#008: Thinking collaborations and relationships
Hello friends
Collaboration and relationships are on our minds yet again (confession: they always are) as we’re working on our first Leading Together event next month: Growing and developing collaborative leadership practice. There are still places available if you haven’t yet booked including a few reduced price places too. We’re written a work-in-progress blog about the collaboration toolkit, created around the collaboration model created by Dr Jo James following the North East Together Collaboration action fund projects a couple of years ago.
As well as the ‘about’, the subject, of collaboration we’re very much in the ‘doing’ of collaboration too…working with others to secure more reduced price places for Leading Together for youth organisations via North East Youth Alliance and members of Thriving Communities social prescribers network via NASP, and with Newcastle University Business School people on the event itself. We’re also starting an exciting year-long piece of work with VCSE organisation leaders with the ambition to change how collaboration happens in their patch. And as collaborations can only happen with relationships, one of the first things we’ll do on day 1 is explore how we each connect, to show and explore our existing relationships…likely with the help of wool.
And thinking about how we collaborate and build relationships at a completely different scale, we’ve created a community of practice alongside our Leader and manager as coach programme, which learners can join and come along to a couple of short community of practice events a year. This example of collaboration and relationships in action is learning from peers, where we explicitly value the contributions we can each bring, our knowledge and experience, and provide space for leaders to reflect on their coaching practice.
Leading, together: Growing and developing collaborative leadership practice
A one-day event for North East Together members and others to grow and develop collaborative leadership practice in the north east. Together we’ll build on and explore what we (NET members) have created in whole network events, learn from others, and create new tools and understanding. We’ll be looking to move from theory to practice together, and each leave with an understanding of our collaborative leadership strengths and a plan for what we need to develop and how we might do this.
The event will run 9:30–16:30, Wednesday 23 March 2022 at the Partners Room, Newcastle University Business School. Each place costs £125, with a small number of supported places at £65.
If you are as committed to effective collaboration as we are, then this is the event for you — come join us.
Leader and manager as coach
A one-day training programme for leaders and managers to develop coaching skills using coaching models including OSCAR to drive high performance through developing accountability and responsibility in individuals and teams. Our two dates this year are 26 May and 19 October. We hope you can join us.
Things we like
01 Read: Storytelling for system change
Thea Snow shares some thoughts about how we tell stories in a way which frames the system and transformation and the Storytelling for system change resource
02 Read: How can we best organise for change?
The Futures Centre series of four exploring the future of how we govern and organise is work a read. The first asks How can we best organise for change?
03 Listen: Bridges to the future
The RSA’s Bridges to the future podcast Lessons in leadership mini series is now available including contributions from Sir Michael Barber, Pia Sinha and Sir David Bell.
04 Watch: Anne Lamott’s bird by bird story
Anne Lamott talks with Tim Ferriss about how to tame your inner critic and why perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor by telling her bird by bird story
What else is catching our eye?
This week, Collective Leadership Scotland is hosting Illuminating Leadership 2022, is a global online festival aiming to shed light on the benefits and opportunities, as well as challenges of collective, systems- and place-based leadership. Next week (and monthly), VONNE is hosting Going Green Together, peer support sessions to support VCSE organisations on our climate action journeys.
And finally…
…tiny dioramas by Tatsuya Tanaka
It’s March tomorrow. Where does the time go? Hope to see you at one of our events, programmes or for a coffee sometime soon.
Cheerio for now.
Stephanie, Robert, Cath, Duncan and Marie
PS If you’d like to get this by email, join the Sowing Seeds mailing list.
