Nurturing Culture
Community is the context for a new story – a story of intention, connection, alignment, and cooperation.
We help communitarians who struggle with creating resilient, collaborative relationships achieve the nourishing, vibrant, and reliable communities they’re looking for. We do this by helping our clients building a solid success foundation through applying
Through open communication, we support trusting and respectful relationships for meaningful interpersonal connection and a collaborative governance.
Rather than an ideal definition of community, we believe that true community is the collaborative result of our collective intention. We encourage the following key principles as a foundation to establish that intention and to nurture a cooperative culture.
Cultivating the relational environment is our primary emphasis when it comes to community building. In order for it to work in the real world, establishing intentional parameters and foundational components needs to come first.
Nurturing a cooperative culture is essential for effective community building. We are coming from a current culture that is built on separation, competition, and unconscious agreements. To create a community that works, we must cultivate a cooperative culture with
At the heart of collaboration is a paradigm shift towards nurturing a culture that is built on the foundation of the following key components.
Click Here to See a Full List of Our Services
Do-it-yourself (with consult option)
- Introduction to Community Living
- Introduction to Community Development
- Introduction to Nurturing a Cooperative Culture
- Project planning tools
- Vision, Mission, Aim, Values
- Canvas strategizers
- Marketing planner
- Marketing packet templates
- BoWe intro
- Sales flyer
- Culture
- Explore path
- Website
Project Consultation and/or Management
- Real estate search
- Due diligence
- Site design
- Permitting process
- Land development
- House design
- Permitting process
- Home construction
- Financial / Investor package
- Legal structures / documents
- Website design
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Local promotion
- Sales process
- Blueprint of We
- Decision making
- Community Building
Training
- Exploring Community Living
- Preparation
- Essentials
- Aging / Wellness
- Community Development Process
- Vision / People
- Place / Plan / Build
- Nurturing Cooperative Culture
- Heart / Foundation
- Circles / Practices / Tools
- Relational Tools
Relationship Design
Collaborative relationships require authenticity, self disclosure, and shared expectations. They require the cultivation of collaborative awareness, clarity of desire and motivation, and expression of the outcomes we desire. Collaborative relationships move beyond our preconceptions by opening to the co-creative possibilities.
Collaborative Intention & Relational Connection
Clear intention is a prerequisite for effective collaboration and is established through personal and relational awareness. Self-awareness is a prerequisite for collaboration, and collaborative awareness is a prerequisite for co-creative synergy.
Awareness requires the attitude of an observer – the ability to step back and observe without evaluation. It requires an inner journey to explore beliefs, emotions, intentions, assumptions, perceptions, needs, motivation, etc. It also requires the willingness to explore the inner world of others without judgment, as well as an understanding of the control issues and dysfunctional patterns we tend to gravitate toward in conflict.
.
Relational Alignment and Conscious Agreement
Interpersonal alignment is explored in self-disclosure as we share vision, values, and expectations. Collaboration is established in language by making implicit and explicit agreements. Transparency and agreement is the foundation that must be laid for relationships and organization to be built upon. Without setting clear agreements, we only have personal expectation and assumption to guide the process.
Participatory Decision Making & Collaborative Governance
Participatory decision making is another requirement for effective collaboration that embraces the competing perspectives, values, needs, and desires of everyone as a creative opportunity. It is built on the foundation of agreement and in the context of interpersonal awareness and conscious communication. Based on the values of equivalence and transparency, it is the dynamic process of a co-creative path.
Conflict Transformation
Conflict is where supposedly incompatible perspectives, values, needs, and desires compete for control. It is apparent in both our inner and outer world – internal and relational conflict often overwhelms our lives and the world we live in. Our orientation toward judgment and dysfunctional patterns fuels our fight or flight response.
Conflict can be a healthy part of life and is vital for empowerment. Successful collaboration embraces conflict in an attempt to meet the needs of everyone. In the context of collaboration, conflict can be transformed into win/win solutions that offer opportunities to heal.
Click Here to See a Full List of Our Services
Do-it-yourself (with consult option)
- Introduction to Community Living
- Introduction to Community Development
- Introduction to Nurturing a Cooperative Culture
- Project planning tools
- Vision, Mission, Aim, Values
- Canvas strategizers
- Marketing planner
- Marketing packet templates
- BoWe intro
- Sales flyer
- Culture
- Explore path
- Website
Project Consultation and/or Management
- Real estate search
- Due diligence
- Site design
- Permitting process
- Land development
- House design
- Permitting process
- Home construction
- Financial / Investor package
- Legal structures / documents
- Website design
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Local promotion
- Sales process
- Blueprint of We
- Decision making
- Community Building
Training
- Exploring Community Living
- Preparation
- Essentials
- Aging / Wellness
- Community Development Process
- Vision / People
- Place / Plan / Build
- Nurturing Cooperative Culture
- Heart / Foundation
- Circles / Practices / Tools
- Relational Tools
The Tools We Use
As in building a house, choosing and learning to use adequate tools helps to assure the desired results for collaborative projects.
The following is an introduction to some of the tools we use with clients for nurturing a cooperative culture.
Mindfulness & Heartfulness
Practicing mindfulness and heart/brain coherence helps to intentionally shift our energy from stress to peace, and to facilitate our personal and collective awareness. Studies in brain science and heart science clearly support practices that keep us present and grounded, while addressing the triggers of the past and the fear of the future.
The Institute of Heart Math has thoroughly tested the effects of “coherence” techniques on heart rate variability, brain wave patterns, and our electro-magnetic field. For an introduction to HeartMath, try the Quick Coherence Technique and, for more information, visit their website at: www.heartmath.org
Emotional Intelligence
The study of emotional intelligence focuses on the four areas of emotional awareness, self-management, relational awareness, and relational management. Studies have indicated that individual growth in these areas supports internal well-being, healthy relationships, and job satisfaction.
Talent Smart has been studying the effects of EQ in business, along with providing training and coaching services. Their book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a simple read and provides access to their assessment tools and growth strategies. For more information, visit their website at: www.talentsmart.com
Conscious Communication
Unconscious triggers and patterns often hinder effective communication skills. Incorporating a conscious communication practice can provide vital support to personal growth and deeper interpersonal connection. Practices of reflective listening and deep inquiry, along with authentic expression of feelings, needs, and values, helps to nurture empathy and provides a foundation for understanding and growth.
Visit the following websites for information and resources related to conscious communication:
Blueprint of We
Most of us come to relationships with our best foot forward, along with our personal baggage and a list of hidden expectations and assumptions. We often overlook serious considerations and don’t think about an intentional design for our relationship container.
The Blueprint of We takes communication and collaboration to the next level in establishing graceful agreements. It is a structured collaborative process for designing a co-creative blueprint for relationships. The Blueprint of We helps to lay a foundation for authenticity and ease as we co-create our story, disclose our styles, clarify our expectations, and establish a process to navigate conflict. For more information, visit the website: www.blueprintofwe.com
Sociocracy
Governance relates to organizational structure, leadership, empowerment, and decision-making. Whether conscious or not, every effort at collaboration operates within some form of governance structure. A co-creative living environment requires equivalence, transparency, and a participatory process for success. Along with communication, decision-making is a most crucial component of collaboration.
The process of Sociocracy provides a structural framework for empowering collaboration. Sociocracy is defined as “rule by the socios” (people who have a social relationship with each other) which is achieved through the principles of “creative self-organization” and “consent decision making”. After working in a variety of structures for group process, I have found Sociocracy to be most effective and efficient in organizing people and projects, facilitating meetings and solution-oriented decisions, and cultivating shared leadership. For more information, visit: www.sociocracy.info
Support Tools
There are a variety of support tools that further help facilitate effective collaboration. Some of these that I encourage include Appreciative Inquiry, The Empowerment Dynamic, The Work, Mediation, etc. More information about these and other collaborative tools can be found at www.acocreativepath.com. Check out our list of recommended books.
Step #1
Initial Consultation: Getting to know you and where you are at, particularly what’s working and what’s not with building community.
Step #2
Self-Exploration: Getting clear on who you are and what you want so you can look for and communicate about it.
Step #3
Resources & Tools: Guidance and recommendations on trusted sources and proven tools for getting out of your head and into community.
Step #4
Action Plan: Coaching and follow up for realistic and appropriate steps for exploring and co-creating a community that’s right for you.
Community Explorers
New to community? Maybe you're looking for the right one of you. Find the resources, tools, and direction you need.
Community Organizers
Do you have something of your own that you are building? Whether you're doing it on your own or with a group, the process can be daunting.
Community Developers
For developing residential properties into thriving, stable communities, get advice, resources, and coaching from people who have been there before.