
All of us sat around a table, waiting. Only a few, by their leaning in, hinted they knew what was coming. I was leaning away from the center, my shoulders hunched. Nervous.
I had come to this community of practice—hosted by Minnesota ToP— because I needed facilitation support. Perhaps no other phrase has stuck with me as much the Art of Hosting mantra: in order to effectively facilitate, “a host must first host oneself.” I made every effort to do so, alone and with others, but the many nights of post-event decompression had taken a toll on me and on my spouse.
If you’ve ever facilitated a gathering, you know how exhausting it can be. You expend so much energy, only to get home and ask yourself, “What could I have done better? What will I do next time in this situation?” Here was my chance to finally process with other facilitators, in a safe space. In community of practice meetings, I’ve felt mutual support across a spectrum of practitioners.
Here are some who’ve inspired my journey:
The foundation-grant manager who showed us the fruits of working tirelessly to change workplace culture through strategic use of ToP methods.
The Kaizen Master who found a way to engage the whole person—head and heart—through ToP strategies in his corporate change-management consultancy.
The management consultant who successfully applied ToP in a variety of new contexts, from virtual facilitation, to succession planning, to building training capacity in her war-torn homeland.
The public school superintendent who used ToP methods to improve relationships among teachers, administration, and community members. The animated city manager who built ToP into every department in his city, equipping key staff with training, and building connections between historically isolated working groups.
Without witnessing the journey of these and many others—and having them speak into my own—I wouldn’t be the facilitator I am today.
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