By Julia Marczi for Enlivening Edge
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”~Benjamin Franklin
After months of online work and many hours of inspiring discussions in Google Hangouts, Teal for Startups was introduced to a live audience at the Integral European Conference. Interested, enthusiastic people joined our workshop to share their passion and ideas on Teal, and on how to leverage it for startups.
As a taster, our presentation offered some of the topics that keep us busy in the T4S community, and opened the space for brainstorming and co-thinking. The lively conversations and good vibes confirmed for us that the work we are doing is relevant—for sure! What’s more important, I was reminded that nothing compares to the power of real-time, in-person co-creation.
As Teal for Startups is growing organically, it is supposed to take its next steps toward its evolutionary purpose. One of these important next moves is going offline, taking the Teal idea out into the real world and starting to implement it.
That is why I recently set up a local meetup group in Berlin. Teal for Startups Berlin is one of the first offline chapters of the global T4S community. Its purpose is to foster the organic growth by closing the gap between offline and online, theory and practice.
My intention is to open up a safe space for practice where like-minded people can connect in person, sharing ideas and experiences and exploring how Teal works in reality. Obviously the group needs to work in a Teal way—self-organizing, showing up with our whole selves, and listening to what this initiative would like to become.
The kick-off meeting was a promising start.
Despite the great weather which is not usual in Berlin, the event was overbooked and a decent number of people showed up. Apart from the curiosity, enthusiasm and knowledge they brought, there was another clear intention expressed by many: practicing.
This confirmed to me that I am not alone in my need, and that there is a gap to be filled with groups of practice like this.
I love having insightful discussions about Teal; they help me greatly to learn and understand. However as a doer, after a while I start to miss the action part, the tangible experience which I think is crucial in the journey.
Similarly, as it was shown in the first meeting, an increasing number of people want to learn (more) about Teal, but the next question to follow is how can we put this into practice?
This aspect seems to be somewhat ignored. Spreading the word is an important mission and we need to keep doing it. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating—if we want the world to “go Teal,” we need to walk the talk, and make our own experiences with this new paradigm. We need to understand and feel what it really means in our human relations, in our attitudes, in our actions. And the best way to do it is to come together in physical spaces, and learn through real-time connecting and sharing.
OK, but how? Here is your to-do list
– Start to explore the Teal ecosystem in your city. If you have no clue, take a look at this great open-source project, it might give you a hint. Teal for Teal has also several offline hubs in different locations.
– Find like-minded people and reach out to them. For example, join Teal for Startups or a local group of Teal for Teal International. Or, again, check the Teal for Teal network. Other platforms like meetup.com also provide a great opportunity for finding interested folks.
– Find a place. It does not have to be fancy; all you need is a room with some chairs. and a table or wall to work on. Take a look around in your city and approach co-working spaces and like-minded companies. We were happy to be hosted by Agora, one of the coolest co-working spaces of Berlin. and last time by Journey2Creation, a innovative company which is on the learning journey itself.
– Organize a meeting by first setting your purpose: what do you want to get out of it? If you ponder this question, answers on the “how“ will come easily. Make sure you keep the event in a manageable frame and/or find co-hosts who can support you. Prepare an easy-to-follow format, leaving space and time for networking and mingling.
– Walk the talk and try to do it in a Teal way. Bring an open mind, open will and open heart, and involve people right from the star, in that. Try to be present with your whole personality, be open for what wants to emerge and let people participate and take initiatives based on their skills and passion.
– Well done. You can repeat now. 🙂
– If you happen to be based in Berlin, join our next meetup of the Teal for Startups Berlin group in the awesome office of Journey2creation and get inspired.
Teal is more than a new organizational paradigm. It is a way of operating, a stage of consciousness that starts at the personal level. Accordingly, going Teal does not require you to have an organization to transform. Going Teal starts with changing yourself first, with small practices of individuals and groups. It starts with me—and you. It starts with us. So let us come together, share what we have, and start doing.
Julia Marczi
I am a corporate renegade and an aspiring Social Entrepreneur with a background in Sociology and several years’ international experience in sales and interface roles. My vision is a more humane and conscious business world that helps to unfold human potential, serves society, and solves problems instead of increasing them. Driven by this purpose, I work on several projects, fostering the emergence of the next-generation business. Find me on LinkedIn.
