Tag: trust

Acknowledging NOW

Published on by Courtney Anne Wilson1 Comment

Recently my life took a change in direction, and I realised the importance of acknowledging NOW and appreciating the journey.

In early 2012, I said YES to the invitation from Elizabeth Ellames and joined the group of women to participate in a 12-month social synergy venture and learn a new way of contributing and collaborating.

For as long as I can remember I wanted to team up with people to make a difference. My heart’s desire is to shine the light and pathway towards unity.

As a Change Coach and Consultant, I know that people have a vast array of diverse characteristics. If we embrace those differences, knowing each has a unique and equal part to play in the larger whole, we will start to move together as one and co-create a world that is connected, cooperative, adaptable and a win for everyone.

The Unite Your Light New Style Leadership Program showed me that unity starts within us, our family, our community and then the world. As part of the United Projects Initiative, I envisioned teaming up with Elizabeth to co-create Cohesive Leadership for Change – an experiential training program to equip and empower women to take action on their life purpose and contribute to social change. Together, we invited Cherie and Lisa to join the team, which led towards the incorporation of NOW Leadership Inc. in 2015.

For 3 years I’ve been inspired by being a member of the NOW team because we demonstrated the power of collaboration and had the opportunity to support innovation and new style and collaborative leaders. I was honoured to be able to contribute my expertise, practice nature-based principles and work alongside three spirited, purposeful and committed women; with a focus on bringing together corporate and community through Social Business and Enterprise.

With gratitude and respect for the time and energy towards contributing, learning and growing together, it’s now time to move on.

As I walk forward to focus on my role at Innodev, with a mantra to “Rethink Everything”, spend time writing a book, Cultivate Connection, and finding new ways to support aligned causes, I reflect on the last three to seven years.

It has been a journey with many twists and turns, and one that has expanded my experience, resolve and resilience. Not to mention, one of discovery and empowerment.

The abundant gifts shared along the way include…

  • Connecting with like-hearted women
  • Harnessing the value of diversity
  • Listening to intuition and inspiration
  • Discovering truth and trust
  • Feeling the magic of authenticity
  • Supporting the community
  • Raising awareness and funding social change
  • Turning competition into cooperation
  • Practicing creative collaboration

Thank you to all the women, and men, that were part of this journey and those that will continue to be.

A huge thank you to Elizabeth, Cherie and Lisa. I wish you every success as you move forward with NOW Leadership Inc., blessed with the power of three.

And to all the strong, creative, brave and powerful women who are looking for support in developing their leadership and creating new opportunities for the world, check out www.nowleadershipinc.com

With love and a grateful heart for NOW,

Courtney ‘Co-Creator’ Wilson

m: +61 (0)417 107 888| e: courtney.connect@outlook.com

colours finish

Community-based protocol in Business

Published on by Courtney Anne WilsonLeave a comment

On a recent trip to Hawaii I became part of a new, diverse community; one that bonded over a shared interest and experience – the Molokai Hula Bliss and Huaka’i 2018.

It got me thinking…What makes a community? Why is community important? How can business benefit from community-based protocol?

What makes a community?

A community is built on relationships and can naturally form from one or many of the following ways:

  • Shared location – a city, a neighbourhood, a country e.g. I was born in Adelaide
  • Shared attribute – “I am _____” e.g. I am female or I am vegetarian
  • Shared lineage – birth, marriage or choice e.g. I am Australian, Scottish and German
  • Shared interest or passion -“I like _____” e.g. I like dancing or I like travelling
  • Shared action or practice – “”I do ______” e.g. I participate in social change conversations or I practice Change Management

But what makes a community?

In my experience, it’s commitment; and the level of commitment to sharing and to one another is what determines the strength and impact of that community.

In Hawaii, we made a commitment to not only learn but experience the traditional Hawaiian teachings and Aloha way of life and, in turn, we learnt about ourselves and each other.

Why is community important?

A community provides an opportunity for people to connect and belong. It’s also the mechanism for creating social norms. A community of action or practice, with a high level of commitment, even has the ability to develop self-managing and sustainable systems that enable us to keep working together towards a collective vision or goal.

In Hawaii, I connected with people from around Australia and the world. We developed a sense of belonging through a shared experience “We’ll always have Molokai!”.

At the beginning, we were given a set of simple rules – e.g. be on time. Throughout our experience, however, a set of social norms also started to develop, sourced from our own personal culture and from the teachings we were rediscovering. What I came to know, through this (and past) experience, was the importance of the following principles:

  • Invitation and Consent – from inviting someone into our personal head or heart space to inviting someone onto the land, our home or office. Upon entering, the act of checking in and asking for agreement; which in Hawaii could mean a specific chant or hymn. And upon leaving, giving thanks. Always showing respect for ourselves, one another and our surroundings.
  • Responsibility and Trust – taking ownership of our own contribution, actions, reactions and responses. It’s about creating a safe and secure environment, being reliable, keeping each other accountable and considering the needs of the group; knowing when it’s time to fill up our own cup so that it’s over flowing and we are able to contribute for the benefit of others.
  • Nature and Nurture – understanding the nature within us and the nature that surrounds us. Demonstrating care and compassion to what is and how this can grow or be destroyed – dependent upon our thoughts and actions and our ability to balance the needs of the people and the sustainability of natural resources.

As a group, we operated by a roster system that outlined what needed to be done, when and by who. The lesson here was to let go of control, remain flexible and trust the natural order of things to emerge and evolve. Inevitably circumstances and challenges present themselves that forces a change, and when you are in it together, committed, and following these three principles, emergence takes place and transformation occurs.

How can business benefit from community-based protocol?

A community has the power to

  • Cultivate respect and team effectiveness
  • Encourage contribution and participation, without force or control
  • Inspire ideas and innovation, without self-orientation
  • Support one another through challenging times and share the success

In business, we can benefit from community-based protocol. We are a community, after all! And it’s the elements of a community that I consider when applying the Triple S Planning© model:

  • Strategy – a focus point established by a shared or collective purpose, vision or goal
  • Synergy – the level of cohesive interaction created from social norms, values and principles
  • Systems – flexible and new ways of working developed by one another with one another

 

The essential catalyst being commitment – to the collective and for the greater good.

Close your eyes and imagine a community you know. What is the commonality? Is it a good feeling with a sense of safety and strength? Or does it give you a cold sense of uncertainty? What are the guiding principles? How do you work together? What is the level of commitment?

Consider these elements and go forth to strengthen your community or your tribe – it’s what we were born to do….

Courtney ‘Co-Creator’ Wilson

m: +61 (0)417 107 888| e: courtney.connect@outlook.com

colours finish

Turning Competition into Co-operation

Published on by Courtney Anne WilsonLeave a comment

There’s a lot of talk about COLLABORATION but what stops us, what gets in the way?

After some personal reflection, for me, it’s probably my competitive nature!

So here’s my top 3 tips for changing a mindset and turning COMPETITION into CO-OPERATION

Tip No. 1 – BUILD TRUST AND OPENNESS

Firstly learn to trust yourself, know what you stand for and then cultivate genuine connections with those who have aligned values, visions or passions; and when you do connect, take the time to create and commit to a collective vision. This provides brightness of the future and actually supports you to remain open and flexible to others input and ideas; making it a lot easier to co-operate and co-create the unexpected.

Tip No. 2 – DEMONSTRATE ADMIRATION TOWARDS OTHERS

It’s impossible to know or be everything; and it’s really important to remember we wouldn’t be who we are without the people that surround us. Remember the story, The Wizard of Oz? The lesson here is to know and master your capability, talent or skill and at the same time admire the diversity that others offer. We each bring a unique perspective that adds value; and together you will have everything you need.

Frequent interaction and admiration towards others is uplifting and motivating and it’s a must when co-operating, especially to keep our egos in check!

Tip No. 3 – BE INNOVATIVE

Rather than thinking about the resources you have, consider the resources you can access, together. Allow yourself to think outside the box; be provokable and ask the impossible questions that propels you into problem solving and kick starts and turbo charges your creativity. Rather than saying ‘I can’t’, start the sentence with ‘what if we can’…

So when you’re building trust and openness, demonstrating admiration towards others and being innovative; co-operation happens, synergy occurs and the magic of collaboration transforms us. What you come away with is something far greater than what one person could have achieved on their own; and that’s worth collaborating for!

Courtney ‘Co-Creator’ Wilson

m: +61 (0)417 107 888| e: courtney.connect@outlook.com

colours finish

What is the meaning of CONNECTION?

Published on by Courtney Anne WilsonLeave a comment

Such a great question, especially given my business name, but one that I’ve not fully explored in great depth, funnily enough, until now! Yet this simple question has given me so much more insight into the passion and vision of Cultivate Connections. It’s true what they say; sometimes it’s the simple things….

Here is what I discovered by asking the question:

“Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued” – Brene Browm

“What we are all striving for is authenticity, a spirit to spirit connection” – Oprah Winfrey

“Connection is bringing a value, emotion or quality to the surface and allowing it to create a “connection” with another, others or something of similar value, emotion or quality” – Elizabeth Ellames, Living Attributes

“Connection is when your energy and that of another(s) resonate enabling communication that is in rhythm with one another and has the ability to be a resounding influence on their situation, surrounds and other energies” – Alison Rogers, Pulse Advertising

“Connection is being present in the moment and being real enough to enter your heart space and express and receive communication from that place – a very powerful ingredient for unity” – Cherie Rowett, Heart Choice Enterprises

“Connection is sharing resonance…being in alignment with similar visions and goals and above all a Heart Connection” – Myriam Sampson, The H’Art of Living

Even Dictionary.com provided some valuable insight:

  • The act or state of connecting “The connection between cause and effect”
  • Association; relationship: “the connection between crime and poverty”
  • Anything that connects, joins or relates; link or bond
  • A circle of friends or associates or a member of such a circle
  • Association with or development of something observed, imagined, discussed, etc “I have a few thoughts in connection with your last remark”
  • A source of supply for goods, material, etc.,
  • A channel of communication.

Upon reflection, all I can say is that I certainly chose the right name for a business that promotes Active Team Building. Connection is what builds relationship and creates trust between people to enable collaboration, contribution and the co-creation of quality solutions. So next time you are collaborating or working in a Team, consider the CONNECTION;

Is the CONNECTION

  1. Authentic;
  2. Heart to heart;
  3. Fully present in the moment and
  4. Adding value?

Until next time, stay connected and as promised, stay tuned for opportunities to connect and collaborate in Brazil…

Courtney ‘Co-Creator’ Wilson

m: +61 (0)417 107 888| e: courtney.connect@outlook.com

colours finish

Do we practice Creative Collaboration?

Published on by Courtney Anne WilsonLeave a comment

After an amazing 3 week holiday in Brazil, February not only brought a time of reflection and relaxation but also surprising connections and opportunities abroad. And to top it all off, February concluded with the 2nd CC Event, where we continued to build relationship with one another while exploring The Circle of Collaboration©…. a tool to guide active team building through clarifying and aligning values and visions.

I will share more about my Brazilian connections and collaboration opportunities in my next post, so stay tuned.  Right now, I wanted to share the highlights of the February CC Event…

As we all continued to take networking to the next level, we opened our minds to what is possible and created trust amongst the group by discussing current issues and exploring ways to overcome them. It was very evident through the conversations that what we all valued authentic relationships at home and in the workplace – not only with others but also with ourselves. It simply reinforced that absolutely, without a doubt, building relationship and creating trust is the first step in establishing effective team work and reducing competition.

This finding fit in perfectly with the knowledge sharing of the morning. As we consider coming together to collaborate and co-create on projects, I encouraged a change in the way we think about and perceive Collaboration; to align with Creative Collaboration as opposed to the familiar ‘Corporate’ Collaboration so many of us are used to working within.

When we creatively collaborate we need to move from:

  • A hierarchy based approach that is directive in nature to a role based approach that fosters cooperation;
  • A profit driven venture that places higher importance on profit over people to a purpose driven venture that nurtures its people and honours their true value (which ultimately serves the bottom line because the truth is it’s the people who build the business and the profit);
  • An egocentric consumer focus that stays true to the old saying ‘What’s In It For Me’ (WIIFM) to an altruistic contribution focus aligning with a the new and improved saying, that I like to call, ‘What Can I Contribute’ (WCIC). In doing so, we overcome scarcity and add value through sharing knowledge.

Creative Collaboration is rewarding for everyone and the way forward for all workplaces, businesses and projects, alike. Furthermore, visualise Creative Collaboration as a way to becoming interdependent, like a collective community where each member has an important role to play in the whole, and we address and reduce the fear of losing autonomy and/or becoming co-dependent. Follow these 7 essential ingredients and achieve success through creative collaboration:

Ultimately we each need to make the COMMITMENT to ourselves, our role and the team; to creativity, diversity and sharing knowledge; and to contributing towards the collective vision!

This is what it will take for us to come together and purposefully #ActOnPassionsandVisions.

So the next time you find yourself teaming up with others, ask yourself do we practice Creative Collaboration? Consider these concepts and watch your team flourish!

The next CC Event will be held on Friday March 27th – I hope to see you there!!!!! Details coming soon…

You can also connect with the CC Community via the CC Page and/or CC Group on Facebook to contribute, share knowledge and participate in upcoming events.

Courtney ‘Co-Creator’ Wilson

m: +61 (0)417 107 888| e: courtney.connect@outlook.com

colours finish