups, as well as additional sessions depending on your groups current dynamic. Individual work is also important, and so I also recommend establishing discussion partners or small groups, for whom I will set exercises and discussion topics monthly.
While typically, conflict resolution is the purview of internal human resources employees, having an outsider lead these discussions allows more objectivity which can help level out hierarchical power differentials which can prohibit true healing and listening. I am available for small group or individual conflict resolution and workplace dynamic advice. This is especially recommended for executive directors and those in leadership or management roles who want to learn how to be better listeners. An unwelcome truth is that most people outside of leadership roles do not trust human resources to resolve conflicts between people of different organizational levels. I can help to remove the power imbalance so that vulnerable conversations can occur to truly heal differences.
One of the most important parts of shifting to a culture of curiosity, trust, and accountability is to change management into leadership. As someone who has been in a management role for over a decade, I understand how power dynamics and differing priorities can block communication and undermine trust. When I first became a manager, I did it all wrong- following the standard cultural norms provided by society. I first had to un-learn norms which left me feeling superior to team members and shift my language and actions to act in ways that generated trust and empowered my team. Initially, my first instinct when something happened that I didn't expect was to react with anger and try to figure out who to blame for the “mistake”. Instead, I have learned how to react with curiosity when something unexpected happens, and ask questions to understand why the thing occurred.
In my work, I saw many managers who had taken management training courses that taught them the right things to say, such as “not micromanaging” or “building trust”. However, most of those managers still continued with actions contrary to their words- unaware of how their actions did not align with their intent. Through group workshops as well as individual sessions, I can help managers truly shift their actions away from management to leadership, utilizing a framework of curiosity.
