Answering These 3 Questions Can Improve the Productivity of Your Meetings

Imagine being invited to go on a hike. You arrive at the trailhead and are greeted by a guide.  Before the hike begins, the guide goes over the route and makes sure that participants are aware of the destination, how they will get there, and approximately how long it will take. During the hike you do your best to stay with the group; however, there are times when it’s difficult to keep up. When you arrive at a fork in the trail, you see an arrow in white powder indicating the direction to take and are relieved to know which way to go. At the end of the hike, the group assembles at the destination to marvel at the wonderful view and celebrate the great time everyone had.   

Like the hike leader, the facilitator is responsible for guiding the meeting to ensure that it starts and ends on time, it goes smoothly, and the purpose is accomplished. Similar to getting ready for a hike, preparing for your meeting should include developing an agenda that explains the purpose and what needs to happen to accomplish it. The agenda, like the hiking trail, should be shared with attendees in advance so that they have time to review it, get answers to questions they may have, and are prepared to participate.  

 Below is an approach I’ve found helpful for facilitating meetings with social impact groups, along with a real life example, and involves answering these three questions:

1.        What are we going to do? Just as the hike leader greets participants at the trailhead to prepare them for journey they will be going on, begin the meeting with some brief remarks. In addition to welcoming participants, orient them to the purpose of the meeting and explain how it will be achieved. Review the agenda and check for agreement, which includes providing an opportunity for participants to ask questions or propose changes, like adding new topics.

Provide context when introducing discussion topics. It’s easy to take for granted that everyone has the same understanding, so help everyone follow along by explaining what the topic is, how it relates to the purpose of the meeting, and how the discussion will take place, including instructions for what participants will be doing. As part of introducing the topic, consider what to focus participants’ attention on. Some questions to consider are: What does the group want to get out of the discussion? What are the boundaries for what is and isn’t part of the discussion? What do participants need to know to make an informed decision?       

Example: Thanks for attending this meeting to debrief the convening we hosted to explore opportunities for collaboration with our partners. In addition to discussing everyone’s feedback, we’ll brainstorm ideas for sustaining the momentum generated during this convening. We’ll start by reviewing feedback from the convening attendees. I’ll share the data collected before opening it up for your questions and comments. Next, we’ll discuss your reflections. After that, we’ll identify lessons learned and opportunities to build on the work that has been done. Are there any questions before we begin?

2.        What did we do? When it’s time to move on to the next topic, wrap up the current discussion by briefly summarizing what happened, such as highlighting key points raised, decisions made, and action items. Check for a shared understanding about what was discussed, including consensus on decisions made. Celebrating an accomplishment can also be part of the wrap-up. Depending on the amount of time available this could involve a round of applause, or participants could take turns sharing appreciation for each other’s contributions to the achievement. Wrapping up the current discussion before moving on to the next topic helps the group stay organized and enables participants to follow the flow of the meeting.   

Example: As a quick summary, we discussed convening attendees’ feedback. In general, they appreciated having the opportunity to meet each other in person and share about their work. A concern that frequently came up was not having enough time to discuss challenges and opportunities they faced. Attendees also expressed interest in mobilizing their communities to advocate for policy change. We agreed to share a summary of this feedback with everyone who attended and incorporate it into the agenda for the next convening. Does that adequately capture what we discussed? Is there anything else that should also be included?      

3.        What are we going to do next? Make it easier for the group to follow along with what is happening by providing a transition from the previous to the next topic. Transitions are a way to signal to participants that the group is moving on to the next part of the meeting. This helps participants connect the dots between what has happened and what they will be doing next. It also orients participants to where the group is on the agenda.         

Example: Now that we’re reviewed convening attendees’ feedback, let’s turn to how the convening went from your perspective. This is an opportunity for you to provide reflections that have emerged since the feedback you provided immediately after the convening or insights you may have.

Using this approach to facilitating meetings takes some planning and effort; however, it saves time in the end by minimizing confusion and misunderstandings that can derail progress. It also makes for more engaging and productive meetings.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on September 21, 2024.

How to Help Your Social Impact Team Navigate Transition

Just as our relationships may last for a “reason, season, or a lifetime,” the duration of teams can span from several weeks to several years. Many articles have been written about what it takes to form and maintain a high-performing team. Among the most notable of these articles is “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups” in which Bruce Tuckman created the concept of “forming, storming, norming, and performing” to describe the path teams take to high performance. However, not as much attention has been given to addressing transition, such as changes in a team’s membership, an alteration in strategic direction, or completion of a project. Tuckman later added adjournment, describing the disengagement phase, to his model of team development. 

For teams within and across organizations that are working to transform systems in ways that are socially equitable, economically inclusive, and environmentally sustainable, it can be tempting to treat team transition as a speed bump on the journey to greater impact. This is understandable particularly when team members are being pulled in multiple directions, they are managing limited resources, and there is urgency to demonstrate tangible results. At the same time, helping team members navigate transition, whether it involves a significant change or comes to an end, can help everyone be prepared for what comes next.    

In this article, I describe steps for navigating team transition based on my experience working with multi-stakeholder collaborative groups that are advancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability. It’s important to note that navigating team transition doesn’t have to be an especially lengthy process. Depending on the scope and composition of your team as well as how time together is utilized, discussing the transition process and what these changes mean for the team and its members could take place within a 60-90 minute meeting.     

Step 1: Acknowledge when a transition is underway and decide how you will help team members navigate this process.

I was fortunate in having one of the best team experiences of my career. At the time, I led a remote team that convened leaders from across an industry to collectively innovate solutions to a challenge that was both complex and urgent. After a while, the time came for me to move on to other opportunities. Fortunately, I had time to prepare for this change in which the team would continue its work with a new leader.

An important part of this process was coming up with a plan for managing my departure from the team to ensure a smooth transition. The plan included helping to onboard the new leader and handover of my responsibilities, adjustments to work processes, communicating this transition to my team members and external partners, and sharing institutional knowledge I had developed, such as providing access to my notes and emails.

Step 2: Provide space for the team to process the transition.

When a transition occurs it’s important for team members to discuss how these changes affect the team’s day-to-day work and the impact on members’ relationships. For the team I worked with, we had separate meetings to discuss immediate reactions to the transition when it was introduced, review changes to team operations to ensure a smooth transition and share experiences of working together to help bring about closure. Openly discussing the practicalities of this transition, along with emotional responses to this change, contributed to a smoother exit for me and a sense of closure for all of us.

In helping your team make sense of changes that are happening, some questions that can be helpful to ask are:

·      What do we need to be aware of as the transition process moves forward?

·      What, if any, new opportunities do you see emerging?

·      How might we take better care of ourselves and each other in the midst of change?  

During the transition process, it’s important to keep in mind that people respond to change differently. Team members may experience different emotions or even a mix of emotions, like sadness about the loss of a relationship, irritation about a change in routine, fear about what will happen in the future, or excitement about a new opportunity. 

It’s also helpful for team members to reflect on what the team has accomplished as well as the experiences they had. Some ideas are to invite team members to post on a physical or virtual white board examples of team accomplishments, show appreciation for one another in a meeting or on a kudos board, and share stories of team experiences as a way to identify and build upon successful practices.

Step 3: Make and implement agreements for how the team will handle the transition.

Depending on the type of team transition underway and the pace at which it is unfolding, it may be necessary to have a plan that details key steps in the transition process along with a timeline, deliverables, deadlines, and resources for carrying it out. Another option is to create a list of action items with clear assignments and deadlines. Regardless of what approach is used, it’s important for team members and other key people involved to be aware of how the transition process is taking place and what they can expect moving forward.   

In working with your team to carry out a transition, some questions that can be helpful to ask are:

·      What does the transition process look like for us and others involved?

·      How will we communicate these changes? To whom and when?

·      How will we ensure that the transition process stays on track?

·      What lessons learned from this experience will we take forward in our work?

It was easier for me to leave knowing that my colleagues were prepared to take the work forward without me. Although I felt sadness in leaving a team that had achieved positive results as well as members I enjoyed working with, I also felt joy in sharing what this experience meant to me. In my farewell email, I shared ‘gifts’ I received from each team member which was a description of what I learned from working with them.   

When your ‘season of transition’ comes, how will you help your team navigate this process, bring about closure, and be prepared for what comes next?

This article was originally posted by SEE Change Magazine on December 12, 2023.

3 Collaborative Practices for Advancing Social Impact

Learning, for me, is more than acquiring knowledge; it’s also about putting it into practice and sharing my experiences so that others can benefit from them. Below are some good practices I’ve been using for bringing people across organizations together to collectively address complex challenges, like inequality and climate change.

1)    Know what you’re good at and what your partners can do better. A gathering for members of a network I was involved in sparked an idea for a ground-breaking initiative. Shortly afterwards a couple of members volunteered to take this idea forward. In addition to hosting meetings for this new initiative, network staff contributed their technical expertise. This resulted in the development of a tool institutions can use to assess their impact and prompted industry influencers to comment on its potential to be taken to scale. At the same time, participation of network staff in developing this tool diverted resources from other collaborative efforts. While ‘the juice may have been worth the squeeze’ in terms of impact, my colleagues and I learned a valuable lesson in sticking to what the network does best—catalyzing innovative ideas that members can take forward together – instead of being an implementation partner.

Jane Wei-Skillern, who has spent more than a decade researching successful networks, defines network leadership as “mobiliz[ing] various organizations and resources that together can deliver more impact rather than to become a leading organization first and then engaging in collaboration at the margins.” Communicating the network’s role in supporting collaborative efforts to members has helped maintain positive relationships.         

2)    Add more value to gatherings by focusing on the most powerful leverage point in the system you’re working to change. My colleagues and I once organized a gathering for industry leaders to discuss addressing a gap in progress by political leaders. Instead of a series of panel discussions about who’s doing what and debating what needs to happen next, we took an unconventional approach. This involved turning the tables on what it means to act with urgency; we invited participants to pause and reflect on their actions and to assess whether the cumulative impact of these actions were collectively adding up to the impact they wanted to make. In this highly participatory meeting, we provided the space for participants learn from their peers and to decide what changes they wanted to make in their day-to-day work as well as in how they wanted to work together.

What made this an especially powerful gathering is that it centered on practical actions that can be taken at the individual level. We challenged everyone to consider: How do I relate to my work and the people I’m working with? According to Donella Meadows, in her influential work, “Dancing with Systems,” the most powerful place to intervene in any system is our mindsets. This is because institutions, societies, and cultures are all based on ideas, and ideas originate from how we perceive the world around us and interact with it. Changing our mindset begins with self-awareness. When we’re aware of our intentions and the impact we want to make, we can consciously choose to act in ways that increase the likelihood of getting desired results.

There was also enjoyment in exploring the irony that sometimes moving faster means taking time out to pause, reflect, and take care of ourselves. If we choose to keep running ahead on the path we’re already on, without pausing now and then to check we’re going in the right direction, we run the risk of losing our way and burning ourselves out in the process. This has been an important lesson for me personally as a leader of a small team that is under continuous pressure to deliver out-sized results. I’m getting more practice in simultaneously navigating the demands of systems change and self-care; I plan to share more on this subject in a future article.    

3)    Provide the space for failing and learning from it. I co-facilitated a series of dialogues for organizational leaders we convened to discuss opportunities to achieve a common goal they had been working on separately. When groups come together for the first time it’s important to provide the space to get to know each other, provide information about each other’s organizations, develop a shared understanding of the problem to be addressed, decide what to do together, and to build relationships that facilitate moving ideas into action. Accomplishing all of this in a way that leaves people feeling like their time is well-spent on both personal connection and making collective progress is a tall order, and even more so when busy schedules make it hard to meet.

In this situation, I erred on trying to accomplish too much in a short period of time instead of building in more spaciousness for connection and working together over the span of longer meetings or hosting meetings more frequently. As a result, these meetings felt rushed and, unfortunately, didn’t accomplish as much as had been planned. In hindsight, I could have done a better job of communicating expectations up front and also learning more about individuals’ motivations for participating early on.

This experience brings to mind FAIL as an acronym that Abdul Kalam refers to as “first attempt in learning.” This is a helpful reminder that when we’re working on complex challenges, like inequality and climate change, it’s unlikely that we’re going to come up with the perfect solution straight away; and even when there is a good solution, it takes time to experiment with how best to put it into practice and can be taken to scale. Co-creative, a consulting firm that specializes in collaborative innovation, calls for normalizing failure as a natural part of systems change. For more information on mindsets and practices for embracing failure in systems change, check out Co-Creative’s resource.

Redefining fail as first attempt in learning is also a reminder for me to be kinder to myself when things don’t work out the way I planned. I’m also learning to extend graciousness to myself as I do for my colleagues. One of my intentions for 2023 is to be intentional in providing the space for failure within my team and the networks I work with.

Originally published by SEE Change Magazine on January 22. 2023

Want Your Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration to Succeed? These 7 tips can help

One of the benefits of my profession is working alongside talented people who are committed to making a positive difference in the world, like developing a sustainable regional economy, building racial equality, or addressing climate change. One of my colleagues who is an avid networker and big picture thinker, noticed a gap in the system we were working to change. This discovery sparked an idea to form a cross-sector collaboration initiative that could potentially shift the system in a positive direction.  

Beyond the fundamentals of organizing and facilitating meetings there are important details to consider when starting a new initiative that can make or break a collaborative effort:    

Tip #1: Get to know the system you’re seeking to influence and key actors before bringing people together.

Before our first gathering, we met with invitees separately to learn more about their work and what they wanted to get out of these meetings. A valuable lesson learned is that we could have taken our preparation for this meeting to the next level by also gathering information that enables everyone to develop a shared understanding of the system. Had we done this, we would have made better use of everyone’s time by engaging participants in collectively making sense of data collected through individual meetings to broaden and deepen our knowledge of the issue we’re working on.    

Tip #2: Meet with people who represent the diversity of the system you’re working to change.

Instead of only meeting with the people already in your network, broaden outreach conversations to include people beyond your immediate contact list who are acting on or are affected by the issue you’re working to address. While it’s helpful to start with the people you already know to learn about their experience with the collaboration topic, be sure to ask who else should be part of this conversation. Another valuable lesson learned that my colleagues and I will implement in the future is to deliberately seek out people who are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, geography, and who have been directly impacted by the problem we’re working to solve (lived experience), rather than limiting our group to people who have technical knowledge and skills (content expertise).  

Tip #3: Approach conversations with potential collaboration participants from a place of curiosity and a willingness to learn.

Although you and your colleagues will likely already be familiar with the topic of your collaboration initiative, it’s important to not let this get in the way of broadening the depth and breadth of your own and others’ knowledge. Dr. Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, refers to this practice as “showing here and now humility”. In a collaboration context this involves better understanding opportunities and challenges faced, including participants’ experience with the collaboration topic. I saw my lack of knowledge about the issue we were working on as a disadvantage instead of an advantage that could be better used to surface assumptions about our work and ask clarification questions to check for a shared understanding.       

Tip #4: Set expectations for working together early on.

Expectation setting is a two-way street that includes commitments collaboration participants (e.g., showing up for meetings on time and being prepared to actively participate) agree to make and commitments the host organization agrees to make (e.g., setting a regular cadence for meetings and sending out meeting notes in a timely manner). In addition to making commitments about how collaboration participants will work together, including making decisions and solving problems, it’s also a good idea to communicate early on that collaboration is generally difficult, messy, and sometimes involves putting collective goals ahead of personal ones for the good of the group. To avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding it’s important to discuss expectations early on. Had we found out what participants were expecting from participating in the collaborative initiative at the very beginning, we could have more easily addressed differences in expectations that were discovered later on. 

Tip #5: Make time for participants to get to know each other and work together.

Making time for both relationship building and getting collaboration work done can be difficult when participants don’t have time to meet for very long. If this is the case with your group, consider balancing time spent for connection (e.g., starting a meeting with a check-in) and information sharing (e.g., sharing participant updates or exchanging needs and offers). Another option is to focus on relationship building during early meetings to help build trust for working together later on. As per the previous tip, communicate which option is decided or ask participants for their feedback. 

Tip #6: Build a strong team to work alongside you in developing a new multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Not long after we had been hosting meetings for a group of interested participants, I noticed a dip in the group’s energy. Because my colleague and I had a high level of mutual trust, consistently practiced open communication, and demonstrated a high regard for each other, particularly when there are differences of opinion, this made it easier to have what could have been  a difficult conversation about implementing the lessons learned described above. For more information about team building as part of multi-stakeholder collaboration, see this SEE Change Magazine piece.

Tip #7: Capture and document lessons learned that can be applied to your next collaboration experience.

Similar to teamwork, it’s important to create the space to reflect on lessons learned. This pertains to both the work of collaboration (e.g., what was achieved) and the collaboration process (e.g., how well participants know each other as a function of connectedness, quality of relationships developed). Some ways to capture and document lessons learned are at the end of a meeting, like a brief check-out (e.g., one work that best describes how you’re feeling, extent to which expectations were met via emojis), a post-meeting survey, and periodically meeting with participants individually for an in-depth feedback conversation. In addition to these methods, I journal about what did and didn’t work as part of recording my professional growth.

For more tips and resources about starting and developing a multi-stakeholder collaboration visit these sites: CoCreative, Collective Impact Forum, Network Weaver, and Tamarack Institute.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on March 2022.

Why You Shouldn’t Overlook Team Building, Even When Your Team is Working Well

I was onboarding a new staff member who asked me what I had in mind for team building. Little did I know that my answer to this question would come back to haunt me not long afterwards.

As the manager of a small team that had been formed to support an international network of organizations that was in the midst of rapid growth, team building was the last thing on my mind. From my perspective, taking time out of our busy schedules for a separate team building session wasn’t necessary when, from my perspective, we were working well together. I explained to the new team member that we had been doing team building all along. Key elements of team building, such as having a common goal, open communication, trust, and collaborative work processes, had been put in place as we worked together. Not long after this conversation, it was apparent something important had been overlooked. 

Looking back now, I see that this stumbling block originated from my perception of the team as comprising the people I worked most closely with. In doing so, I ended up having a conflict with another member of my organization who viewed the composition of this team differently and was angry and upset at having been left out.

I was getting ready for a meeting with my colleagues, including the person I was having a conflict with, when it occurred to me that a cause of this conflict was a lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities. Then I remembered a team building process that seemed like a good fit for this situation. When we met, I proposed doing a role clarification exercise. I briefly explained what it is, how it works, and why I thought it would be helpful; fortunately, there was unanimous agreement to try it out. 

In Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance, the authors describe a Role Clarification Exercise for addressing conflict or confusion within teams. This process enables team members to come away with more clarity about their own and each other’s jobs as well as better understand what is expected from each person in their working relationships.  

Generally, the Role Clarification Exercise consists of these five steps:

1) Each team member takes a turn. The person whose turn it is (focal person) describes their role as they see it. 

2) Everyone else states their understanding of the focal person’s role and can ask clarification questions.

3) As a group, address differences in expectations and reach an agreement about the nature of the focal person’s role.

4) The focal person identifies what they need from the other team members to accomplish their role.  

5) Other team members say what they need in return or additional help they may need from the focal person.

When the colleague I had a conflict with became the focal person, it was then that I heard this person’s side of the situation. Having a clearly defined process to follow as well as a mutual agreement early on to communicate openly and honestly made it easier for me to really listen to a message that I may not have been ready to hear before. 

Building upon a shared understanding of our roles and our expectations, we made agreements, with the participation of everyone in the room, about how we would work together from then on. For example, for senior staff who were frequently in meetings, we agreed to give as much notice as possible of an upcoming deadline. We also agreed to copy their assistants so that they could schedule time in senior staff members’ calendars to review and provide feedback in a timely manner. Another helpful agreement was checking in with the person who hadn’t previously been treated as a member of the team at the beginning, middle, and end of the planning process for network events and projects to loop this person in on our plans and receive feedback in a timely manner.    

Some unexpected benefits of this exercise were that it challenged assumptions we had about each other, everyone’s participation led to creative ideas for how we could work better together, and it helped address other problems that were beginning to emerge, like having to chase senior staff members for feedback on time sensitive matters. 

Key lessons learned in using the Role Clarification Exercise include: 

·      For virtual meetings, post a description of the process and the steps in the chat that participants can refer to throughout the session. 

·      Start with agreements (or ground rules) about participation in this exercise, such as focus on one issue at a time, communicate openly and honestly in the spirit of improving the team, and provide the space for everyone to weigh in on topics discussed.  

·      Strong facilitation is important to keep the overall process on track. Closely related to this is being clear about where the team is (i.e., which step we’re on) in the process.

·      Check for explicit approval from everyone involved in a decision as part of making agreements for working together.

·      Document agreements that are made and share this information, along with the notes from the session, with participants to refer to afterwards. 

My biggest takeaway from this experience is a reminder that team building is not only beneficial for addressing problems when they arise, but also for pro-actively resolving issues that have the potential to derail teamwork.  

This article was originally published by SeeChange Magazine on December 20, 2021.

How to Creatively Manage Tension in Collaboration

There are generally two kinds of changemakers – the visionaries and executors. The visionaries are great at thinking big. They love to create ideas for changing the world. However, visionaries tend to have difficulty putting their ideas into action because they don’t enjoy doing the tasks that go along with it. Then there are the executors who are great at making things happen. However, executors can get so bogged down in the details that they lose sight of the bigger picture. When this happens, the day-to-day work can become disconnected from the larger goal they are working towards. 

To achieve positive change on a larger-scale we need both visionaries and executors who can pull together in the same direction. This happens when visionaries and executors not only recognize and appreciate the positive aspects they each bring to their work, but they are also able to manage the creative tension that exists between them.   

Maximizing the upsides of seemingly opposing positions involves navigating tension. While we may think of tension as something we would prefer to avoid, it’s a natural part of collaboration. When we bring together people with different perspectives, ideas, and ways of working there is bound to be disagreement. Tension in collaboration occurs when people’s positions come across as being mutually exclusive, like being task- or relationship-oriented. If tension isn’t addressed this can lead to feeling stuck about how best to move forward. 

Through practice we can identify seemingly mutually exclusive positions early on and come up with solutions that maximize the benefits of both. The following examples illustrate tensions commonly experienced in multi-sector, multi-organizational networks along with ideas for overcoming polarization when the group appears to be stuck. 

Transform tension into a source of innovation and creativity. When there are seemingly opposing views there is a tendency to try to “win others over to your side” by convincing them of their merits of your position, which has the potential to devolve into unhealthy conflict. Lack of agreement can be useful for seeing a situation from multiple sides, which is part of developing a comprehensive understanding of the system the group is working together to change. Sourcing different perspectives can also help groups make better decisions. Additionally, breakthroughs can emerge when we’re open to ideas we hadn’t previously considered. In one instance, a business leader recognized that activists who were calling for the company to adopt environmentally sustainable practices could, instead of being resisted, be viewed as unlikely allies for supporting efforts inside the company to bring about change.   

In my work with a network there is a divergence of opinion among participants about how meaningful change is defined and what needs to happen to accelerate progress towards an ambitious collective goal. My colleagues and I are preparing participants to engage in a dialogue that aims to leverage tension within the larger context of the group’s work as a catalyst for transformational change. This involves recognizing that the group has reached a pivotal moment in which individual efforts are coalescing towards a tipping point for sector-wide change. Taking advantage of this opportunity to work together towards reaching this tipping point involves focusing on shared interests and using collaborative leadership skills to create a shared understanding of the problem to be addressed, align participants around a common powerful goal, and understand each other’s lived experience of the problem using games and facilitation methods, like Heard, Seen, Respected. A successful outcome will hinge on coming up with ideas to build on and scale up what is already working and generating commitment to pull together in the same direction.   

Turn downsides into upsides by generating win-wins. Fundraising can also be a source of tension in collaboration when securing funding is contingent upon demonstrating results, and producing results is contingent upon having funding. This can be particularly challenging for networks since systems change doesn’t align with short-term grant cycles. In addition to seeking out funders that are knowledgeable about systems change and are experienced in providing philanthropic support to networks, this tension can be productively managed by seeking out win-wins. For example, agreeing with funders to measure and demonstrate progress by using benchmarks as stepping-stones to achieving longer-term results. This also has the benefit of enabling the network to stay on track towards achieving its goal. A network I’ve been involved in keeps funders in the loop about what is happening in between reporting cycles through newsletters, invitations to events, brief update emails, and periodic calls.             

Productively managing tension in collaboration takes awareness, healthy relationships, and practice. In both of these examples, the starting point for maximizing the benefits of seemingly opposing positions is being aware that a polarity exists. It takes effort to avoid being caught up in an unhealthy pattern. One way to do so is to notice when the group appears to be stuck and examine whether this situation is characterized by opposite or contradictory positions. It’s easier to understand where someone else is coming from if you’re willing to genuinely hear a different point of view and learn from other people’s experiences. For this to happen we need to take the time to build relationships grounded in trust and open communication. Lastly, engaging with tension in collaboration comes with practice. This begins with acknowledging that tension is a natural part of collaboration and the upsides of managing it productively. Consider sharing responsibility for surfacing and addressing tension with your colleagues or other members of your network.  

An irony of changemaking is that in our pursuit of changing social systems, we often need to begin with changing ourselves and how we relate to the people we work with.We can make a conscious choice to reframe what on the surface appears to be a negative situation as a positive outcome that leads to both better results and healthier relationships.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on April 1, 2021.

6 Tips for Making Online Collaboration More Productive and Engaging

In reflecting on a meeting I helped organize for a multi-organization, multi-stakeholder network, I realized that there’s more to online collaboration than using the right technology and best practices.            

In July 2020 a survey was conducted by Collective Impact Forum about how collaboration has changed as a result of the combined effects of COVID-19, a prolonged economic downturn, and racial justice uprsings. Almost half of the challenges most commonly identified involved new ways of working together and relating to each other in an online environment. These included difficulty adapting programs to a physical distancing context, lacking the quality of experience that comes from working together in person, and encountering Zoom fatigue.  

For our online meeting, an intimate experience was created by inviting attendees who faced similar challenges. Ground rules were set at the beginning of the meeting to provide a safe space for open dialogue. Network members modeled trust-based vulnerability by sharing pivotal experiences that led to broader change in their organization. Guided small group discussions enabled participants to connect with each other on a deeper level. Through an action learning approach participants gained vlauable insights and identified solutions to challenges faced in their work. A break mid-way through the session provided an opportunity for everyone to step away from their electronic devices to rest and re-charge. 

It takes a village to create an online community

A successful online meeting takes support. Although we often think of support in terms of tangible elements, like technology and best practices, they are insufficient on their own. There is also a human dimension to support systems that often doesn’t get talked about—unless things go wrong. What ultimately made the difference in this situation was the formation of an online meeting production team whose members were committed to achieving the same goal. Demonstrating effective collaboration behind the scenes contributed to a successful online meeting and a stronger team.          

Tips for Making Online Collaboration More Productive and Engaging

o   Assemble a team and bring them together early on in the planning process. Days before the online meeting the organizers realized they needed a bigger production team. Having good relationships with her co-workers made it easier for the facilitator to quickly bring a few additional people on board and orient them to their roles. Identify the different roles needed for your online meeting in advance and recruit people to fill them. Limit the number of tasks (e.g., facilitation, note taking, time-keeper, managing the technology platform, monitoring the chat, etc.) each person is expected to do so that multi-tasking doesn’t result in important details falling through the cracks. It’s also a good idea to have a back-up person whose primary function is to be ready to step in if a team member needs additional support.        

o   Allocate more time for organizing online meetings. Planning for online meetings often takes longer than in-person meetings because of additional factors to be considered. Think through in advance how the meeting will take place, from start to finish, beginning with the purpose. How will you structure the meeting to accomplish your goals? How will you enable participants to actively participate? How will you support the meeting production? Help team members work together instead of assuming they will figure out what needs to happen and how to get it done on their own. This involves making sure people understand their roles and what is expected of them. Provide team members the resources and any training needed to accomplish their tasks. Determine in advance how team members will communicate with each other during the meeting, such as through texts, to share information, address problems, and make decisions.                    

o   Create a valuable experience for everyone. In addition to creating the content for your meeting, plan in advance the kind of experience you want to create for participants. How will you welcome people as they enter the online meeting room? Greeting each person by name as they arrive can help set a welcoming tone. How will you engage people in the conversation? Some examples are using polls, providing opportunities for people to ask questions, and building time into the agenda for reflection and sharing insights. Mixing people from different industries and sectors in virtual breakout rooms allows for conversations they wouldn’t ordinarily have that can potentially lead to breakthroughs in solving problems. Creating the space for networking, such as by randomly assigning people to breakouts, can foster spontaneous collaboration. Design your meeting so that in addition to advancing collective goals, participants come away with ideas, insights, and resources they can use in their own work.   

o   Practice makes better. To ensure your online meeting runs smoothly, create a “run of show” document that explains in detail what will happen from start to finish. This includes estimated times for each section of the agenda, what resources are needed, and what tasks each team member is doing for each segment of the meeting. Organize run throughs for both speakers and the meeting team to help prepare them and test the technology. Run throughs can also foster teamwork by encouraging people to contribute their ideas for improving the meeting as well as giving and receiving help.

o   Invite people to bring their whole selves into the room. Online meetings can also serve as opportunities to engage people in a variety of ways. Design your meeting to offer more than a learning experience. Create the space for people to engage with their hearts (connect with each other on a deeper level by discussing what really matters), hands (make something together, like an action plan), and spirit (align around common goals, action items, or next steps). To learn more about this approach, check out Co-Creative Consulting’s 4 Agendas in Collaborative Innovation.

o   Create the space for learning on multiple levels. After your online meeting organize a debriefing that includes speakers, facilitators, and members of the production team to capture lessons learned about how the meeting went and the experience of working together. This can be as simple as taking turns answering these questions: What worked well? What can be improved upon for next time? Create the space for personal growth by inviting people to share what they learned about themselves from this experience.   

My takeaway from working with networks in an online environment is that successful collaboration is as much about what happens behind the video camera as in front of it.

This article was published by SEE Change Magazine on November 10, 2020.

How to Build Trust in Collaborative Fundraising

Despite having good will and the best intentions our fundraising campaign failed.  It wasn’t because we didn’t meet our funding goal; it was because we were unable to get it started. I initially attributed my feelings of disappointment to the result of being a small group of busy volunteers. Instead of having a dialogue to understand what happened and capture lessons learned, we let ourselves off the hook and moved on.     

When we avoid having difficult conversations, we also avoid dealing with the underlying causes of problems that have the potential to destroy collaboration.  With the benefit of hindsight I now see that the fundraising obstacle we encountered as an association leadership team wasn’t bad planning or bad timing—it was lack of trust.

Trust is as fundamental to fundraising as it is to collaboration

Trust is a fundamental building block for all forms of collaboration. In addition to being difficult, messy, and complicated, collaboration is frought with uncertaintly. We come together across organizations (and sometimes across industries and sectors) to accomplish something that’s never been done before that we can’t do on our own, like building a local economy that is inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Crossing an uncertain and unpredictable path to get from where we are to where we want to be requires the belief that we have each other’s backs along the way.

We missed a critical warning sign that our fundraising campaign, and our ability to collaborate, was unraveling due to lack of trust. The person tasked with leading our campaign failed to ask for help when assigned fundraising tasks couldn’t be completed due to other demands for her time. More importantly, we failed as a leadership team by not giving our fundraising point of contact the support she needed to be successful. Although we knew she had a lot on her plate, none of us reached out to see how she was doing and offer to help. 

Asking for help requires a willingness to be vulnerable, and being vulnerable is only possible when we trust each other.  In his seminal book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni describes other ways that lack of trust shows up in teamwork that can get in the way of fundraising, like allowing disputes and unhealthy conflicts to distract us from getting work done, avoiding opportunities to challenge each other and the team to do better, and experiencing low morale and high turnover.

Five ways collaborative groups can build trust in fundraising

1.    Create shared experiences: Take time to get to know each other and form a bond. Some examples are having a meal together, doing a field visit, or participating in icebreaker activities.

2.    Set clear expectations: Create an agreement about how to work together to raise funds that includes: how decisions will be made, members will hold each other accountable for following through on commitments, and progress will be measured towards achieving funding goals. Setting expectations early on can help minimize communication breakdowns.

3.    Demonstrate vulnerability by leading by example: As a collaboration leader take the initiative to share what’s going on, such as disclosing personal situations that are affecting your participation in the group and asking for help.

4.    Provide the space for open and honest conversations about fundraising: Recognize when there may be tension in the group. Acknowledge this situation and invite people to share their concerns as well as what is behind them. Come up with solutions that work for everyone.

5.    Start off by making small, short-term commitments: If your group is newly formed, make it easy for people to participate in fundraising. For example, organize a modest, brief fundraising campaign that serves as a learning experiment for raising funds and building a track record of working together.

Getting collaborative fundraising efforts back on track

Building trust begins with building the foundation for strong relationships. A day-long strategic planning and team building meeting served as a catalyst for building trust within our leadership team. I involved the team in designing this session by meeting with each person individually to learn what was and wasn’t working and identify topics for discussion. During this session we gave each other feedback about our performance as a member of the leadership team, set expectations that included not allowing a member of our team to fail, and made fundraising a priority in our annual plan. We changed our meeting structure to include check-ins and requests and offers for help as regular agenda items. A committee that includes an experienced fundraiser is also being established to guide fundraising efforts. As a result of these changes our leadership team is better prepared to raise funds for the association.   

This experience offers valuable lessons for how collaborative groups can work better together to raise funds:

1.    Collaborative fundraising is as much about building trusting relationships as it is about fundraising skills. When we pay more attention to fundraising tasks than the people who are doing them, we run the risk of not reaching funding goals and not meeting our collective potential to achieve social impact. We also miss out on building meaningful relationships with amazing people.  

2.    Fundraising doesn’t happen on its own; people need support to work well together. This includes having a fundraising plan, recruiting skilled fundraisers, and putting supportive processes and structures in place. However, it takes building and maintaining trust to put all of these elements into action.

For more guidance and tips on how your network, allicance, coalition, or association can make fundraising easier, download a free copy of “The Secret to Collaborative Resource Development”.

This article was published by SEE Change Magazine on June 8, 2020.

3 Tips for Increasing Connection in a Virtual Environment

As social distancing and working from home takes place in response to health and safety concerns, maintaining connection is especially important.  Connection, as defined by Brené Brown, is the “energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued.”  We can build connection in ways that reduce virtual distance and enhance teamwork by:

1.     Demonstrating Vulnerability-Based Trust: Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, describes vulnerability-based trust as a fundamental building block of effective teams in which team members have the confidence that mistakes and shortcomings won’t be used against them.  Leaders have an important role to play in developing vulnerability-based trust by going first in setting a positive example.  By communicating openly and honestly with team members, including when we don’t have all the answers in the midst of uncertainty, we can begin to create a safe and supportive environment for others to do the same.   

A global team of women leaders who had known each other for years developed a deepe trust to work more closely together by sharing personal experiences that shaped their values as a leader.  Although this was part of an in-person team building training I facilitated, a similar dialogue can also take place through video conferencing. 

2.     Conducting Regular Check-Ins: Take a few minutes at the start of your next meeting to invite staff to take turns sharing how they are doing, which could include how they are taking care of themselves and their families in the midst of COVID-19.  Creating the space for team members to share what is going on for them provides a transition for getting ready to work together in addition to getting to know each other better.  Check-ins are a regular part of the meetings I facilitate and can be as simple as asking your colleagues how they are.

3.     Creating a Supportive Environment: Creating an agreement about how team members will work together that includes determining in advance how decisions will be made and problems will be solved is an important step towards creating a supportive environment.   This can include establishing a practice of asking for help and checking in with team members about how their work is going between meetings.     

An effective agreement for support is:

·      Clear, specific, and actionable

·      A voluntary agreement between the persons requesting and providing help

·      Enables all team members to participate as givers and receivers

A leadership team I worked with established a regular practice of meeting every week for 15 minutes in which the only topic was taking turns asking for and agreeing to provide support.  This often involved requesting a conversation with another team member for help addressing a problem in their day-to-day work.  

What other ways are you building and maintaining connection with your colleagues?

How to Build Collaborative Fundraising Relationships

What started off as curiosity about creating a supportive environment for social innovators soon gave way to skepticism as the conversation turned to how to move this idea forward.  A prospective partner posed a critical question that the meeting organizers hadn’t previously considered: How will you develop a new organization without cannibalizing funding for organizations, like mine, that are working in underserved communities?           

I recently interviewed over a dozen nonprofit and business leaders to better understand the challenges they face in collaborating with other organizations.  It’s no surprise that funding topped this list.  In addition to convincing funders to support collaborative efforts, interviewees’ also spoke about the difficulty of making a similar case to collaboration partners.    In listening to the experiences that were shared, it became clear that an unresolved tension exists among partners who want to collaborate to achieve greater impact and avoid losing funding for their own work.  This prompted me to recall the meeting I attended where concerns about “more money for you means less money for me” were raised.      

What makes this tension particularly difficult to resolve is that it centers upon a lack of trust.  Without trust it’s unlikely that partners will commit to collaborate on fundraising or anything else.  It’s not uncommon to experience a lack of trust in situations where members don’t know each other well or have limited experience working together.

The following steps can help you enlist partners’ support in obtaining funding for collaboration:  

1.     Build trust by developing shared values and setting clear expectations.  A starting point for collaboration, in addition to aligning around a powerful goal, is determining the values that will guide collaborative efforts.  A values statement, or a set of guiding principles, can be used to clarify how collaboration members will work together that includes participation in fundraising.  

Examples of values that foster collaboration: 

·      Relationships matter as much as results

·      Securing resources goes hand-in-hand with pursuing impact

·      Consistently and proactively support each other in following through on commitments 

A values statement is only effective if it’s put into practice.  For this to happen members have to commit to adopting values that are agreed upon.  In addition to leading by example, values are reinforced when members are acknowledge each other for using them and are willing to hold each other accountable, such as by calling out behaviors that are detrimental to the group.     

2.     Incorporate relationship building into getting work done.  An important part of building trust is making time for people to get to know each other.  As much as we may like to think otherwise, focusing only on tasks doesn’t lead to better results.  Relationships are the glue that holds collaboration together and keeps it moving forward.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that partners have to spend a lot more time together, but it does require making the best use of everyone’s time so that meetings result in specific accomplishments and greater connection.  

Ideas for building relationships that can be integrated with tasks:

·      Take a few minutes at the start of a meeting to ask participants to briefly share how they are doing or something meaningful that has happened. 

·      Create shared experiences by doing a field visit to learn about a partner’s work first-hand that could also include having a meal together.

·      Use check-ins betweeen meetings as an opportunity to find out how members are generally doing in addition to making sure that they have the support needed to follow through on their commitments.          

3.     Acknowledge and address tensions related to fundraising.  Take time, especially eary on, to find out what motivations partners have for participating in collaboration.  It’s common for collaboration members to represent the organization they work for.  When a partner’s primary loyalty is to her employer, it’s not surprising when tensions emerge around fundraising.  Trust and relationship building makes it easier to openly discuss situations that can lead to conflict, such as a partner’s reluctance to facilitate an introduction to a major donor or members who are competing for the same grant.  In such instances it’s important to acknowledge that these tensions exist, discuss their impact on the group, and come up with solutions that work for everyone.  One approach is to identify common values underneath seemingly opposing positions to come up with a mutually satisfactory solution, such as asking a donor to increase their commitment by funding both the partner and the collaboration. 

4.     Develop a culture of philanthropy for collaboration.  This is the belief that fundraising is a priority, and everyone has a role to play in ensuring that the collaboration has the resources needed to accomplish its goals.  Developing a culture of philanthropy begins with recruiting partners who are willing to help with fundraising.  To expand collective resources beyond what is already available members can discuss ways to leverage their social, human, and financial capital to attract additional funding.  In addition to participating in creative brainstorming, partners can also support efforts to raise funds by making small-scale, short-term commitments, like informing their contacts about the collaboration as part of cultivating potential donors.  Fundraising commitments can be increased as trust and collaborative relationships grow.      

Collaboration, like fundraising, is only successful when we make a conscious effort to build and maintain high-quality relationships.

This article was published by SEE Change Magazine on January 6, 2020.

When Collaboration Proves Difficult, These Steps May Help

When we work together it’s easy to make assumptions about someone being difficult.  However, underneath these assumptions are often problems with the human system we’re a part of, which is what really needs to be addressed.  I was involved in a failed attempt to collaborate that can be attributed, in part, to unresolved tensions between community leaders who were recruited to work together and conflicts within the consulting team.  What started off as a bold initiative that envisioned coalescing human, social, and financial capital for social innovators eventually fizzled out.  

Although there was general agreement about the need for a more supportive ecosystem for social innovators, the participants couldn’t agree on the idea that was proposed by the group’s initiators.  It’s frustrating when people critique an idea you’re passionate about and have put considerable effort into developing.  However, healthy skeptics play an important role by helping us see situations from a different perspective, which enables us to improve upon our ideas and make better decisions.  Unfortunately, in this case, concerns about the potential for diversion of resources from local nonprofits to a new group and token engagement of disadvantaged community members were voiced, but were not resolved.         

Conflicts within the consulting team added to the challenges of forming a new group and aligning participants around a shared goal.  Shortly after joining the project both consultants approached me separately about their challenges in getting along, which involved different workstyles and lack of communication.  Although I helped them resolve their differences the behaviors that led to the conflict stayed the same.  I also found myself taking on more of the lead consultant’s responsibilities and became increasingly annoyed about doing his job in addition to my own.  By focusing on our issues with each other, we failed to address the underlying problems that prevented us from working as a team. If we had taken the time early on to explicitly agree about how we would work together, consistently practiced open communication, and held each other accountable for following through on tasks, these problems could have been minimized or avoided.                                           

Efforts to develop a supportive environment for social innovators might have continued had participants been supported in working together.  The initiators’ unwillingness to lead the group, at least until others were willing to step into a leadership role, affected everyone else’s willingness to participate.  Collaborative efforts were also stymied by their reluctance to help obtain funding and other resources the group needed to continue working together.  Part of the problem was that the initiators looked to the consultants to lead the collaborative for them.  However, the consultants’ role was to help them facilitate a process that would result in the group taking ownership of the initiative they were working on.                            

This short list of tips can help you deal with difficult collaborators: 

·     Recruit the right mix of people.  Instead of putting out an open invitation and hoping the right people will show up, identify and recruit for specific help the collaborative needs.  Broaden your group beyond issue experts to also include other expertise needed to achieve collective goals, like fundraising and people who are directly experiencing the problem to be solved.  Remember to include healthy skeptics in addition to advocates.  One thing everyone should have in common is being a team player.  In addition to having good interpersonal skills there should also be a willingness to be part of something that is greater than ourselves and make sacrifices for the common good.     

·     Address power differences in ways that support collaboration.  This begins with being aware of differences in privilege among group members.  Consider structuring collaborative efforts to minimize the influence of more powerful members, such as “one member, one vote” decision making or increasing the representation of people from disadvantaged communities in governance structures.  Establish community agreements early on to set expectations about participation that include making space for people who are new to collaboration or have traditionally had less say in decisions that affect them to more actively participate.  Cultivate an inclusive culture in which people with lived experience of the problem directly participate in solving it instead of consulting with them to obtain buy-in for an existing solution.       

·     Use polarity management, curiosity, and feedback practices to address group tensions and inter-personal conflicts. Polarities, such as analyzing the causes of the problem versus taking action to address it, can create tensions when people with different agendas, perspectives, and ideas come together. Instead of ignoring or avoiding tensions when they emerge, acknowledge that this is a common occurrence and help the group come up with solutions that work for everyone.  To address disagreements, as well as foster an environment of learning and development, use effective feedback practices (e.g., separate the person from the behavior and focus on the receiver’s goals).  A difficult conversations process can help resolve conflicts in which both sides work together to understand each other and come up with workable solutions.           

·     Cultivate a supportive environment.  Before people can work together they need to get to know and trust each other.  It’s not enough to bring people together and expect collaboration to happen on its own.  Developing relationships grounded in trust, mutual respect, and open communication make it easier to address mis-communication and misunderstanding before issues snowball.  Equally important is clearly communicating what is expected of participants and what support they can expect to receive from the group as a whole and each other.  Collaborative efforts typically need three types of support—logistical (e.g., organize meetings, set up a communications channel, send reminders), coordination (e.g., help people connect with each other, support the flow of information, and ensure enough value is generated for people to keep participating), and leadership (e.g., oversee the collaboration and decision making).   

Collaboration is difficult, messy, and time consuming.However, it’s our willingness to not only commit to the cause, but also to each other that offers us the greatest chance of building communities that are better places to live for everyone.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on June 20, 2019.

Creating Connection and Collaboration Through Movement

In early March I participated in a video shoot for Netwalking that exemplified how movement can facilitate collaboration.  Having a connection to Jessica and being an entrepreneur were commonalities that served as a starting point for getting to know others involved in the video shoot better. Although this kind of conversation could have taken place at a coffee shop, what made it memorable was the ease and enjoyment of conversing while walking around some of Washington, DC’s most scenic areas.      

Some of the ways in which walking and other physical activities can enhance how we work together include:

·     Idea Generation and Problem Solving: Neuroscientistshave found that creating experiences where our brain is less likely to predict what will happen next, like interacting with people we don’t know well, being in a different environment, or participating in new activities, stimulates creative thinking.  However, activities, like walking meetings, are better suited to divergent thinking, such as exploring possible solutions to a problem.  During a walk-and-talk on a nature trail with staff at a nonprofit I was consulting with, the experience of practicing self-care prompted a discussion about ideas for making this a regular part of their work, which led to an expansion of their benefits to include an employee assistance program.  

·     Reduce Boundaries Involving Power and Status: Walking side-by-sidecan make it easier for people to relate to each other when there are differences in authority.  Being in a more social environment can also foster candid conversations.  Each year Opportunity Collaborationhosts an annual gathering for professionals who are committed to poverty alleviation.  Unlike traditional conferences, name tags do not include titles and delegates are encouraged to meet each other serendipitously while participating in outdoor activities.  As a delegate I appreciated being in an environment that made it easier to meet and have meaningful conversations with other delegates instead of more transactional conversations that tend to take place at traditional networking events. 

·     Flow more easily between people and conversations: Moving around more freely, as opposed to being in a crowded room or around a table, can make it easier to meet and get to know the people you’re with.  While facilitating a meeting for leaders of a regional business association they discovered a common interest in hiking.  This sparked a decision to organize what has become an annual social activity that combines exercise in the midst of fall foliage.  As a participant in this and other hikes I’ve enjoyed to get to know a group of people in the span of an afternoon, particularly when variations in my pace place me next to different people making it easier to strike up a conversation.          

If the benefits of walking and other physical activities are obvious, why don’t we make the effort to incorporate more movement into how we work together?  

Perhaps a key reason for this is that many of us are used to gathering around a conference room table or virtually through our computer screens.  Dr. Michael Broom, an organizational psychologist, explains how we can increase the likelihood of achieving our goals by aligning our intention and impact.  Doing so requires paying close attention to what is going around us and being aware of how we choose to respond, otherwise known as conscious use-of-self.  Instead of being on automatic, which is useful for performing routine tasks like getting to and from work, we can choose to be aware when the same ways of working together aren’t meeting our needs and make a different choice.     

If you’re ready to change how you approach collaboration here are some ideas organized from low to high levels of movement:

1.    Design Thinking/Prototyping:This creative problem solving method involves designing products and services from the perspective of people who use them, and testing possible solutions through rapid prototyping.  Design thinking fosters collaboration among people who are developing products and services as well as those who are collecting and analyzing data about user experiences.  This requires a shared understanding of the challenge to be addressed and a high degree of coordination to collectively solve it.  The design thinking process consists of inspiration (a motivated search for solutions), ideation (devising and testing ideas), and implementation (putting a plan into action).    

2.    Liberating Structures:This offers an alternative approach to working together by including everyone in planning, decision making, and taking action.  Liberating Structures are easy to learn, can be adapted to groups of any size, and foster active participation, which leads to more inclusivity and engagement. Some Liberating Structures that are useful for getting people moving around are Impromptu Networking (build connections by sharing challenges and opportunities), Conversation Café (make sense of complex challenges), and Open Space (address issues through self-organizing). 

3.    Improv:The basic principles of improvisational theatre, an unscripted type of performance where scenes are created spontaneously by the actors, are just as relevant off-stage.  Improv scenes are more enjoyable to watch when there is a high degree of trust between the performers, they communicate well with each other, share a common goal, and are committed to supporting each other’s success.  Improv games, like Name Slam or Four Corners, can be used as icebreakers for groups who are new to working together.  Whereas Freeze or Question Conversation are more appropriate as a set up for brainstorming by helping participants get out of their heads.       

Regardless of which approach you use, my wish is that you discover improved creativity, productivity, and well-being that results from integrating movement and collaboration.

This post was originally posted by Netwalking on March 29, 2019.

Advancing Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Over the past year I’ve been deepening my understanding of equity and inclusion and my role in advancing these values.  In sharing what I’ve learned my wish is that you come away inspired to help your workplace better resemble the change you seek to be in the world.    

Lesson #1: Advancing equity and inclusion begins with awareness.  

Working in countries experiencing armed conflict and natural disaster was meaningful, not only in helping to channel resources to affected communities, but also for the insights I gained about my own biases and privileges.  I once organized a workshop for representatives of local and international organizations.  Although I budgeted for meals and accommodation it hadn’t occurred to me that not everyone who was invited would be compensated by their organization to attend and that traveling to a retreat location would pose a financial burden.  

I took for granted my status as an expatriate working for an international organization that could afford to cover these expenses.  Fortunately, a local leader at a partner organization brought this disparity to my attention and suggested providing honorariums to attendees, which ensured good attendance at the workshop and led to a successful outcome.  This experience helped me see obstacles that can prevent people from getting to the table.                              

Lesson #2: Equity and inclusion efforts require a support system. 

If being aware of disparities is the first step towards advancing equity and inclusion, the second is obtaining support to remove barriers that not only exist in our minds, but also in our workplaces.  How we perceive other people and situations affects not only the way in which we work, but ultimately the results we achieve.

As in my own experience, obtaining support for removing mental barriers can come from people who help us see things differently.  However, this only works if we are willing to genuinely listen with an open mind and alter our views to accommodate information that may challenge our beliefs. In this situation achieving the outcome of a successful workshop required letting go of my belief that knowledge and skills derived from working directly with people seeking social assistance, as well as the experience of being in need of assistance, were less valuable than credentials gained through formal education and training.  Instead of viewing this situation as paying workshop attendees to show up, I could choose to see it as a way to value the contribution of experience I lacked.                

Just as support is critical for shaping how we understand and approach equity and inclusion, the same is also true for organizations.  In situations where there is a lack of awareness about the need for change or there is resistance to change, a supportive environment is essential.  As explained by Organizational Psychologist, Dr. Michael Broom, “a critical mass of support exists when we recruit all the individuals with the range of technical and human systems skills needed. [This involves] recruiting select people one at a time.”    

Later on, in my work as a consultant, some nonprofit staff shared recurring experiences of “isms,” like racism, sexism, and ageism, with people in a supervisory role.  Addressing this situation requires a variety of support—for staff who were experiencing an unhealthy work environment, for supervisors who are likely unaware of the impact of their behavior on others, and for the organization to prioritize centering equity and inclusion in their work.  

I helped create a critical mass of support for initiating positive change, which involved:

1)   Informing senior leadership, with whom I had a direct relationship, about this situation. Around the same time some staff met separately with senior leadership to share their personal experiences, which contributed to building a case for change in which information was shared from different sources.

2)   Advocating for change, in collaboration with other direct reports, to senior leadership. As momentum for change developed progress was also communicated to staff. 

3)   Serving as a resource to senior leadership by helping to identify and recommend solutions.             

In this situation building a critical mass of support was aided by senior leadership willing to listen and take action.  In other instances, it may take more effort to build support for change by enlisting the participation of a larger group of individuals one-by-one.

Lesson #3: Advancing equity and inclusion requires an ongoing effort and a systems approach.

Changes are more effective and likely to be sustained when they are deployed through a systems approach that takes into account the key components of an organization, such as: (1) incorporating equity and inclusion goals, like increasing diversity of leadership, into an organizational strategy; (2) creating a supportive structure (e.g., establishing an equity and inclusion task force with representatives across the organization); (3) people who are committed to carrying out and supporting changes made; (4) work processes that take equity and inclusion into account, like amending procurement processes to increase outreach to and make it easier for businesses owned by people of color to participate; and (5) creating a culture in which there are explicit agreements about how staff work together and fostering an environment in which everyone can thrive when people bring their full selves to work.  

As important as advancing equity and inclusion is, it’s also extremely difficult work that requires a commitment to examining our own biases, having difficult conversations with people who have different experiences, and committing to change that creates the space for co-workers to more fully participate, which includes leading efforts to address inequities in communities.  Because of the emotional and organizational challenges this work often entails, it can be helpful to work someone who specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion and is also experienced in managing change in organizational systems. 

Closing equity gaps requires working at multiple levels.This begins with an awareness of our own privilege and examining the extent to which we participate in systems—at home, in the workplace, and communities—that foster inequality.We can’t make progress in addressing socio-economic and environmental disparities in our communities until barriers to equality and inclusion are dismantled within ourselves and in our organizations.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on March 4, 2019.

How to Achieve Greater Impact Through Virtual Teams

Over the years I’ve been a member of and consulted with numerous virtual teams that are committed to making our communities better places to live.  Through these experiences I’ve learned that the success of virtual teams ultimately depends upon the quality of relationships that members develop with each other.  Just like with any relationship we care about consistent attention and effort are needed for it to develop and grow.   

So, how do we make the time to build effective virtual teams with all of the day-to-day competing demands for our time and attention, like delivering life-changing products and services, demonstrating the impact of our work, and generating the funds needed to sustain our operations and grow?

If this question resonates with you, you’re not alone.  Let’s explore a conversation I’ve had with changemaker leaders to discover what prevents virtual teams striving for social impact from performing at their best and tips for addressing these challenges.   

Changemaker: I lead a team of directors who work in different cities. We run a national fellowship program that helps social entrepreneurs advance powerful ideas for building inclusive local economies.  I’d like your advice on how our directors can work better together.  Although we’re all working on the same program, it doesn’t feel like we’re a team.                                                  

Kimberley: What would it look like if the directors were a high-performing team?

Changemaker: That’s a good question.  We would all be on the same page about the goals we wanted to accomplish and how to get there.  We would have better communication and coordination so that everyone understands their role and what each other is doing.  Our meetings would be more productive because the most important issues would be fully addressed.  We would also feel more connected to each other.

Kimberley: Great!  This is helpful for understanding where you’d like your team to be.  I’d like to talk about relationships within your team since this affects all of the things you mentioned.  On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how openly do you communicate with the directors?  For example: Are you comfortable asking for help?  Do you provide constructive feedback?  Do you share your weaknesses and mistakes?                      

Changemaker: I would say it’s a 5.  If I were to rate the other directors I would probably give each of them a 5, too.  I think we’re all pretty good at giving each other constructive feedback.  I think it helps that we all want to give our best effort to a program that we care about and want to succeed.  I usually don’t ask any of the directors for help.  This is partly because I was raised to solve problems on my own.  I also feel uncomfortable asking the directors for help when I know that they have a heavy workload and I don’t want to add to it.  I’ve never shared my weaknesses and mistakes with the team.  As a leader, I feel like it’s my job to set a positive example for everyone else.            

Kimberley: Is it possible that you could set a positive example by openly communicating with the directors?  Do you think that this would create more connection within the team? 

Changemaker: Yes, I think so.  It would probably be difficult at first because it involves doing things differently from what I’m used to.  I can see how sharing more about ourselves would help us feel more connected to each other.  

Kimberley: That’s right!  The reason why this is so important is that trust is an essential component of all teams.  Trust is developed when we’re able to be vulnerable with each other.   To be vulnerable we need to get to know each other. This is why it’s important for teams to not only focus on the work that needs to get done, but also on their relationships with each other.  For virtual teams it helps to spend time together in person since informal conversations and social activities are good ways for people to get to know each other. You can also build time into meetings to get to know each other, like starting off the meeting by asking, how are you, and inviting each person to answer this question.  You can also ask icebreaker questions, like: Where did you grow up?  What’s your favorite hobby? 

Changemaker: That makes sense.  Although we usually have a lot to cover in our meetings, I think that we can build in a few minutes for getting to know each other.

Kimberley: Great!  One thing to keep in mind is that because virtual teams spend less time interacting with each other in person it’s important for team members to be more intentional about getting to know each other.  Virtual teams also need to invest more time and effort into communications to minimize miscommunication.  For example, make a phone call or use Skype to have a brief conversation, which can end up saving more time than going back and forth through emails or online chats. When using text-oriented communications it’s important to take extra care to think through the purpose of your message, the clarity of your ideas, and how this information is likely be received by the other person.     

Before we wrap up I’d also like to talk support systems.  As you mentioned earlier, change can be difficult especially when we’re used to doing things a certain way.  While habits can save us time because we don’t have to put as much effort into thinking about how we do things, they aren’t useful if we don’t get the results we want.  For any kind of change to be successful we need support.  Since we discussed your willingness to communicate more openly with your team, I’d like you think of at least one person who can support you in doing this.  Then ask that person for what support you would need to be successful.  Perhaps this is a family member or a close friend who can role play the conversation you’d like to have with your directors and check in with you afterwards to see how it went.            

From our conversation this changemaker leader learned that teams are not a collection of individuals, but a system in which each member’s behavior has an impact on everyone else. He resolved to build greater trust within the team so that issues that were on the directors’ minds about the real challenges they were facing in building a successful program, but did not feel comfortable raising, could be openly discussed and addressed.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on December 4, 2018.

How an Investment in Teamwork Can Foster Social Impact

The role of technology in increasing efficiency is commonly understood.  What tends to be less commonly known is that just as technology breaks down when it’s not properly maintained, so do relationships.  Yet, how many of us take the time to develop and maintain high-quality relationships with the people we work with?

Relationship building requires dedication and commitment. It can also be tough; but in the end it’s worth it.  If this sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because our work relationships are deserving of the same effort we put into relationships with our loved ones.  Social justice activist and social entrepreneur, Jonathan Lewis, said it best in The Unfinished Social Entrepreneur: “What is social entrepreneurship if not a love affair with justice?”

So, what can we do to “keep the fire burning” in our love affair with justice?  We can take the time to get to know the people we work with, even if it’s taking a few minutes to ask our colleagues how they are doing and actively listen to their response.  We can also ensure that team members share the same purpose, their roles are clearly defined, and they are working towards the same outcomes.  Although this may sound trivial, it makes a big difference.    

Much of my day-to-day work involves helping changemaker leaders better understand the connection between their struggles to achieve social impact and how well people are working together to carry out these activities.  From this experience I’ve learned that improving team performance can be just as difficult when people are committed and resources are in place.        

Here are some common pitfalls and tips for avoiding them: 

• Mistaking participation for readiness to do team building. There are a variety of reasons that people show up to a team building initiative, such as curiosity, vent their frustrations, or explore opportunities to get their needs met.  It’s important to surface and acknowledge these issues as early as possible.  If the group is a manageable size, I meet with everyone individually to better understand their involvement in the team and expectations for the meeting.  For a larger group, you can do a survey, sample interviews, or a combination of both. Ask open-ended questions to encourage people to share their perspective.  From these interviews I incorporate common themes into the agenda. Although this requires more time for planning, the result is an agenda that more accurately reflects what’s going on in the group.  If you’re not able to obtain input from participants in advance, invite people to share their perspectives at the beginning of the meeting.  Depending on what is shared, the energy in the room, and collective interest in exploring a relevant topic further, be prepared to adjust the agenda in the moment.
• Focusing on quick and easy fixes.  If team members are struggling to work well together, it can be tempting to jump straight to a solution, but is it a temporary fix or sustainable?  How do you know the difference?  I’ve facilitated offsite retreats, which can be useful for working together on larger and more complex tasks, like strategic planning.  However, I’ve found that retreats are less useful if, for example, the work that took place gets pushed to the side when everyone returns to the office because other priorities take over.  If you’re not already familiar with human systems or have an interest in learning more, contact someone who specializes in organization development for help evaluating solutions to team building challenges.  Whether your team is newly formed or has a longer history, high performance doesn’t happen overnight.  More than a “one-and-done,” team building involves a longer-term mindset and consistently paying attention to how well people are working together instead of only the work that needs to get done.  
• Wanting to get back to the real work that is waiting for you. It may seem like the “touchy-feely stuff” takes valuable time away from saving lives or improving quality of life.  Having previously worked in humanitarian aid, I know what it means to be on the front lines of an emergency where the minutes, and even seconds, count.  I also know that the quality of my relationships with colleagues impacted the quality of our response to people in crisis.  What if we shifted our perspective of real work to providing high-quality products and services by people who enjoy coming to work, feel valued and appreciated, and work well together?  What’s more real than building good relationships, communicating better with your colleagues, and having more productive meetings?  The “soft stuff” is the lubricant that makes the gears turn.
• Neglecting to put an accountability mechanism in place.  Early in my career, the excitement I felt facilitating retreats fizzled to disappointment when I discovered that very little, if anything, happened afterwards.  I soon discovered what was missing – expectations, commitments, and accountability.  Accountability is ultimately about trust.  Trust is essential for cultivating an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up when expectations that benefit the team, such as not having a quorum for a meeting, aren’t met.  Accountability mechanisms can take a variety of forms, such as soliciting public commitments during meetings, following up with colleagues about upcoming deadlines, reviewing progress during meetings, and enacting consequences agreed to in advance when commitments aren’t kept, such as “blessing and releasing” a board member who misses a certain number of meetings.
• Getting help from an “extra pair of hands” instead of a process facilitator.  I recently worked with a nonprofit alliance to develop an organization development program.  I was impressed by how accurately members pinpointed their challenges.  I was also concerned when reviewing scopes of work from proposed consultants who described doing the work, like creating a board charter, on their own.  The problem with this approach is that although it may be easier and more expedient in the short-term to get someone to do the work for you, it ultimately does a disservice because your team tends to be unprepared to address similar problems on its own when temporary help goes away.  Problems are also more likely to resurface if the people who are affected don’t participate in solving them.  When seeking support for capacity building find someone who will work with you as a guide for developing the knowledge and skills needed for improved performance.

When we think of “investment” funding is often top of mind.  While money is critical for achieving social impact, so too is having the capacity to make the best use of these funds.

This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on June 4, 2018.

How an 18th Century Social Entrepreneur Named Ben Franklin is Inspiring Civic Innovation Today

“Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

In the fall of 1727 Benjamin Franklin organized a group of 12 friends to discuss ideas for improving themselves and their community.  Through the Junto Club, whose name derives from the Latin verb “to join,” its members addressed questions about morals, politics, philosophy, and business.  For the 38 years of its existence, the Junto Club was more than a forum for exchanging knowledge and engaging in debate in the pursuit of truth.  It also served as an incubator for ideas that evolved into public projects, such as the first lending library, a volunteer firefighting club, a public hospital, and the University of Pennsylvania.    

The Junto Club serves as a notable example of civic engagement where a number of ideas that emerged for community improvement persist three centuries later.  The success of the Junto Club can be attributed, in part, to its charismatic and dedicated founder who drew up a list of questions to guide each weekly discussion. 

In addition to being one of America’s first social entrepreneurs, Benjamin Franklin would also come to be known, and perhaps better recognized, for his achievements in printing, publishing, science and statesmanship.

Although we often give credit to the person who lights the fuse that ignites a spark, success in social entrepreneurship can be attributed to a variety of factors.  One of the strengths of the Junto Club was its membership, which consisted of intellectuals representing different academic disciplines and professions, including medicine, philosophy, botany, and geography.  When we consider the benefits of exposing ourselves to new ways of thinking and cross-pollinating ideas, the widespread and lasting impact of the Junto Club’s achievements may not be so surprising.  

Another of its strengths was a commitment to collaboration that was grounded in open-mindedness and tolerance.  Participation in weekly meetings, which also involved merrymaking, enabled members to get to know each other better making it easier to build trust, which is essential for effectively working together.

“What is past is prologue” – William Shakespeare

Two modern-day social innovators (one of whom is also named Ben) are using a similar approach to re-imagine civic engagement.  In 2015 as members of a Social Venture Network peer group, Jim Epstein and Ben Powell realized that they shared a vision for Washington, DC as a national stronghold for civic innovation and engagement.  The DC Civic Innovation Council is an inclusive citywide effort to identify and engage local civic innovators.  The purpose of the Council is to coordinate social and financial capital, making it easier to surface and scale ideas for solving tough local challenges that impede a better quality of life. 

One of the first steps Epstein and Powell took was to convene a core group of supporters that collectively articulated a set of values to guide the Council’s work.  These include: representation (participation that fully reflects the community), connection (optimize collaboration across resources, ideas and people), experimentation (use an agile, iterative, and participatory approach to test, refine and scale ideas), and agency (unleash the potential for every DC resident to create change for the city).

“Our city and our country need more Ben Franklins.  The power of the Junto Club is that it shows how when ordinary people commit to self-improvement, mutual support and a desire to work together for the common good amazing things can happen.” – Ben Powell

During the fall of 2017 Epstein and Powell met with leaders from the public, civic, and business sectors to discuss their vision for a connected and dynamic ecosystem for civic innovators and to enlist support for a collaborative, participatory approach for forming the Council.  From these stakeholder meetings over a dozen local leaders with diverse skill sets, professions, and life experiences volunteered to join a Steering Committee that will develop and launch the Council.  

In January 2018 Steering Committee members met for the first time during a kickoff meeting that was co-facilitated by the two social innovators.  During this half-day session, Steering Committee members participated in a detailed discussion about the concept for the Council.  In addition to sharing their reactions to the vision put forward by Epstein and Powell, they also put forward suggestions to take into account as the Council continues to evolve. 

Participants developed criteria to guide decision making about the kinds of activities they would work on together.  Using these criteria, they identified three needs in the community (underperforming schools, lack of quality programs for youth, and division on both sides of the Anacostia River) that the Steering Committee could begin to address.  Taking small actions that can continue to be built upon will enable the Steering Committee to learn which approaches work, develop community support for the Council as it is formed, and strengthen their ability to effectively work together.            

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller

Like the Junto Club three centuries earlier, the Steering Committee faces a similar opportunity in learning how to support each other in transforming Washington, DC into a civic innovation capital.  Working together on a multi-track process that involves determining what the Council is and how it will function, addressing immediate needs and building collaborative capacity through projects, and mobilizing funding and other resources to support this effort holds the potential for self- and community improvement.  This is especially relevant as Steering Committee members grapple with the social and economic barriers that have historically impeded progress.  Lessons learned from this experience will be shared with others who are interested in civic innovation.

Ben Franklin’s belief in the power of citizens to improve themselves and their communities extended beyond the Junto Club to spawn the development of similar groups across the country throughout and beyond his lifetime.  His legacy and ideas continue to thrive in the 21st Century as the inspiration for the DC Civic Innovation Council.

If you are interested in joining an existing Ben Franklin Circle or starting one of your own to learn about Franklin’s 13 virtues and how to apply them to 21st Century values and leadership, check out: www.benfranklincircles.org

If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or financial supporter, contact the DC Civic Innovation Council: https://www.dccic.net/get-in-touch/        

As an organization development consultant who specialized in developing networks for social impact, Kimberley Jutze has worked closely with Jim Epstein and Ben Powell, and in collaboration with other key supporters, on the development of the DC Civic Innovation Council. 

 This article was originally published by SEE Change Magazine on February 13, 2018.

How to (Re)Frame Your Conversation to Achieve Greater Impact

Despite my best intentions and having prepared in advance with a detailed agenda and a plan for facilitating for this meeting of concerned citizens seeking to improve the quality of life in their community, the conversation didn’t go as planned.  Instead of progressing towards a collective decision, the group became mired in a conversation that seemed to circle away from, instead of towards, a decision.  It was only later that I realized what was missing – a frame.

Just as a picture frame establishes a clear boundary and provides a supportive structure for art, a frame can help the group agree upon what issues and concerns receive attention as part of advancing its purpose.  As organization development consultant, Russ Gaskin, explains in his article on collaboration patterns, a benefit of this approach is that it enables the group to move forward with an agreement that works for everyone instead of getting sidelined by issues or concerns that may be perceived as falling outside the primary focus of working together.   

If you’re part of a group that is struggling to make progress because it has an unclear focus (what the group agrees to achieve) or is lacking a frame (issues to be tracked and paid attention to), consider using these tips:

1)    Be aware of signs that the group is struggling: Effectively working with groups and teams requires an awareness of what’s going on.  Use observation and active listening skills, such as providing our undivided attention and checking for understanding, to tune in to what is being said as well as non-verbal cues, like body language.  Some examples that a group may be struggling are discussions that drift away from the topic, lack of participation in the conversation, or avoidance of decision making.  In addition to focusing on what is being said and how messages are communicated, it’s also important to be able to “read the room” through an awareness of group dynamics.  This involves noticing and understanding interpersonal interactions in addition to the impact of each person’s behavior on the whole group.

2)    Find out what’s really going on: Some problems are easy to solve and others are more complex.  Without digging beneath the surface to better understand the underlying causes and checking out our assumptions, it can be difficult to know which is which.  The ability to quickly “read,” assess, and respond to a situation as it unfolds is a skill that is developed over time with practice.  For example, upon noticing that a conversation is lacking a clear and mutually agreed upon direction, you can mention this observation and invite others to comment on whether this is an accurate assessment of the situation.  If there is widespread agreement that the group is struggling, this can serve as an opportunity to move into collective problem solving.      

3)    Support the group in addressing the situation: Depending on the circumstances it may be appropriate to set a focus that can serve as a collective goal, a frame that can guide the conversation in moving forward, or both.  One way to help the group put a focus or frame in place is using inquiry, advocacy, or a combination of the two.  Inquiry involves asking questions that move the conversation in the appropriate direction.  Open-ended questions can be a powerful way to encourage deeper thinking and stimulate problem-solving, such as: What would it take for us to make satisfactory progress in resolving the problem we’ve come together to address?  If the questions being asked don’t seem to advance the conversation or if group is short on time, another approach is to make a suggestion for the group to react to, like: These are all important factors to take into account.  Can we agree that the first one is the most relevant to the issue we’re working on?  Can we also agree that this will be our primary focus for the time being and that we will come back to address these other factors later on?

Helping a group get unstuck, particularly when a focus or frame is lacking, can be difficult, especially if you’re unfamiliar with group dynamics and processes.  In such instances, it can be useful to get help from a member of the group who is experienced with working in teams or a professional facilitator.  It’s also helpful to keep in mind that it’s up to the group to set a focus or frame based on what works best for them and is mutually agreed upon.

What stands out for me in reflecting on the incident mentioned at the beginning is the importance of not only framing group conversations, but also the internal conversations that take place as part of this process.  Fortunately, a member of the group stepped in to propose a frame that was agreeable to the other members, which got the conversation back on track and generated momentum towards a decision that was becoming long overdue.  Although I was grateful to this person for getting the group unstuck, I was also upset with myself for not coming up with the solution.  With the support of a close friend I reframed my internal dialogue from failing in my responsibility as “the expert” to creating the space to learn from what others have to offer.

Published by SEE Change Magazine on December 4, 2017. 

Being an Effective Changemaker Means Knowing How to Get Out of Your Own Way

Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned as an organization development practitioner is how to get out of my own way. This means being aware of and managing behaviors that hold us back from fulfilling our intention. An important part of my work as an organization development practitioner is helping clients get out of their own way. If they’re not aware that they are tripping themselves up, I have a responsibility to bring this to their attention and help them build the skills needed to get better results. To be helpful to them I also need to get out of my own way.

As someone who is more prone to doing than being, patience is not my strong suit. Over the years, I’ve learned some hard lessons about when to push to get my needs met and when to let things come in their own time. One evening I returned to my apartment after a particularly difficult day where a technology failure ruined what, at the time, had seemed like an important opportunity to market my company’s services. I stopped by the front desk and ended up chatting with the guy who normally worked there. As I shared the details of this situation he gently reminded me that I was devoting more attention to this setback than it deserved. 

After reflecting on his comments, I realized that fatigue was preventing me from fully processing what had happened. I also realized that in this instance coming back to this situation later on when I was rested would enable me to come up with a better solution instead of rushing to fix it in that moment. Although self-awareness becomes easier with practice we still need the support of people who can shine a light on our blind spots.    

Just as we can get in our own way as individuals, the same pitfalls exist for groups seeking to bring about positive change. Through an acquaintance, I heard about a social justice group and decided to attend their next meeting. At the meeting were seasoned activists and people who, like me, were curious to learn about their work and explore opportunities to get involved. However, by the end of this meeting my initial enthusiasm had significantly diminished along with my motivation to stay involved.     

Despite my genuine interest in social justice issues and having attended numerous gatherings over the years, I have yet to develop the kinds of meaningful connections that I’ve made in other communities of changemakers. It’s likely that a different approach, and perhaps even greater persistence, could change this outcome. At the same time, I think that the social justice community could also benefit from making more of an effort.

In considering what troubled me about this meeting I recognized some recurring patterns. At this, and other social justice gatherings I’ve been to, I’ve felt like a visitor to a relatively isolated community. While the people I met seemed pleasant I didn’t feel especially welcomed, and in some instances, I also felt like my status as a newcomer was met with suspicion. In looking at this situation from an activist’s perspective, it’s understandable why this is so. 

Having participated in a number of protests I’ve experienced it means to challenge the status quo, which can be dangerous when there are powerful groups that have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. As someone who has also studied social change, I also know that for a movement to succeed it has to reach a tipping point in terms in getting a critical mass of participation. This creates a dilemma for change agents that want to attract people to their cause and, at the same time, minimize infiltration by those who oppose their efforts. There doesn’t appear to be an easy solution to this dilemma since it’s up to each group to determine how to attract supporters to advance its goals versus its risk tolerance for detractors.

For many social justice activists, especially those who are marginalized, being heard and actively contributing to decisions that affect them are core values. To address this need, some groups make decisions by consensus. While consensus enables different perspective to be taken into account and can sometimes lead to better decisions, this approach also significantly slows down the decision-making process, particularly if negotiation and compromise are needed to reach full agreement. This leads to another dilemma, which is creating the space for people to participate in decisions that affect them while also making enough progress so that people remain engaged over the longer-term. Patient urgency, coined by school reform leader Howard Fuller, offers a solution to this dilemma through a process of continuous calibration between engaging supporters and generating urgency for action.

Getting out of our own way, as individuals or social change movements, begins with being clear about our intentions and desired impact. Being open to receiving feedback helps us become aware of whether we are on track towards fulfilling our intention. With this information, we can choose whether this feedback is worth paying attention to. If we choose to pay attention, we’re faced with another choice- whether or not to act upon this information. This choice can be difficult, especially if we learn that our actions are moving us further away from our intention, such as making it harder for people to join and stay involved in our cause. Systems thinking, which is about seeing beyond isolated incidents to recognize deeper patterns, can be useful for building awareness about recurring issues or behaviors that can cause us to get in our own way.    

For those times when I’m aware that my intention is disconnected from my impact, I draw inspiration from Alain de Botton’s quote: “We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.”

This post was published by SEE Change Magazine on August 29, 2017.

How to Build Effective Teams for Social Impact: In Convo with the founder of Shifting Patterns Consulting

While much attention is given to developing the business, technology, and leadership skills needed to succeed as a social entrepreneur, team building is less often touched upon. The irony is that it’s the quality of the relationships of the people we work with that ultimately determines our progress in generating social impact.  

We recently had the chance to speak to Kimberley Jutze, Founder and Chief Change Architect at Shifting Patterns Consulting, about how her company helps social entrepreneurs and other changemaker leaders overcome the stumbling blocks that prevent effective collaboration.

Why is team building a critical and, yet, often overlooked skill for social entrepreneurs?

Although the dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice made by social entrepreneurs is worthy of admiration, this can lead to hero worship. The reality is that addressing the underlying causes of society’s most pressing problems is a team, not an individual effort. In fact, the bigger the change we seek, the more people we need to engage in our cause. When I think about social impact, I’m reminded of Reinhold Niebuhr’s quote: “Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.”

Most social entrepreneurs understand the value of investing in technology to increase efficiency and productivity. However, few also make it a priority to invest in the improved performance and well-being of their teams. Just as we maintain IT systems to prevent them from breaking down the same is also true for human systems. This continuous investment requires making sure that teams not only have the resources needed to accomplish their tasks, but also the structure, work processes, and relationships that can make the best use of these resources. With effective solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges so urgently needed, we can’t afford to neglect the collaborative effort that is essential for catalyzing these solutions.    

What are the biggest challenges that typically get in the way of effective teamwork?

One reason why most teams struggle to achieve their goals is that they don’t consistently use systems thinking, which is seeing beyond isolated events to identify deeper patterns. Another reason is not putting a system in place to effectively support each other. These challenges are typically manifested in a variety of ways, such as an unclear purpose, uncertainty about what is expected of ourselves and other team members, important decisions not being made, interpersonal conflict, lack of accountability, and not giving enough attention to assessing the impact of team efforts. While it’s common for teams to experience bumps as they work towards their social impact goals, what separates those who overcome these obstacles from those who remain stuck is knowing when they are off course and supporting each other to get back on track.

What advice do you have for helping virtual teams improve teamwork?

Collaborating in a virtual environment is especially challenging. Since most communication takes place non-verbally it’s important for team members to meet in person, at least periodically. Although nothing can replace being in the same room with your colleagues, video conferencing is the next best thing. Nowadays there are a number of free or low-cost options, like Skype or Google Hangout.

Regardless of whether meetings take place in person or virtually, it’s also important to make time for team members to get to know each other. Trust, which is essential for effective teamwork, can only be established by getting to know each other. If there isn’t a tight schedule, encourage team members to get to know each other through informal conversations before or after meetings. Even with a packed agenda, it’s possible to take a couple of minutes at the beginning of a meeting to ask how everyone is doing or perhaps even an icebreaker question, like which social entrepreneur do you most admire?

What was your most memorable experience working with a team that was struggling to achieve social impact?

My most memorable team building experience occurred when I facilitated a workshop for a nonprofit leadership team that works closely with social entrepreneurs. This experience helped them better understand their own and their colleagues’ default styles for giving and receiving support. To build on this understanding each person took a turn asking another member of the team for support to address a problem they were having. The team realized that the benefits of asking each other for support extended beyond the process of asking for help. It also created the space for important conversations that were not taking place. As a result, the leadership team agreed to meet each week specifically to ask each other for support which continues to this day. Some of the leaders also decided to incorporate asking for support into the teams they manage.

How can social entrepreneurs get help to address collaboration challenges?

I’ve found that there is a benefit to working with an organization development consultant to address challenges related to forming a new team or improving the performance of an existing team. Not only is it useful to have the support of someone who understands team dynamics, but there is an added benefit of an outsider’s perspective. Oftentimes when we’re in the midst of a problem it’s hard to view it objectively. It can also difficult to be open to the perspectives of our team members if we think we already know what the problem is and how to solve it.

My company works closely with social entrepreneurs, as well as nonprofit and socially responsible business leaders, to help them understand what’s really getting in the way of effective teamwork, build the skills to address these challenges, and put a system in place to maintain improved performance. In addition to offering consulting services, my company is launching a group coaching program that will begin in mid-September in Washington, DC for leaders who want to learn how to improve their team building skills. For more information about these services, check out: http://shifting-patterns.com/services/#teambuilding.    

This interview was published by SEE Change Magazine on July 23, 2017.

5 Steps to Greater Accountability

My heart sank as I heard the news.  I sensed that not much had happened since the board retreat I facilitated for a nonprofit some months ago, and my follow-up call with the board chair confirmed what deep down inside I already knew.  Despite the fact that the board continued to meet on a monthly basis, the good ideas that were raised during the retreat and had made their way into a plan were yet to be acted upon.  The board chair seemed to be genuinely perplexed that even though board members were unanimous in expressing their commitment to advance the nonprofit’s mission and to hold each other accountable for doing so little, if anything, seemed to be happening outside of their monthly meeting.

If this scenario is familiar to you, then you’ve likely experienced a common stumbling block that people encounter when working together, which is accountability.  According to management consultant, Patrick Lencioni, in one of his most influential books, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, accountability involves setting clear expectations and being willing to call each other out for the good of the team when someone’s behavior contradicts these expectations.  Accountability is also a measure of our willingness to have difficult conversations about enforcing these expectations. 

The Irony of Team Relationships

Accountability can be tricky, even in the best of circumstances, such as when team members have a history of working together, get along well, and regularly interact face-to-face.  Relationships, regardless of whether they are personal or professional, require regular attention so that they continue to grow and strengthen over time.  However, when teams are under pressure to demonstrate social impact, oftentimes with limited time and funds, this is when there is a tendency for relationships to be neglected.  Insufficient attention to relationships can make it harder for teams to overcome challenges, particularly if there is an escalation of unhealthy conflict and an erosion of trust.

For teams that work together virtually, as volunteers, or perhaps both, holding team members accountable can present an added challenge, particularly if team members don’t know each other well, rarely interact face-to-face, and have other commitments that interfere with the work of the team.  To illustrate this point, I was introduced to a business leader who expressed interest in joining a working group I’m a member of for socially responsible businesses.  Since we’re all volunteers I thought it would be fine to have some additional help.  I reached out to my colleagues thinking that this was something that could be easily decided via e-mail prior to our next monthly meeting so that the new member, if approved, could attend.  What seemed like a simple, routine matter soon became more complex.

One of the working group members responded to my message by questioning whether we needed to expand the size of our group.  She also suggested that we allocate some time for our next meeting to discuss criteria for adding new members and having term limits.  After I was able to process my gut reaction, which was not positive, I realized that she was right to question how our group was functioning and that her remarks were not intended to be critical, but to serve the best interests of the team.  Having known this person for a while and being accustomed to her personality as a challenger made it easier for me to recognize the intention behind these remarks and to appreciate her perspective. 

Putting Accountability into Practice

Here are some tips that can help you and your fellow team members build greater accountability:

·      Set Clearly Defined Expectations: High-performing teams not only focus on what gets done, but how these tasks are completed.  This involves setting expectations, shortly after the team has been formed, about how members will work together.  Expectations can be explicit, such as requesting punctuality for meetings, or implicit, like beginning meetings on time.  What is important is that team members understand what is expected of them.

·      Commitment: Expectations are more likely to be followed when there is not only clarity about what they are, but also ownership of them.  This means that team members take responsibility for setting expectations and voluntarily agree to them.  Closely related to this idea is that members are committed to acting in the best interests of the team.  This involves a willingness to prioritize collective over personal interest.

·      Clear Communication: Fundamental to accountability is clear communication.  This not only pertains to setting and enforcing expectations, but includes all team interactions.  Although misunderstandings are common in relationships, taking the time to check in with yourself about your intention as well as paying closer attention to how your messages are delivered and received can help minimize miscommunication. 

·      Take Care of the Small Stuff ASAP: When misunderstandings, conflicts, or other issues that negatively affect the team arise, it’s usually better to address them early on.  A consequence of holding back is that problems can fester and ultimately become more complicated and time consuming to resolve.  Sometimes the benefit of speaking up about a small issue that gets resolved early on is that this can make a big difference.

·      Make Time for Relationship Building: Even the best accountability process can fall apart if relationships are not in place to support it.  This means valuing the importance of getting to know your team members, such as allocating extra time in meetings for informal conversation, incorporating team building into your work, or organizing social activities.  The more familiar we are with our team members, the easier it is to build trust and demonstrate the vulnerability needed to enter into difficult conversations about accountability.         

Much like relationships, accountability isn’t easy.  It requires communication, commitment, and consistency.  The reward for making accountability count is that teams are not only higher performing, but also more enjoyable to participate in.

This post was published by SEE Change Magazine on April 24, 2017.