On Friday 6th October, we ran a workshop than was unlike many other workshops. The idea was to take people on a journey that would have them experience 10,000 years of human consciousness. The framework was loosely based on the principles outlined in Frederick Laloux’s book – Reinventing Organisations and the theory of Spiral Dynamics. The main premise is this: organisations change as human consciousness evolves. And what we are seeing now is a step change in new ways of being.
30 participants showed up – excited, nervous, curious, most were not entirely clear about what they had got themselves into; however all were responding to a yearning for a different conversation about how we come to work, organise ourselves, find meaning and fulfilment in our effort and direction; dare I say, deep down, a yearning to exist from a more soulful place.
10,000 years of human consciousness is not something you talk about, it is something that you need to feel – so our workshop was primarily experiential using the magic of music to take us through the five major phases in human consciousness. The idea was for us to recognise and experience all these different levels of consciousness and reflect on how these show up for us as individuals, in our relationship and our larger communities.
So what does this have to do with leadership?
As part of the process, we explored the pros and cons of having these different levels of consciousness show up in us and our offices – what was the impact of having an autocratic leadership, of having a family style of working, of being institutionalised or valuing above all else competition.
The learning is immediately clear – that there needs to be a balance. Too much or two little of any phase creates obvious dysfunction; perhaps the ultimate insight is that if you want your organisation to evolve to an entirely new level of being, you need to be aware of and integrate all the previous phases.
If you are curious, come and join our workshop (November 8th, 2019) in London. This is not a subject for words, it is learning that comes from a deep intelligence in our bodies and emotions. We leave our heads at the door. In the words of the previous participants:
“Fantastic, transformative, intense, fabulous.”
“Extraordinarily positive”.
“An experience like no other which helped me to connect with my own deep humanity and that of others”.
Written by Kairos Assocoate – Peter Baily
