Everyday Leadership

With the brilliance of a master story-teller, Drew Dudley (TEDx Toronto) shares a delightfully funny and poignant story representative of the moments in people's lives (that they perhaps don't even remember) that make profound impacts on others.

Watch it - a quick 6 minutes that will have you smile.

We have ALL played one of the roles in these "lolly-pop" moments of everyday leadership.  His argument is that;

 "... as long as we make leadership something bigger than us, as long as we keep leadership something beyond us, as long as it is about changing the world, we give ourselves the excuse not to expect it everyday from ourselves and each other.

...And yet, when we can value the impact we can have on each others lives, we can begin to re-define leadership in terms of lolly-pop moments: how many we create, how many we acknowledge, how many we pay forward, and how many of them we say thank you for."

Similarly, when we take away the glory and pedestal from "leadership" and welcome everyone to step up to the plate in their own way, the concept of shared leadership becomes concrete and attainable.  Whether actions impact the life of a child, a stranger (in his story), an organization or a whole community, the intentional valuing of everyday leadership will make it happen more.



In our book, we identify three actions that both foster shared leadership and celebrate the kind of everyday actions that stimulate profound and positive change;
1.  seeking out leadership in others
2.  balancing power
3.  learning along the way. 

Dudley touches on the biggest barriers to all three actions.  Fear.  He quotes a poem by Marianne Williamson which we have dug up for your to enjoy in full. Wow!

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

[Often said to have been quoted in a speech by Nelson Mandela. The source is Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, Harper Collins, 1992. —Peter McLaughlin]


Village Raising Questions
What role can you play to encourage others to value everyday leadership?
How will you foster shared leadership?

Your project is over...now what? Where will that next step lead? What direction to take?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. ~Lao Tzu~

You’ve just invested a boat load of energy into a meaningful project and you’ve evaluated the learning (see last week’s blog). Yes, the project is over. Now what? Where will that next step lead?

In the case of the North Island College ECCE “Community through the Eyes of Children” project the coordinators (Alanna Miller and Theresa Gereluk) immediately wanted to explore the potential in the next steps.

Here are some of the things we noticed from observing their process.

When exploring next steps consider...

1) The learning (in this case, learn from previous projects and participant/coordinator feedback)
2) The research (in this case inspired by Reggio Emilia and Emergent Curriculum)
3) The themes that emerged (how to nurture children’s CREATIVITY popped)
4) The potential next directions (they decided on - “Creativity through the Eyes of Children”)
5) The ways to re-ignite the vision and celebrate the previous project success! Give updates too!

This was done by gathering the participant centres’ to explore how the new direction might strengthen and align with their work and build off of the previous project. They listened to people’s thoughts and reactions and further developed the direction as they went. Picture a dialogue rich evening focused on “What does CREATIVITY mean to you?” complete with hands on interaction (goop and overhead projector painting – we are talking about creativity here). Total experiential learning.

It seems from our Raising the Village observation lens, that the next steps continued to reveal themselves in the act of doing. They came both in having a plan with directions and goals AND in the openness to see what would emerge.

Village Raising Questions:
What do you consider when taking next steps?
What does creativity mean to you? What does this add to your work and life?

(p.s. The “Creativity through the Eyes of Children” project continues. Interested in more details? Contact Alanna or Theresa via North Island College http://www.nic.bc.ca/ ).

RTV # 48 Find the bright spots.

A Year of Raising the Village. Week #48 - Find the Bright Spots

At Raising the Village - we are proponents of strength based thinking and strength based approaches. So when we first heard about the work of Jerry and Monique Sternin, we were intrigued by a new strength based change model - one that "flips the standard protocol on its head" - called positive deviance.

In their book entitled The Power of Positive Deviance: How unlikely innovators solve the world's toughest problems, authors Richard Pascale, Jerry and Monique Sternin outline a highly village-like approach to tackling complex issues. They write;

Positive Deviance is based on the observation that in every community there are certain individuals or groups whose uncommon behaviors and strategies enable them to find better solutions to problems than their peers, while having access to the same resources and facing similar or worse challenges.
The Positive Deviance approach is an asset-based, problem-solving, and community-driven approach that enables the community to discover these successful behaviors and strategies and develop a plan of action to promote their adoption by all concerned.

Their discovery of this method was in Vietnam, 1990, working with very poor villages whose children suffered from malnutrition. The cause of the malnutrition was systemic - lack of clean water, immense poverty, no social support beyond the occasional food handout, a collapsed health care system, a US trade embargo against Vietnam, and the inevitable political hurdles.


This fascinating story is told in their book, and also in Switch by Dan and Chip Heath (another great read about change). The positive deviant practices were found by interviewing families who, despite the villages' dire situation, had children who were well nourished. They called these families bright spots. What made their practices different was identified by the villagers and local volunteers. The practices that could be replicated were then introduced to the village. The consultants played a background role in the process as the villages, themselves, found strategies and implemented them.

The result? A 65-80% reduction in childhood malnutrition in 22 Vietnamese provinces with a total population of 2.3 million. And the change (drum roll please) is a sustainable one!

Real, sustainable change, according to the Sternins, begins with new behaviors rather than new knowledge. And since these new behaviors come from real people – rather than from top down or fancy consultants – there’s real ownership of the solution rather then merely a buy-in. In this process, the very people whose behavior needs to change to solve the problem are the ones who discover the solution.

At first we thought - well good for them but that kind of thing wouldn't work in North America! The book goes on to tell a number of stories from other places around the world - including Pennsylvania.

So...this week's village raising strategy borrows from the thinking of positive deviance. As community builders, let us re-frame how we approach community change, and consider how we can support a process that finds and spreads the positive practices of the bright spots.

We would LOVE to learn from your experience! Please share (through comments or by email) your stories about finding positive deviants and enabling them to spark sustainable change.

RTV #42 - Get it in writing

A Year of Raising the Village. Week #42 –Get it in Writing!

ACTIVE commitments have more staying power than those that are made passively.

It can be frustrating when trying to drum up some volunteers - and the bulk of the work continues to land on the same few shoulders. This road is sure to lead to burnout.

An interesting study found that the number of people who agreed to volunteer didn't change whether it was an active or passive response  but the difference was who actually showed up. And in the end, that is what counts!

ONLY 17% of those who passively volunteered ("said" yes or raised their hand) showed up while 49% of those who actively volunteered came as promised.


The obvious observation, then, is to try to get ACTIVE commitments.  What does that look like?  The study found that when commitments get written down, the individual is connected more strongly with a  judgment on themselves. So it becomes more difficult to shake off, ignore or downplay their commitment.

Have a sign up sheet! Then circulate that list as a reminder!

In our experience, the same goes for acknowledgements. Passive thank you's to those who have volunteered are "nice." But thank you cards, posters with names and articles that highlight people cement positive interactions.

Getting it in writing goes both ways!

RTV # 38 - Remembering to Play (with Vince Gowmon)

A Year of Raising theVillage Week 38 - Remembering to Play

... an interview with Vince Gowmon - player, facilitator, coach extraordinaire!

Remembering to PlayEvents offer workshops that combine unique and fun experiential activities with open discussions and rich group learning – we mean really rich, wake you up learning. We took part in one of the PLAY workshops and were smitten with the soulful facilitated process and the skill of the person holding a respectful and fun space in the workshop room.
Who is the playful leader behind these inspired workshops? Meet Vince Gowmon and get a special peek into the spirit of the Play process...

Vince Gowmon, is the founder of Remembering to Play Events.  All his life he has loved playing, and since 1998, he has lived his other passion of supporting others to create their life with joy and purpose.  Remembering to Play Events is his opportunity to combine the two, giving people a playground to discover their authentic Self and laugh along the way!
We asked Vince to take us behind the scenes of his special workshops...
What is at the core of Remembering to Play?

The essence of Remembering to Playis remembering your spirit. It is taking the risk to be authentic (it can be risky to shed your fears and inhibitions). Many of us have SAS (serious adult syndrome) – we take ourselves and life so seriously that we forget the joy in the lighter side of play. Also at the heart of Remembering to Play is remembering what it means to be a child and connecting to the wisdom of a child-like heart. Children are present, engaged, intuitive, spontaneous, honest, expressive of a wide range of emotions without extra thought as to whether the emotion if permissible. Children are less attached to one certain way of being and are willing to be open and try new things.


When facilitating groups, how do you know when a group process is landing with people?

·      Take time to read the group. If people are not ready for a certain activity or process that I have designed, I will huck out the outline.
·      There is a dance between my prepared agenda and the participant’s needs and agenda. I’ve learned to limit the amount of content in my agenda – I leave space open for what arises within the group.
·      Another approach is to be curious around any feelings. I will name it (i.e. There seems to be some resistance here. What’s that about? What do we need more of? Less of?).
·      Ask – what does the group want?

How do you determine and design group activities that connect with people? What advice do you have for group facilitators and leaders who are looking for process inspiration?

I look at a workshop like a journey. First, meet people where they are – meet and honour their current reality. Secondly, layer activities that add a slow stretch to that reality. For example, I might not include movement and music in the first part of the workshop as that might be a large stretch.  Thirdly, I look to see that the foundational skill sets and values of Remembering to Playare present in the workshop activities. For example, one of the values is to “Be Present”, so I will choose activities that reflect “Being Present”.

Designing workshops is like creating stepping stones across a river. I could stand on one end of the water and point to the other side while people stand at the edge OR we can slowly lay out different sized stepping stones as the learning and growing unfolds. We can co-create, chisel, space out the steps and consider how strong the current is.  People will cross to the other side in their own way and contribute every step of the way.

Creativity is a big part of my process. For me, creativity is opening up to something bigger than self. It is new ideas and possibilities combined with education. I balance ideas and structures with things people can hold onto.

What personally brings you a “sense of community”?

·      People close by that I connect with on a spontaneous level while being authentic and real.
·      A sense of community comes with safety, nearby nature, knowing the people in my neighbourhood and delighting in running into them on the street.
·      I look at the harmony of a community and for me this comes with intimate connection between people, intimate connection within infrastructures, and intimate connection between products and intentions of the stores and services within my community. My values are embodied by what surrounds me.

 How can people who are working together in communities with a focus on the early years relate to the workshops and services you offer?

Many early childhood educators relate to the co-created learning principles of Remembering to Play. We co-create in a workshop just like an early childhood educator might co-create with children in a Reggio Emilia approach. People working in the early years love children and they love play. On some level people may be called to their work as a part of their own healing and growth – Remembering to Playadds to this healing and growth.

What currently has you jazzed up in your work? What is your focus moving forward?

I am expanding, reaching and teaching into further parts of Canada. I would love to expand into Europe and engage in more public workshops.

My focus moving forward is to refine, add to and deepen what I am learning about PLAY. I am the #1 student of Remembering to Play– it is my own path of healing and growth. I am teaching what I need to learn and I am good at it! I am fascinated by how much play is not just an activity but a way of living, being and co-creating. My workshops are about not working so seriously hard, they are about subverting the norms and shaking people out of monotony and routines. It’s a place where PLAY TRUMPS WORK!

To experience the spirit of PLAY with your group - contact Vince at:
  Vince Gowmon, CPCC, BBA
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach
Remembering to Play Events
http://www.rememberingtoplay.com
Off:  604-566-0868  Cell:  778-990-0868  Fax:  604-566-3880

RTV # 37 - Extra, extra..read all about it

A Year of Raising the Village - Week 37 - Extra, extra...read all about it


 We live in an age that media has a massive influence on what we focus on, talk about and believe. Isn't it fascinating what make the news?  Some days there is "scratch your head and wonder" kind of content - and other times there is emotion filled and paradigm shifting information.

Community groups can do an environmental scan of "what's making the news" and how it relates to the topic/issue/concern at hand.  Is your group focused on the early years, parenting, child rights, poverty, literacy or [insert your topic here]? Whatever your focus, try the following group activity to broaden perspectives about your issue by connecting it with hot topics in the media. You never know, it may also help find new partners or drum up some innovative community action!

What's worked for us:
Take a copy of a newspaper,  we use different sections of a big paper or the main sections of several different newspapers. You will get a slightly different flavour by choosing either local, big city and even foreign papers.

Have small groups cut out and paste their chosen articles onto flip chart paper and explore and record what ways they can connect the News with your community building focus.

Go beyond the obvious!! For example an article about prisons has an important connection with the early years. Related issues include prevention, resiliency, education, parent support and child protection.

Ask questions such as:

• what is going on in the news that provides a different perspective on community?
• do common themes emerge from this activity?

You can also find this activity in our book (pg 40), Raising the Village.  ***Our e-book Action-guide Series will be ready soon. There will be 4 books, all filled with our absolute favourite group activities along the following themes;

1. Dealing with Data
2. Village Raising Strategies
3. Projects from idea to evaluation
4. Sustaining your group and your work

 Stay tuned!

RTV #31 - Find What Binds You!

A Year of Raising the Village: Week #31: Find What Binds US Together!

What binds us together?

Great question to ask when making summer time S’mores or a great question to ask a team, organization or group when they want to find out what the glue is that holds them together. Often the bind is found in a common purpose or cause that each person finds relevant on an individual or collective level. Once this is found, people tend to reach out to include others in the common cause (much like the marshmallow working with the tasty duo of wafers and chocolate).

In his book Exploiting Chaos: 150 ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change, Jeremy Gutsche talks about engaging people with four levels of messages and impact. This ultimately leads to the change we seek.

The four levels of impact are at the:

1. Functional level: directs people what to do (i.e. don’t litter)
2. Incentive level: offers a compelling reason (if you litter you will be fined or we will reward people who report littering)
3. Emotional level: helps people remember your cause – keep the memory of your message alive. (Connect the emotions via a story or describe the personal impact that litter has).
4. Cultural level: goes beyond being remembered and gets to the actual action, engagement and change. This includes getting to know your stakeholder view intimately (i.e. in Texas they trademarked a slogan “Don’t mess with Texas” which appealed to the people living there - reducing litter by a whopping 72% over five years. 10-15% was originally projected as an ambitious target).

A cultural connection becomes a reflection of your group’s lifestyle. It aligns with the identity and beliefs of the people you are working with. What you create and what you offer speaks WITH people (not at) and empowers people to use their own voice to forward the movement. It binds you together with one common and compelling vision and helps people champion your work. And in the case of S’mores...it’s a delicious and satisfying blend of oozy-gooey goodness!

Like this? Post your comment here, or give it the juicy thumbs up on the RTV facebook or twitter page. Help Raising the Village become a tasty cultural connection!

Village Raising Question: What binds you with community and has you get involved?

RTV #14 Embrace Change. Spark Change

A Year of Raising the Village - Week #14. Be the change you wish to see!

Einstein said that we can't solve problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. That means that if we want to see change we have to change ourselves. Change isn't easy for many people. (that is probably an understatement!) As a village raiser, we have the opportunity to set an example by being agents of change. Carla Rieger, a Vancouver based "creativity catalyst" (http://www.artistryofchange.com/) recently shared her top 3 practices in what she describes as the artistry of change.


Choose your attitude.
Fish! (by Stephen Lundin) also does a great job outlining how attitude is all about choice. Feelings are things we can't control, but when it comes to how we approach and respond to situations - we are in the driver's seat. Ask yourself: what attitude are you choosing right now? What attitude do you want in your life more often? What attitude do you want to model in your home, workplace, neighbourhood and community? What attitude will it take to raise the village?


Let go and lean into problems.
Rieger suggests that if the roller coaster of life starts to go downhill, act as if you are confident about dealing with the situation until you also feel confident. It's a "fake it until you make it" or "think it and you'll be it" scenario. Actions and feelings are intertwined. Psychology suggests that the brain tells the body how to feel and then the body acts accordingly. As the roller coaster starts going downhill, pry your white knuckles off the bar, lean into the rapid change in altitude and FEEL (don't resist) the thrill. Recently, a group of innovative village raisers came together getting ready for ACTION! They had talked and explored and researched and were narrowing in on a project that had some exciting potential. The closer the group got to making a decision, people resisted, hesitated and pulled back with increasing force, Rieger calls these folks change-challenged. Take her quiz to find out if you are change-challenged or a change artist - and LEAN in.

Think in possibilities.
Creative thinking can be learned and practiced. Books (and apps) are filled with brain games to generate ideas, create new opportunities and improve old products or processes. Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko is just one resource that we use to break out of traditional patterns of thinking and play around in the innovation sandbox. Gamestorming by Gray, Brown and Mucanufo is another one that has tools for groups. Ask "what if" more often.

Ghandi said be the change you want to see. Can't argue with that! Einstein and Ghandi were pretty smart and both changed the world!

Related blogs:
Take the Change-agent Challenge
Be a Mischief-maker


Village Raising Question: What's the change you are going to be?

RTV # 7- HAVE IMPACT! Support ART as a catalyst for change!

photo copyright- T. Dewar

A year of Raising the Village. Week #7





...Have you considered art as a way to express and support the social change you wish to see?

Historically the arts have been a catalyst for social change and personal and collective expression. Here are two examples that will surely have you reaching for your paintbrush...and asking your neighbour to do the same!

Melanie Schambach is an artist, facilitator and activist who brings people together to capture their voice, passions and social concerns through art. http://www.melanieschambach.com

Arts on the Ave Edmonton Society is a non-profit, community based, grassroots initiative engaged in developing a sector of their community into an arts district. At its core, Arts on the Ave believes in cultivating artistic fellowship through arts celebrations, signature art festivals, and traditions.

http://www.artsontheave.org or http://www.theavenuemovie.com

Village Raising Tip: Consider the impact art can have on your community! Bring together children, youth, and community groups to foster their collective community leadership and unique brand of creativity!