By Simon Mhanna and originally published at The Moment
Part 1 is here.
An inside look at The Moment’s journey to unlock the full potential of self-management.
Getting Real with Teal
Over the past year we have invested, and continue to invest, a lot of time in hosting conversations, checking in on how we are as humans, and where we are on our individual journeys. We have established structures and behaviours that allow us to bring the whole person to work and to show up as a whole being at the workplace.
Here are some of the rituals in place at The Moment that help bring our Teal culture to life:
- We start every week with “Monday Launch”, a full team meeting where we sit together, check in as humans and discuss important issues that implicate the whole team.
- Every 4 months, we spend 2-5 working days to revisit our strategy and focus on internal work. We engage the team to align on our goals and build our internal structures.
- We also make a habit of eating lunch together on a daily basis. While it doesn’t always happen, it’s a ritual that most of us cherish and look forward to!
This time investment is considerable. An organization committing to this kind of transformation better be ready to embrace the cost associated with creating spaciousness for its team members to connect as individuals and reflect on their practices and learnings. An individual participating in this work better be ready to learn humility, show vulnerability, and listen deeply.
As we discuss our needs as individuals, and as a team and a business, ego and self-awareness continue to play a major role in facilitating and disrupting how we engage in challenging debates.
Change inevitably brings feelings of uncertainty. Sensing an unclear future is enough to create stress and sometimes leads to a feeling of a loss of control. Some people are more resistant to change than others.
However, when we anchor conversations in the core values of Teal, and remain true to the purpose we set out to fulfill, it helps increase our risk tolerance, optimism, and sense of self-actualization, among other factors.
We feel strongly in supporting the team in their journey by providing wellness benefits like Liminal Thinking, yoga studio memberships, and other services to help create a safety net and a means for coping with the demanding nature of change. Navigating uncertainty is a non-stop quest to tame the ego, concentrate on positive signs, and resist the impulses that set us off.
As The Moment grew, so too did the level of our organizational complexity. We have experienced moments of flocking but as new birds joined the flight, the dance needed to be re-choreographed. Everyday, new questions are raised, and context is changing both within and outside of The Moment.
For example, At The Moment, we believe that every time a new Momenteer joins us, we form a new team. In fact, every new team member brings an opportunity to improve and sparks the need to get crisper about our practices, rituals, and values to navigate self-management and the complexity of the systems around them.
Teal is about embracing change. Change is about embracing evolution.
So what’s the first step to building a Teal organization? Embrace change as a constant.
Tackling challenges requires an ample level of resilience and an adaptive mindset to rise above the constant fatigue generated by change. Teal organizations may be better equipped to support their employees and to unlock that next stage of resilience across the team.
Most leading organizations invest in providing some of their people opportunities to grow, through professional development opportunities and leadership training, which eventually enable them to take a seat behind the steering wheel.
In a self-managing system the organization must commit to nurturing a culture of continuous development and learning. In order to work as a management structure and unlock the benefits associated with going Teal, the organization and culture must be supported by opportunities and a desire to grow.
“The most exciting breakthroughs of the twenty-first century will not occur because of technology, but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human.”
– John Naisbitt
We’re continuing to experiment with, and re-design how, Teal shows up in our organization. From the early stages of bringing in actionable ideas, to navigating and redesigning the next stage of Teal, I’ve learned a few things. Any organization that embraces change and transitions to a new system of management faces the complex reality of its personal history, unique journey and composition of people and behaviours.
There’s no point in romanticising the concept of Teal in its absolute state. To become “purely Teal” may be a necessary goal to jumpstart the transformation journey – but when an organization engages with the reality of change it quickly reveals that it may be impossible or not sufficient to become “just” Teal.
Being Teal is highly dependent on the willingness and pace of its people to engage, grow their practice, and access its evolved state of consciousness.
With a curious mindset, the next steps become possible: begin an open exploration into the next stage of the evolutionary journey of self-management. Building on the core values of Teal might just equip you with the mindset and abilities to overcome challenges and nurture team resiliency.
Stay tuned for Part III of this series [at the original publication site] taking a look at the evolution of self-management practices inside The Moment: From Teal to “Holacracy.” We would love to hear your thoughts! Get in touch or read more about how we can partner together: Seeking Allies in Purposeful Innovation.
Repubished with permission.
Featured Image/graphic link and some paragraph spacing added by Enlivening Edge Magazine. Featured
