People who first hear of sociocracy often ask, “Can that help with conflict?” My short answer is usually, “Yes, it can help, depending on the cause of the conflict.” A better answer is, “Yes it can, but better yet it can help prevent conflict in the first place.” Lack of clarity can contribute to conflict…Continue reading
Decolonising Decision-Making
Talking Circles Indigenous Peoples have used talking circles and practiced inclusion and collaboration for millennia. All leaders in a tribal council are heard, without interruption. Decision-making happens in a circle, and all living things are viewed as equal within the circle. Power-with is a dialogue, where everyone stands on the ground, face to face. The…Continue reading
Leadership Agility and Sociocracy – or, How I introduced Sociocracy in my software company and worked myself out of a job
Guest post by Evan J Miller Back in May I gave a presentation to the Global Sociocracy For All conference. I really appreciated the chance to think through and share my ideas about the connections between Leadership Agility and Sociocracy. Leadership Agility is a discipline for charting a course for developing leaders, and Sociocracy is…Continue reading
Power-With at Play
Power-with is a mode of operating in deep collaboration, central to the Sociocratic Circle-organization Method (SCM). Should you be familiar with the gracious and effective momentum of the SCM, you will understand the natural intelligence embedded in its power-with approach. Here we explore what power-with is, and why it is so powerful to organizations in…Continue reading
“It’s Nothing Personal” – Elections and Objections
When we put someone in a role in a sociocratic organization, we use a transparent process of selection by consent. At the start, each circle member in turn nominates someone for the role. They give reasons why their nominee is well suited to the qualifications and responsibilities defined in the role description. Then each person…Continue reading
Designing Our Homes and Organisations
Human behaviour will work around poor design, but it does so at a cost! I wanted the kitchen to be the centre of the house, where I could keep an eye on the garden, the children and comings and goings from the house. My husband wanted the kitchen to be a place where he could…Continue reading
Spaghetti Night: Mothering with Consent
A typical conversation around our dinner table among our four teenagers: “Can I have the car tonight?” “My teacher is the worst!” “You’ll never believe what happened to me today!” My clan around me, sharing a meal together after a busy day, I felt fulfilled. Amidst the chit-chat, our second son Jeremy says “I’ll stay…Continue reading
Dare To Share the Lead
“…our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability.” ~ Brene Brown Courageous leadership is a core mandate of Brene Brown’s 2018 book Dare To Lead, as described in this October 2020 episode of her newly launched Dare To Lead podcast. Vulnerability is at the heart of the matter.…
Your Best Self, Virtually
We’re all spending so much time in online meetings, that it’s worth a little effort to use a virtual platform in the best ways we can. Here are some tips. You probably already know that it can help a meeting if everyone has their video on when possible (see key #2 in 7 Essential Keys…Continue reading
Prepare in Advance for Meetings that Rock
In ordinary times, meetings can run the gamut from dismal to invigorating. There is possibly even a wider range in this time of economic upheaval and physical distancing, when many of our “normal” practices for productive meetings are disrupted. Now with so many virtual meetings, how do we keep some of the spirit and function…Continue reading