Zebras that Dazzle: How Francesca Pick is organizing for a better world
Hi everyone, this is Linzi Fidelin, coming to you with another inspiring Zebra that Dazzles!
This month I spoke to Francesca Pick, who started her professional life working in the sharing economy space in 2012, and has a lot to say about why it’s so important that we face the topic of money head on. Join us in this conversation as she talks about how resilience is key to being a Zebra, and why the simplicity of a message was her calling to become a partner of Zebras Unite with her organization Greaterthan.
Hey Francesca. Tell us about your journey to becoming a Zebra.
My work in the field of systems change started with the sharing economy, and I started my career working at an organization called Ouishare, which is a network organization focused on building a collaborative society. Ouishare did a lot of experimentation on how to organize differently, and part of this work was creating gatherings for the ecosystem of thinkers and doers in the field. Nathan Schneider was one of the people that attended our annual festival regularly, and later I learnt about Zebras Unite through him.
I was immediately impressed with what I saw. Having been in this space for so long, it felt like Zebras Unite had built on a collective knowledge that had grown over time, and as a result had come up with a more mature version of what many of the network organizations were trying to do in this space. I found Zebras Unite’s clear and ambitious message hugely inspiring.
I am now a partner at Greaterthan, and we have so much in common with Zebras Unite. We support individuals and organizations that want to create new organizing structures and cultures to contribute towards more healthy systems for all. We work via 3 pillars; 1) professional services, which is where we accompany organizations as guides in their evolutions, 2) experiences, which is where we support individuals with their learning in this space through programs like our courses, and 3) in our “Lab”, which is Greaterthan itself as a self-organized collective, where we experiment with new practices, involving our wider network, to keep moving towards our ambitions.
The topic of money is also very present in our work, just like in Zebras Unite. And that’s something that I’ve noticed has been missing from this space for a long time. There are so many amazing organizations doing great work, but avoiding the topic of money and value distribution, and the power imbalances that are often connected to that. Zebras Unite has put this as a core part of their mission, which I think is crucial. Money is a reality of the current systems we live in, and avoiding it serves as a huge barrier to achieving our ambitions.
Greaterthan was also founded on the question of ‘how collaborative groups can deal with money better’. We tackle this topic all the time internally and with our clients. A good example is an initiative that we are stewarding along with others; Cobudget. This is an initiative that spun out of another organization I was working with; Enspiral, and is now its own cooperative. We have just relaunched the project it, and you can read a blog I wrote on why it matters here.
It sounds like you have been doing some incredible work. What have you learnt about yourself along the way?
I’m actually quite a careful person, and my decision making tends to be very considered, which can serve me well but also means that sometimes I find it harder to think super big. Since coming across Zebras Unite, and since having Mara Zepeda being a speaker on one of Greaterthan’s courses, I really got inspired by the courage to claim bigger ambitions and really start to believe that we can create huge change together. The boldness, and the unapologetic nature with which Zebras Unite shares the work has inspired me to be less afraid to take the same approach to my work.
That’s great. Thinking big can be scary — especially when we secretly know that we can achieve our biggest dreams! What do you think is the biggest challenge of being a Zebra?
I’ve found one of the biggest challenges for me is to be taken seriously by those in the ‘traditional world’ in my work. That may also be to do with being a young woman in this space. I’ve often had the experience of people being quite condescending about my ambitions. That links to another challenge that I believe is common for so many Zebras — the need to be resilient. Zebras Unite really helps with this in the sense that there’s now a group of peers to share the challenges with, because the task at hand is so big, so complex, and has so many moving parts, it can feel never ending. The problem we’re trying to solve is the problem that we’re feeling — how can we keep living our values when society keeps telling us that the status quo is easier. When the world is constantly pushing you to ‘choose the cheaper version’ regardless of the environmental impact for example, sometimes it feels like living your values in your work and life adds an extra weight that can easily lead to exhaustion and burnout, if you don’t have strong support systems around you.
I completely understand. So, imagine if you had a magic wand and your mission was achieved. Tell us what the world will look like then?
We’d already be operating in a new system. It would be a system where;
- Everyone has the opportunity to have a say in decisions that affect them
- Value is recognized and distributed in a healthy, regenerative way
- Caring relationships and human development thrive
- People express their creativity and entrepreneurialism and
- Everyone can step into their power and lead.
We’ve thought about this a lot at Greaterthan, so you can see all of this on our website.
I love it. And do you have a question for the Zebras Unite community?
Yes. I’d love to know what the one thing is that’s getting in the way of Zebra organizations achieving their goals, and that would really make a difference if solved.
Great question. Before we close, what other organizations would you like Zebras to know about?
Two amazing initiatives, both doing incredible things in the space of new ways or organizing :
And where can we find you?
You can always find me at Greaterthan, and also you can follow all of my work here.
Thank you so much Francesca, it’s been just wonderful speaking with you.
Thank you Linzi.
