Originally sent on April 18, 2023

Photo credits: Barb Bickford, Mike McCarthy

Hi Barb,

“Crack! ssssss-CRASH”

It was 2:30 AM, and the wind was slapping snow against our windows. The crash sounded like it was right behind our house.  

It was a tree, one of many mature pine trees we lost that night (4/1/2023). Twelve to be exact.

Rather than feeling afraid about trees falling on our house and shed, I lay awake musing about how destruction is a part of the cycle of life. (Maybe I’ve been doing too many Ecocycles lately!)

Those of us who are leaders can benefit from “creative destruction” of things that are no longer viable for us and our teams.  But sometimes it’s hard to recognize and admit what needs to end.

Would you like to be able to quickly be able to size up a project and decide what to do next?  

If so, join me on Tuesday, May 9th at 12 noon central time (1 EDT/ 10 PDT) for a free hands-on workshop “Grow and let go!” to enable you to examine something in your life where you feel stuck.  You may see how losing one thing can help nurture something else.  

Hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Barb Bickford

PS -- for more on the trees that fell down behind our house, see this blog post.

If an event has already occurred, the links in this email may not work. Questions? Contact Barb.

Grow and let go! workshop

Living things – including projects and organizations – are in a constant flow of growth and renewal. The Ecocycle can help you view, organize, and prioritize what you are doing now and identify obstacles and opportunities for progress.

In less than 90 minutes, you can see the big picture and choose next steps, including what to let go of.

Sign up here for this free 90 minute workshop. Tuesday, May 9 at 12 noon Central Time (1 EDT/ 10 PDT)

Note: This is a workshop, not a sales webinar.  It will NOT be recorded. Feel free to share this event with your team or friends. Sign up now!

Liberating structures unpacked

Anna Jackson and Fisher Qua run events online featuring Liberating Structures. These are always fun and informative! Check out their offerings for 2023. Some have fees, some do not.

Liberating structures immersion event

Lee Gimpel offers two-day introductions to Liberating Structures, live in Washington, DC. These hands-on trainings are great for leaders, managers, educators, consultants and community/event organizers.  Sign up to be notified of future immersion events.

Recent Blog posts

-- Loss in the woods
-- Feeling stuck? Ecocycle can help
-- Use Ecocycle Planning to leverage what isn’t working

My current workshops and courses

Leaders can help groups process loss

When facilitating change, it’s important that leaders acknowledge what has happened. Then, they can help their groups to process the loss and to access relationships and resources for moving forward.

To help your group reflect on changes or loss, try a short journaling activity.*

 1. Invite each participant to take a sheet of paper and draw a very slow, tight spiral on it. (3 minutes)

 2. Ask a reflective question and give people a few minutes to write their answers to it. (2-4 minutes per question). Then ask the next question. Prompts or questions you might ask are:

-- “Yes, it is true that...” 
-- “It is hard because....” 
-- “I will always remember and never forget...” 
-- “Now that I have considered this loss, it may be possible to...”

3. After your group has answered all four questions, ask them to pair off and share their answers. They can share as much or as little as they like. (5-10 minutes)

4. Invite people to share in the large group. You (or a leader in the group) should go first in order to model vulnerability, brevity and a willingness to ask for help. (5-10 minutes) Your prompt for this may be:

-- How has the loss or change affected you (this group)?
-- What do you (we) need now to move forward? 
-- What resources do we have that can help us?

Altogether, this activity can take 20 to 60 minutes. In my experience, this is time well spent. It allows people to find and access social support for themselves and the group as a whole, which in turn will help individuals and the whole group move forward.

*Based on the Spiral Journal, a Liberating Structure in development, which was inspired by Lynda J. Barry.

Want more tips? Access Ten Tips to Foster Online Engagement.

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