On October 11, 2023, RRU will be hosting an Alumni event on the topic of Renewing Vibrancy and Connection in the Workplace and Beyond.
About the Theme
As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic stretch on and people in the workplace are facing
lowered morale, burnout, “quiet quitting”, increased mental health concerns, staffing shortages, backlog, economic upheaval, global insecurity, climate anxiety, employee turnover, and disengagement—not to mention calls for decolonization and greater equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion, often in hybrid or remote work contexts—the need to create thriving organizations with healthy organizational cultures has never been stronger.
In discussing these issues faced by many organizations, the event planning team was inspired to create an opportunity to bring people together to generate ideas about how we can renew vibrancy and connection in the workplace and beyond.
Two Certainties
Amidst all this uncertainty, there are two things we know for certain:
- We need to radically reimagine how we engage with one another, the Earth, and ourselves. During my own Master’s degree I had a Professor (Dr. William Rees) who kept a sign on his door that read: “Unless we change directions, we’ll end up where we’re going.” His wisdom rings true to this day. Our current way of being has brought us to this time of polycrisis. Unless we do things differently, we can’t expect different results.
- Leadership is not a solitary activity. We know that none of us can address these issues alone. We need one another.
Six Interconnected Questions
In addition to these two certainties, I propose at least six interconnected topics that merit further consideration:
- How might we change our relationship with time? There is so much urgency to act, yet this same sense of urgency is pushing many of us to operate at an unsustainable pace. Since the urgent issues aren’t going anywhere, we might somehow need to alter our perspective.
- How might we become more deeply present in our relationships and interactions? Not only has technology exacerbated the speed at which we operate, it can also serve as a distraction.
- How might we learn to listen more actively, especially across differences? Increased polarization is taking root and proving dangerous. Instead of becoming more deeply entrenched in our perspectives, is there any space to hear one another just a little better?
- How might we learn to make true amends? Have you ever received an apology, then noticed that the behaviour didn’t change? Have you ever given this kind of apology? In this era of reconciliation and reckoning, we have many opportunities to practice doing better.
- How might we practice increased rest? When was the last time you felt truly energized, rested, and vibrant? The topics above (time, presence, listening, and capacity to face our own errors and shame) all require a certain amount of energy. It is difficult to muster this energy when we are exhausted. Rest is healing; yet rest can be understood as a privilege. Ultimately, as Tricia Hersey says, rest is resistance.
- Finally, how can we tap into greater experiences of joy? Joy moves beyond short-term gain and into a more sustained way of being in the world. A focus on joy does not ignore, brush over, or exclude humans’ experience of pain; it can both include and transcend pain. Aida Mariam Davis of Decolonize Design advocates for “joy” in her work to promote Belonging, Dignity, and Justice (soon to include joy in the acronym: BDJJ) because many populations are structurally excluded from experiencing joy. How might the world transform if more people could tune into joy’s potential?
I hope you can join us on October 11th to expand this conversation.
Gratitude
Thanks to the organizing team for this event: Jen Smith, Ariana Kingerski, Andrea Torres-Lopez, Andrea Proske, Sherry Richards, and Niels Agger-Gupta.
And thank you to Ave Maria Beltran, Jen Archer, and Shawn Holmes for introducing me to Tricia Hersey and Aida Davis.
Photo Credit
Photo by Pathum Danthanarayana on Unsplash