One of the things that resonated with me during our talk about non-hierarchical organization was the concept of fractals – that we should be asking, on the most essential level, which ways of being are we cultivating?

I like this framework because it emphasizes our process over our outcome. If the team achieves a desired ‘external’ outcome, yet fails to honour the terms of the community, is this not still failure?

In the same way, if our internal goals – our agreed methods of communication and responsibility – can be upheld throughout our time together, wouldn’t we have already succeeded, no matter how the outward-facing result is received?

It reminds me of setting achievable goals: you make benchmarks in the realm of personal control. Here, we are a collective dedicated to the integrity of a shared vision. I loved to see us dedicate so much time and energy to consider each perspective brought forward and seek to cultivate a direction in consensus.

To me, this means giving constant reflection on the most essential attention I am holding: can I listen to each idea in a way that seeks to understand why it is being considered and how it could look?

I went into the project with a list of values that I hoped our team would also seek to uphold:

  • Emphasizing Process over Outcome: are we focusing on how we work together and the cultivation of our desired ways of being?
  • Community-Centric Success: are we prioritizing honoring community terms and internal goals as measures of achievement?
  • Achievable Collective Goals: are we setting benchmarks within our control to uphold a shared vision?
  • Consensus-Driven Direction: are we considering all perspectives and cultivating consensus?
  • Empathetic Listening and Understanding: are we seeking to understand and appreciate each idea?
  • Value in Every Proposal: are we acknowledging the potential in each proposal and weaving it into the collective vision?

There is something to be found in each project proposal and honouring the collective means seeking that out and weaving it forward.

It was such a joy to work autonomously and in synchronicity with this team!