“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.”
~ Alice Waters
“The best way to do ourselves good is to be doing good to others; the best way to gather is to scatter.”
~ Thomas Brooks
“That is always our problem, not how to get control of people, but how all together we can get control of a situation.”
~ Mary Parker Follett
I’ve attend a few ‘gatherings’ in the past few weeks. A 1st birthday party, a knitting group, a leadership meeting, a yoga circle … to name a few. I am struck by the similarities and the differences all at once.
The similarity for me is always the daunting challenge of a group. Will I find my voice, will I speak my truth, will I welcome differences, will I practice tolerance and compassion, will I show up with honesty, will I navigate the group with grace, will I find my place. In my positions of leadership, I was always challenged by a group. And the greatest gift of that challenge was the differences I could see and feel in each experience. And most importantly the challenge to do the right thing by what I could see and feel from the ‘gathering.’
The daunting nature of a gathering, for me, gratefully meant I didn’t need to find all the answers by myself. I could gather for inspiration. Answers are found in any gathering.
BMG believes in shared leadership and the critical need to gather and find shared wisdom.
Written by Deborah Lavender, BMG Senior Consultant
Photo Copyright: szefei, www.123rf.com
