How to foster genuine collaboration in a competitive and transactional world?
BY FLOR GARCÍA MENCOS / TRANSLATED BY GEOFF WATSON
The Circula Center for Restorative Leadership started since 2012 as a leadership partnership whose purpose is to train leaders of social organizations. For more than a decade, in the Circula Community, we have experienced collaborations that amplify the impact of the work of individuals and organizations. In these lines we share some of those stories and the learnings they leave us with.
I have been seeing these interactions for 12 years, literally every day! and I can only feel honored to witness and be part of the community life of this group of leaders in a completely organic, selfless and often vulnerable way. Often there are no requests, only appreciation, greetings, exchange of photos that celebrate that two members of the community met in some workshop, in some territory and share it for the enjoyment of knowing that they are valued and recognized for who they are, in a supportive and safe space.
How is it possible to nurture effective and sustainable collaboration in a competitive and transactional world?
Clear common purpose: Now that the Circula Community has over 400 people interacting, both graduates of the Organizational and Community Leadership program and the Restorative Justice and Internship program, it is complex for everyone to know everyone else. However, they all have one certainty: they are agents of change.
Collaboration requires respect and trust: part of our consistent practices are the establishment of agreements, stated collective values and speaking the truth with courage and respect. This is how we navigate diversity. The trust that unites this broad and growing group could not have been synthesized in one event; they are communities that have shared similar experiences in the deep processes in which they have participated.
Sense of Community: it is difficult to describe what it feels like to experience being in community, when you know you belong. It has an intimate root of human connection that develops unhurriedly. There is an implicit mutual respect derived from peer-to-peer recognition.
The very notion of community challenges models in which the technique of connecting with others, the elevator pitch, the best possible impression, ultimately limits genuine and lasting connections. In community, you belong simply because of the value you have, you are always welcome and that is a truism for every person in the collectivity they have chosen to stay in for so many years.
We can replicate this sense in the organization, in the school, in the family, in the social collectivities and trust that we know from the collective memory of our own culture, how to walk together and together.
Success stories from the circula community
Naty is a sociologist and leads an organization focused on migration. For the development of a project, she was trying to establish direct connections with municipalities in three departments in the Oriente.
The search seemed fruitless, but she still had one resource she knows she can always fall back on: relying on colleagues and friends with whom she is part of a community of leadership and collaboration.
Within hours, she had direct contacts and specific recommendations to advance her work. In fact, she arranged to meet with William, one of the leaders who supported her and who would be on hand to greet her when she arrived in his territory so they could spend some time together.
The impact of this story goes far beyond Naty, William and the other leaders who supported her, because her work has an impact on migrants and the impact of her work has led different agencies to adopt a humanitarian approach.
One leader confided to the leadership and collaboration community that one of her colleagues passed away and the family needed notary procedures for which they did not have the resources. “Dear Community, I would like to know if you know of a lawyer who can support.” She received this answer: “I will gladly be at your disposal, this is my number, I am in Chimaltenango. Tell them to contact me.
A restorative practitioner says: “Today I am looking for the support and the eyes of the Collective!”. She was designing a dialogue circle to deal with a family case and asked for help by reading the script she developed and offering comments or suggestions. Support was not long in coming, and she was able to finish her design, several were able to put their skills into practice, and the family received thoughtful accompaniment.
“Every group has enough collective wisdom to solve its problems, as long as there is a safe space for each and every one to express their deepest truths.” -Kay Pranis
Flor García Mencos, clinical psychologist with a specialty in Neuromotor Integration and Trauma. She is an Executive Coach graduated from INCAE. She is a facilitator of dialogues from Non Violent Communication, by Bay NVC. Flor is an experienced trainer of Restorative Practices and Restorative Justice.
