Inspired by frameworks such as design-thinking, the right use of power, and co-active coaching, our work with teams focuses on the real impact of workplace leadership and culture.
Because our work with teams explores underlying systems and structures, power dynamics, human behaviour, and other similar forces, it typically requires an openness and readiness for new levels of depth, breadth, and urgency.
The role of power in the workplace
Workplace power dynamics are shifting
The frequency and intensity of change continues to introduce new power dynamics and relational challenges that most leaders and organizations do not (yet) have the skills, tools, and strategies to navigate.
Employees are finding their voices
People are demanding clearer accountability and real action from their leaders and organizations to operationalize (or codify into culture) diversity and inclusion, connection and autonomy, and real change to outdated systems and ways of working.
Work is adapting to people's values
Personalized working environments, autonomous team structures, and genuine allyship, are examples of growing employee expectations for having more control over their work-lives.
Understanding our work
While the scope and flow of our work can vary from team to team, it can be described as three waves - each consisting of a series of activities that work together to generate shared understanding, alignment, action, and accountability.
Understanding your culture's (true) impact
Helping engage your team in meaningful conversations that lead to shared understanding, alignment, and agreement.
Cultivating new levels of awareness, skill, and capacity
Helping equip your team with learning and development experiences that deepen their connection, ability, and impact.
Operationalizing your team's new ways of working
Helping ensure the activation and traction of your team's impact plan(s) by meaningfully supporting their areas of growth.
Discover. Be conscious of inferences, biases, and assumptions and choose to engage people in meaningful conversations to surface needs, values, and hopes and fears.
"What do we know about this from our team's perspectives?"
Define. Make sure that people are aligned on the understanding and meaning of problems, opportunities, words or terms, and any other signals that have surfaced.
"What is our shared understanding and agreement of existing challenges and opportunities?"
Design. Acknowledge the feedback, perspectives, and ideas that people have contributed, and clearly communicate the connection to what you will (and will not) be prioritizing as a team.
"What are we choosing to prioritize, and how might we approach this work?"
Deliver. Create the roadmap, get the right people in the right roles, and establish your ways of working. Do not forget to confirm agreement (different from understanding) and to set up accountabilty rhythms.
"How are we ensuring alignment, agreement, and traction"?
Debrief. Continue to have meaningful conversations - asking powerful questions, surfacing helpful feedback, and making important decisions - to ensure the alignment of intention and impact.
"What is here for us now, and what is next"?
In our experience, leaderful teams use some version of 'the Five D's' to adapt to - and even shape -change.