Author : Emmanuelle Aoustin
Daring to have deep conversations to accelerate the transformation towards a regenerative economy : being challenged, provoking reflection, revisiting our frames of reference, and being inspired by the emergence of the dialogue - this is the ambition of the "Courageous Conversations", the webinar cycle brought to you by Seedlings.
Conversation is a skill that goes far beyond the simple exchange of information. It activates our brain towards a space of integrity, empathy and discernment; it generates confidence, motivates and engages us in action. "Everything happens through conversations" says author and coach Judith E. Glaser. Thanks to deep conversations we can reconnect with others, and develop quality relationships and creative collaborations.
The word courage comes from the Old French “heart”. A courageous conversation is therefore a conversation "that comes from the heart"; it is sincere and authentic. It's the conversation that really needs to take place: you know and feel that something has to happen because the tension is there. We agree to let our guard down and face reality.
Philosopher and poet David Whyte speaks of “boundary” conversations. He suggests we ask ourselves: What are the conversations that we are not (or not yet) having and that we should have? The conversations we don’t dare to have?
- What are the courageous conversations that we don’t dare to have with our company? These conversations emerge when we are not spending all of our time dealing with day-to-day issues, emergencies or crises, when we step back with awareness to question the purpose and vision of the company, governance, growth and profits, and the ecological redirection of business models;
- What are the conversations that we don’t dare to have with our teams, with the different departments of the company, with our customers and our stakeholders? Talking about “conversations” instead of “professional relations”: isn’t that putting people back at the center, daring to trust, going beyond silos and opening up a generative space to truly collaborate?
- What are the conversations we don’t dare to have with our children and those we love? We are professionals, consumers and citizens. We are also parents. What is the world we are building for our grandchildren, what are the values we want to bequeath to our descendants, are our children proud of us?
- What are the conversations we don’t dare to have with ourselves? It might be exactly there where the conversations with others are shaped, reflecting those that take place in the intimacy of ourselves. By starting with ourselves, with our head, body and heart, we allow conversations with others to open up.
- What are the conversations we don’t dare to have with the future? When do we really take the time to define the future we want to see happen? The economic system that we want to initiate, the human values that we want to strengthen, the societal project that mobilizes us?
- What are the conversations we don’t dare to have with nature? What if we dared a dialogue with the extended community of other species, to develop our ecological awareness and build real harmony with the living systems?
Having a courageous conversation is letting go of our certainties, so as to open up to new thinking. And it’s accepting to have deep and authentic exchanges that reflect who we are, what we believe and what we feel. These conversations are courageous because they require audacity and an openness to share one's own experiences, doubts, dreams and fears. And also having the courage to listen to the experience of others, and then take the risk that these “other” ideas will nourish us, question us and, inevitably, transform us.
With Seedlings' "Courageous Conversations", our proposal is to intentionally make space for difficult questions, the lack of immediate answers, and the beginnings of complex answers. It's a space for constructive discussions and co-creation where we are invited to speak and listen, and together shape the transformation towards a regenerative economy.
Join us! The webinars take place every second Thursday of the month, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. CET, and alternately in French and English every other month.
- Thursday February 9, 2023 - Read our blog article here on Ecological Transformation: What are the courageous conversations we we dare not have?
- Thursday March 9, 2023 - Accelerating the ecological transition: how should leadership be reinvented? Read our blog article here on Change starts from within
- Thursday April 13, 2023 - Accélérer la transition écologique : comment le leadership doit-il être réinventé ?
- Thursday May 11, 2023, 6 to 7 PM CET, in English - Register here The regenerative business: yet another model or a real paradigm shift?