Questions for Checkin

September 21, 2009

Lately I have been asking three simple questions. Who are you? What is it like to be you? What has your attention? I ask these three questions of groups as they interact. I ask them of myself. I sometimes ask them at the beginning of gatherings, and often in some form, at the end. In participatory leadership, the conversations that they evoke help further claim our fundamental relationship as co-learners, as co-creators. They also help train all of us into collectively noticing what we learn from being together. They help make available tacit wisdom that creates social and business value. Three questions. Rich outcomes.

Last week I was able to participate in a learning circle with an amazing group from Ottawa. They were all involved in calling and participating in an Art of Hosting from the spring of this year. Together we were exploring what next would help to create further community capacity to host conversations that matter. This checkin took us to a deep place from which choices and decisions were simply more clear.

I remember many years ago my friend Toke Moeller teaching me to "never underestimate the power of a good checkin." Try these and share what you learn.

1 comment:

Suzanne said...

Here in Dallas for our DFW Servant Leaders group we're having a time trying to promote dialogue jam sessions around our journeys. Fostering, nurturing, being, sharing. Folks want deliverables and accomplishments and meeting agendas. It's hard to say, "You should totally come. We're going to talk and be people together." But, when they do come, they say, "Well, I still don't know what it is we're trying to do; but I'm definitely coming back. It was awesome."

Being human in Dallas,
Suzanne