CREATING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

 
"Just being there for others and to listen to them is one of the most important capacities a leader can have. It calls forth the best in people by allowing them to express what is within them. If someone listens to me say what I am feeling, then my feelings are given substance and direction and I can act." Joseph Jaworski, from Synchronicity The Inner Path of Leadership"
 

Why Circle?

"From time to time, (the) tribe (gathered) in a a circle. They just talked and talked and talked, apparently to no purpose. They made no decision. There was no leader. And everybody could participate. They may have been wise men or wise women who were listened to a bit more - the older ones - but everybody could talk.
The meeting went on, until it finally seemed to stop for no reason at all and the group dispersed. Yet after that, everybody seemed to know what to do, because they understood each other so well. Then they could get together in smaller groups and do something or decide things."
(David Bohm as cited by Joseph Jaworski from Synchronicity,The Inner Path of Leadership)
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What is the Circle Way?

It is a way of being in the world.

It is a structure for deep conversations and wise outcomes.

A growing movement of global practice.

A methodology founded by Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea

 

 

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Where circle comes from?

  • Circle started around the cook fires of humanity's ancestors and has accompanied us ever since.
  • We remember this space.
  • When we listen, we speak more thoughtfully and we lean into shared purpose.

circle components

  • Intention
  • Welcome - Start Point
  • Setting Center & Check In
  • Agreements
  • 3 Principles & 3 Practices
  • Guardian of the Process
  • Check out & Farewell

Circle at work

  •  The Circle Way gathers people into a circular shape with participants at the rim and the purpose is in the center.
  • Each person has a voice and everyone can see and hear one another.
  • Social agreements & practices help facilitate respectful conversation.
  • Circle supports a leader in every chair        

About Sharon

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It all started in 2000 when...

I was a learner in the Masters of Leadership program at Royal Roads University and Christina Baldwin the author of "Calling the Circle" was speaking to the cohort about circle process in the world. Her stories about this ancient lineage struck a cord and circle has become a way of being for me in the world. I have hosted circle in a variety of environments in healthcare, communities, woman's gathering in my local community, conferences, retreats, and learning circles to gather qualitative data for research. Over time my work has become practicing, coaching and teaching circle. As a host and facilitator I use other processes as needed to support this work. 

A little more background....

In 2006 I left the Ontario Nurses' Association after serving nurses for 18 years in a variety of capacities from:

  • Manager Organizational Learning & Development
  • Lead Project Manager and Meeting Designer for conventions and provincial leadership meetings
  • Team Manager for Regional Staff Team of 30 
  • Board Member of the Municipal Health and Safety Association for 12 years while working at ONA
  • Seconded to the project team for the Union's Organizational Transformation 
  • Coordinator of bargaining for Public Health Nurses in Ontario
  • Front line Negotiator & Labour Relations Office
  • Registered Nurse at Lyndhurst Hospital for Spinal Cord Rehabilitation for 12 years before working with the union
 
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The meaning of Life is to find your gift & give it away!

 

 

 
 

What I do

I work with individuals, teams, leaders and organizations in building capacity to thrive in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty

I host and teach circle based processes that:

  • Creates a space for leadership growth and development 
  • Allows for deep dialogue enhancing deeper listening
  • Helps people make wise decisions that lead to action
  • To build collaborative relationships in communities and workplaces
  • Helps people discover the questions and answers they already hold with in themselves

 

My Guiding Principles

 
  • That conflict and disruptions in groups/teams are opportunities to listen deeply 
  • That listening with curiosity and discernment opens an energetic space for story to emerge
  • That often we only need to listen to help people find the answers to their questions
  • That questions are the journey
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  • That there is a inner longing in all of us to be heard
  • That our differences enrich our experience and help us make wise decisions
  • That leadership is held by all of us and is not the sole responsibility of one person
  • That story is how we best share and remember our lived experience
  • That it is key to acknowledge that shadow is always present in any circle
  • That we are the designers of our lives whether we are aware or not
  • That building collaborative relationships creates opportunity for strong communities to emerge
  • That learning is a life long journey and sharing our learning teaches how much we can still learn