Slow Connected Time

There’s a common attitude in western society: “time is money.”  When planning, most time-bound organisations default to a simple 1-to-3-day process, which they think is all they can afford.  Time and money are scarce.  The desire for "things to work out" and to “find solutions” often results in a preference for a clear action plan to lead the way. In my experience, 1-to-3 days of action planning is the accepted norm. 

I have seen this approach fail all too often.  

And yet, I have had difficulty encouraging an alternative (or even the opposite) approach which would require more "slow connected time."  Such an approach, with an interpersonal focus, would take the time to co-create a new culture.  More slow connected time would allow processes to unfold, and would begin to build a stronger organisational foundation.  

By empowering and supporting team members, as well as the linkages between members, our Culture Gardening supports dynamic leadership environments where authority is distributed throughout the whole.

When organisations bring awareness to strengthening interpersonal skills, like clean communication and feedback channels, information can better flow among team members, supporting and even enriching the organisation.  This promotes a dynamically egalitarian environment where authority is distributed among empowered team members, and ‘emergent wisdom’ can truly arise, since team members feel skillful and connected, enabling the organisation to achieve its mission more effectively. 

Over the years, I have come to understand this experientially.  I began looking for ways to integrate these sort of cultural practices into the community development projects I was working with.  This led me to the more theoretical work of various thought leaders like Marshall Rosenberg, Tom Daly & Jeffrey Duvall, Linda Kohanov, Joseph Raelin, Mukara Meredith, Joanna Macy, and Charles Eisenstein.

My work with people is inspired by my experience in Natural Horsemanship which teaches ways to sense & respond by embodying practices in non-verbal cues, creating a supportive environment for effective group leadership.

I believe the new normal of the 21st century will be “slow connected time” partnered with action planning.  At Culture Garden, we have begun calling this Awakened & Embodied Strategic Planning. 

What would it mean for your group to plan from slow connected time?