Learning online about creating environments of trust
At the end of March, Anne van Bruggen took part in our Soul Driven leadership course 1. Anne is a researcher on Sustainability & Circular Economy at the Dutch Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and an active community builder. Anne experienced how the soul.com facilitators skillfully brought new levels of depth to conversations. Back at work, she decided to apply parts of the course into her work. Here’s how she experienced the course and applied it.
“When I signed up to the Soul Driven Leadership course “Creating a new mind” I was looking forward to gaining new insights about creating environments of trust, building my capacity for facilitating processes of transformation in the workplace and benefitting from meaningful conversations. But mostly I was looking forward to spending three days in Rotterdam, taking a break from my usual environment and meeting inspiring new people. It did not turn out quite as I had planned. I had signed up for the course in March and as the Corona measures were gradually implemented, I was wondering whether the course would take place at all.
Like so many organizations, soul.com had to adapt quickly to the new reality. My own work as a researcher of the circular economy for RIVM lends itself well to working from home and I adapted to it quickly. Most meetings continued though a screen, but others were cancelled; their purpose could not be achieved in the online environment. I was curious what would happen to the SDL course. The answer came quickly; the spread of the virus had strengthened their resolve to work for the transformation of companies and the course would continue online.
To be honest, I was not looking forward to spending three days behind a screen. One meeting seemed doable, but not a full course. But part of resilience is a willingness to learn in new ways. The book fell on my doormat and together with six others I went on a three-day online journey that included plenty of offscreen time with breaks and walks. We learned about listening, considered what communities are and looked at the elements of meaningful conversations. While I have already benefited immensely from building my capacity through engaging in community building in my neighborhood of Overvecht, I gained new insights here as well. I took special note of how the facilitators skillfully brought new levels of depth to conversations by asking us to describe in more detail how exactly we observed elements of conversations like elevating the soul or assumptions being challenged.
Back at my work we had to adapt, just like soul.com, to the online environment. I continued to work from home, becoming increasingly proficient in using online tools, using inspiration from soul.com to use Miro boards for brainstorming and enhancing universal participation in online brainstorm sessions. As work went on, I benefited from the opportunity to spend extra time in my neighborhood, hosting meaningful conversations online on how we could stay hopeful and finding out what immediate help could be given. However, one thing at work was just not the same; our moments to socialize in the pantry over coffee and drinks. We did organize ‘socials’ through the online platforms available to us, but talking about your weekend plans was just not the same with 30 people listening in. We had to rethink these spaces to keep them vibrant.
For a longer time I had been thinking on how to create spaces for meaningful conversations at work, but it was difficult to find a space for it amidst busy work days in a large organization with its set routines and myself working there for only little over a year. The crisis gave an opportunity to experiment with new ways of connecting and I proposed to recast our ‘socials’ to moments for meaningful conversations to explore topics of common concern. The first topic was inspired by an agents of change network meeting in Utrecht; joyful and effective online meetings. Other questions we are exploring together include: what can we do to make working at home enjoyable, what are we learning in this time that we want to keep as government measures are gently easing, and how can we keep each other sharp through feedback or perhaps create a culture of learning?
What strikes me most about these conversations is their simplicity. All that is required is to put an question of common concern at the center, perhaps start with studying an inspiration quote or video, and be confident that everyone will have valuable contributions to make. I thus look forward to continuing to learn about participating in as well as facilitating meaningful conversations, which are a vital characteristic of environments of trust and learning. As we learn to translate what we talk about into united action, new horizons are within our reach. Already I thoroughly enjoy my current work environment, where colleagues deeply care about each other as well as the important work they are doing for public health and the preservation of the natural environment. So continuing to create these spaces to exchange our learning can only make us stronger.
Whether we engage in conversation online or in person, does not seem to be the most important question. I learned there is no one size fits all, and surely not everything can be done online. Sometimes it is better to wait until we can meet in person. However, all the spaces in which I have been interacting through online platforms, whether in the SDL course, my work, conferences or my neighborhood, I am pleasantly surprised by the many possibilities to create, foster and strengthen environments of trust, characterized by meaningful conversations. As the social distancing measures will be with us for some time to come, I find hope in the fact that, whether in online or offline spaces, it remains true that when we enter into distinct and meaningful conversations about matters of common concern, souls are elevated, enthusiasm is created and ideas emerge for people take initiative.”
