(highlight:: Holocracy requires leaders to put the organization's purpose above their own egos
Transcript:
Speaker 1
Holopkerson self-organization sort of requires of you as an individual is to put the organization's purpose above your own ego, or your own sort of desire to want to be at the center Of every decision or to be able to weigh in on every single thing. And as you're talking, I'm sensing it's sort of a similar situation where instead of sometimes being the central decision maker or the person who has to sign on the dotted line for everything, It's difficult, but it's also gratifying personally to us to be consulted on everything, to be included. It gives us a sense of purpose and value, right? And I think sometimes people don't admit that because it's hard and it's deeply personal. But these systems of sort of where you're creating empire builders to your point or holocracy are when the purpose of the organization matters more than you and you kind of have to subvert Your own individual ego of like, I want to be the most important thing to the purpose that we're working towards is the most important thing. And we need everybody to have ownership over that and to be able to drive that and to be able to react and pivot with information as it comes in instead of waiting for me to consult on every Single decision.)
- Time 0:04:31
-

(highlight:: Radical Transparency About Flaws and Triggers Leads to Healthier Workplaces?
Transcript:
Speaker 1
We visited this place in this business in New York City called Next Jump and they sell sort of corporate programs like corporate benefits and programs. So like the work that they do in and of itself isn't that interesting or exciting, but the way that they approach it at the organization is fascinating. So they have 21 leaders in the organization and those 21 leaders every year have the opportunity to be voted out of power by the rest of the organization. And so you have this sort of like shuffling of leadership every year. And part of that is what they encourage people to sort of face the truth about why they have been voted in or out of leadership. And so much so that they have people go through these kind of like self actualization, you know, sessions. And when you walk around posted on people's desks is the one thing that they are the worst at or you see people sort of putting their flaws on display. And so we're taking a tour and post up next to somebody's desk is I'm very insecure about you know, my my intelligence. And so I may react harshly when called into question. I mean, things that you would only hear on somebody's like therapy couch were written and posted up next to people's desks sort of displaying their triggers or what they're struggling With. And that I thought is, I mean, that's an extreme case, but you can imagine when when you're that clear and that transparent about what you're really great at and then what you're really Struggling with, that's just an entirely different place to begin a conversation about improvement.)
- Time 0:13:40
-
- [note::Reminds me of "How to Work With Me" user manuals]

(highlight:: Lean Into Tension: An Essential Principle of Healthy Group Dynamics
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And if it doesn't work out to not be afraid of that, to sort of allow tension to happen. And this is also a big thing in the book. And I think another really important pillar of self-organization or self-management, which is that tension is inevitable. Like we are all going to be in situations where we didn't like the way that somebody talked to us or we're not comfortable with the change that's happening. And one of the biggest tenants of self-management is instead of handing that tension off to somebody else to resolve or holding on to it and just sweeping it under the rug until your rug Is full of tension and you explode to own your tension and for you to be the one that's responsible for resolving that. So if I had a conversation with you, Jethro, and I didn't appreciate the way that you said something to me, rather than telling somebody else or complaining at the water cooler, telling My significant other or the other teachers that are on my team, my job as a self-manager is to then say, hey, Jethro, do you have a minute? Can I talk to you about that conversation we just had? You know, here's what was challenging for me. It did bring up some tension for me. And I just wanted to let you know that. And I have a lot of practice doing this. So it sounds very simple coming out of my mouth, like, oh, you know, you just like throw it out there. But for most people, the idea of owning tension and confronting tension is absolutely arresting. Like I would never want to have that conversation. But it is in addition to sort of that self-reflection piece that you're talking about, I think the second major pillar of being a self-manager is being able to surface and resolve tension In a productive and healthy way that isn't threatening. And just to realize that that's inevitably going to happen in your life. And it's your job to sort of confront that and continue to evolve, you know, the situation around you.)
- Time 0:17:56
-
- [note::I wish more companies embraced this as a core value: "Conflict and tension are inevitable in any group - work together with your counterpars to dissect the tension, understand its source, and setup agreements that work better for everyone."]

(highlight:: Approaching Conflict: Treating Your Perspective as a Story You're Telling Yourself
Transcript:
Speaker 1
Productive and healthy way that isn't threatening. And just to realize that that's inevitably going to happen in your life. And it's your job to sort of confront that and continue to evolve, you know, the situation around you. Yeah.
Speaker 2
And, gosh, I'm going to sound like I'm just hitting my own horn here, Alexis. And I'm sorry, but this is another thing that you mentioned. The story we tell ourselves is important. I have a little set of communication cards on my door at work also that allows people to use the communication card to start a difficult conversation with me. And the one that is the most important is the storyline card because that means when somebody gives that to me, that means I have a storyline. And this is the story that I'm telling myself in my mind. I need to know whether or not it's true. Like, is that really how you're feeling towards me? I felt that you were a jerk. Were you really trying to be a jerk or did it come off wrong? And 99% of the time, nobody's trying to be mean or rude or anything like that. We're just trying to like do the best with what we got. And sometimes we don't have the best. And so a teacher gives that to me. I immediately go into a different mode where I'm just listening, understanding, trying to help out. And then what they do is they get to say it and then I get to tell them the truth. And every once in a while, like once every like 20 or 50 times)
- Time 0:19:39
-
- [note::Sometimes, we spin up narratives about situations that often take an "us v.s. them" structure. Sometimes, these are narratives are just that - stories we tell ourselves. Thus, in order to approach hard conversations productively, frame your perspective as what it is - "a story I'm telling myself about (X) situation"
I think Impact With Integrity also talks about this.]

(highlight:: Establush Role/Responsibility Marketplaces for Exchanging Responsibilities to Team Members
Transcript:
Speaker 1
You gave this example of something that you want to offload, which is evaluation. And one thing that we've seen work at different organizations that have consulted with is what we call a role marketplace, which is there are inevitably roles that administrators Or deans or leaders are performing that they actually maybe aren't the best person to own that exclusively. And there is also a desire amongst other people in that organization to take on that role. And so there's this beautiful synergy around there are some things that you don't want to do or shouldn't be doing by yourself that you're currently doing just because you inherited It, because it was written into your job description, because you think you need to do it. There are some of those things that not only can you define them, but once you put them out there, there is somebody else on your team that has been waiting for the opportunity to step into Leadership in some ways that is going to be so pleased with taking the opportunity to take on even if it's two hours extra a week, three hours extra a week, who is biting the opportunity To be a part of that. And we don't even know that those things exist in our schools and in our organizations.)
- Time 0:30:09
-
- [note::Reminds me of the periodic role exchange activity in (I think) Impact With Integrity where team members listen to each other talk openly about what agreements/responsibilities they dislike to see if there's anothe person who would be excited to take that on (i.e. "what's one person's yuck could be another person's yum")]

(highlight:: People Points: An Approach for Tracking How People Contribute Outside Their Area
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And I think what it calls into question are again, some of these larger structures of, you know, full time headcount and how do we allocate people in a fractional sense? So how do we understand, you know, if somebody has 40 hours in a week, how do we pay somebody or understand somebody's pay grade or, you know, what band they're in if they spend 10% of their Time in the classroom and then 20% of the time on the budget committee and then, you know, another 50% of times someplace else. And I think it is really difficult, but there are organizations out there pioneering more flexible approaches to budgeting and to time allocation. One way that we've seen that work is when people have sort of control over their own time allocation and let's say you've got, you know, we call them people points. I've heard them call it before. So you have a hundred people points to sort of allocate, you know, in any given week of time and you have to, at the beginning of, you know, the week or maybe let's make the timeline longer, But at the beginning of the semester, you have to allocate, where am I going to spend this amount of time and that amount of time? And that calculation gets sort of uploaded into the system and you are compensated and recognized for that time map that you've sort of submitted. I don't think there are any like really great solutions to this. I don't think that we're going to find any great solutions until we begin experimenting and introduce a little bit more flexibility into our planning systems. But it is worth trying because the, you know, the excuse, the sort of age old excuse of like, well, we're not allowed to do that or the district isn't going to allow us to do that. It is, it's holding us back from experimenting where we desperately need experimentation.)
- Time 0:35:33
- people points, compensation, budgeting,

(highlight:: Leadership Principle: Take a Piece of Your Power and Offer It to Somebody Else
Transcript:
Speaker 2
What is one thing that a principal can do this week to be a transformative leader like you?
Speaker 1
Take one piece of what you're doing and offer it to somebody else. That's it. What do you mean by that? I mean, it's this, it's this conversation that we've been talking about this whole time. And, and I mean, there are a bunch of things in the book that I think are really valuable little nuggets and little shifts, but I don't know that any of them are as transformational as if You want to be a transformational leader. Your job is, like you said, to, to create empire builders. And you can do that by simply taking stock of the work that you're doing today, taking one piece or one role of what you're doing and then asking somebody who you know is chomping at the Bid to try on bigger leadership responsibilities. Ask them if they would be interested in stepping into that role.)
- Time 0:38:31
-

(highlight:: Holocracy requires leaders to put the organization's purpose above their own egos
Transcript:
Speaker 1
Holopkerson self-organization sort of requires of you as an individual is to put the organization's purpose above your own ego, or your own sort of desire to want to be at the center Of every decision or to be able to weigh in on every single thing. And as you're talking, I'm sensing it's sort of a similar situation where instead of sometimes being the central decision maker or the person who has to sign on the dotted line for everything, It's difficult, but it's also gratifying personally to us to be consulted on everything, to be included. It gives us a sense of purpose and value, right? And I think sometimes people don't admit that because it's hard and it's deeply personal. But these systems of sort of where you're creating empire builders to your point or holocracy are when the purpose of the organization matters more than you and you kind of have to subvert Your own individual ego of like, I want to be the most important thing to the purpose that we're working towards is the most important thing. And we need everybody to have ownership over that and to be able to drive that and to be able to react and pivot with information as it comes in instead of waiting for me to consult on every Single decision.)
- Time 0:04:31
-

(highlight:: Radical Transparency About Flaws and Triggers Leads to Healthier Workplaces?
Transcript:
Speaker 1
We visited this place in this business in New York City called Next Jump and they sell sort of corporate programs like corporate benefits and programs. So like the work that they do in and of itself isn't that interesting or exciting, but the way that they approach it at the organization is fascinating. So they have 21 leaders in the organization and those 21 leaders every year have the opportunity to be voted out of power by the rest of the organization. And so you have this sort of like shuffling of leadership every year. And part of that is what they encourage people to sort of face the truth about why they have been voted in or out of leadership. And so much so that they have people go through these kind of like self actualization, you know, sessions. And when you walk around posted on people's desks is the one thing that they are the worst at or you see people sort of putting their flaws on display. And so we're taking a tour and post up next to somebody's desk is I'm very insecure about you know, my my intelligence. And so I may react harshly when called into question. I mean, things that you would only hear on somebody's like therapy couch were written and posted up next to people's desks sort of displaying their triggers or what they're struggling With. And that I thought is, I mean, that's an extreme case, but you can imagine when when you're that clear and that transparent about what you're really great at and then what you're really Struggling with, that's just an entirely different place to begin a conversation about improvement.)
- Time 0:13:40
-
- [note::Reminds me of "How to Work With Me" user manuals]

(highlight:: Lean Into Tension: An Essential Principle of Healthy Group Dynamics
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And if it doesn't work out to not be afraid of that, to sort of allow tension to happen. And this is also a big thing in the book. And I think another really important pillar of self-organization or self-management, which is that tension is inevitable. Like we are all going to be in situations where we didn't like the way that somebody talked to us or we're not comfortable with the change that's happening. And one of the biggest tenants of self-management is instead of handing that tension off to somebody else to resolve or holding on to it and just sweeping it under the rug until your rug Is full of tension and you explode to own your tension and for you to be the one that's responsible for resolving that. So if I had a conversation with you, Jethro, and I didn't appreciate the way that you said something to me, rather than telling somebody else or complaining at the water cooler, telling My significant other or the other teachers that are on my team, my job as a self-manager is to then say, hey, Jethro, do you have a minute? Can I talk to you about that conversation we just had? You know, here's what was challenging for me. It did bring up some tension for me. And I just wanted to let you know that. And I have a lot of practice doing this. So it sounds very simple coming out of my mouth, like, oh, you know, you just like throw it out there. But for most people, the idea of owning tension and confronting tension is absolutely arresting. Like I would never want to have that conversation. But it is in addition to sort of that self-reflection piece that you're talking about, I think the second major pillar of being a self-manager is being able to surface and resolve tension In a productive and healthy way that isn't threatening. And just to realize that that's inevitably going to happen in your life. And it's your job to sort of confront that and continue to evolve, you know, the situation around you.)
- Time 0:17:56
-
- [note::I wish more companies embraced this as a core value: "Conflict and tension are inevitable in any group - work together with your counterpars to dissect the tension, understand its source, and setup agreements that work better for everyone."]

(highlight:: Approaching Conflict: Treating Your Perspective as a Story You're Telling Yourself
Transcript:
Speaker 1
Productive and healthy way that isn't threatening. And just to realize that that's inevitably going to happen in your life. And it's your job to sort of confront that and continue to evolve, you know, the situation around you. Yeah.
Speaker 2
And, gosh, I'm going to sound like I'm just hitting my own horn here, Alexis. And I'm sorry, but this is another thing that you mentioned. The story we tell ourselves is important. I have a little set of communication cards on my door at work also that allows people to use the communication card to start a difficult conversation with me. And the one that is the most important is the storyline card because that means when somebody gives that to me, that means I have a storyline. And this is the story that I'm telling myself in my mind. I need to know whether or not it's true. Like, is that really how you're feeling towards me? I felt that you were a jerk. Were you really trying to be a jerk or did it come off wrong? And 99% of the time, nobody's trying to be mean or rude or anything like that. We're just trying to like do the best with what we got. And sometimes we don't have the best. And so a teacher gives that to me. I immediately go into a different mode where I'm just listening, understanding, trying to help out. And then what they do is they get to say it and then I get to tell them the truth. And every once in a while, like once every like 20 or 50 times)
- Time 0:19:39
-
- [note::Sometimes, we spin up narratives about situations that often take an "us v.s. them" structure. Sometimes, these are narratives are just that - stories we tell ourselves. Thus, in order to approach hard conversations productively, frame your perspective as what it is - "a story I'm telling myself about (X) situation"
I think Impact With Integrity also talks about this.]

(highlight:: Establush Role/Responsibility Marketplaces for Exchanging Responsibilities to Team Members
Transcript:
Speaker 1
You gave this example of something that you want to offload, which is evaluation. And one thing that we've seen work at different organizations that have consulted with is what we call a role marketplace, which is there are inevitably roles that administrators Or deans or leaders are performing that they actually maybe aren't the best person to own that exclusively. And there is also a desire amongst other people in that organization to take on that role. And so there's this beautiful synergy around there are some things that you don't want to do or shouldn't be doing by yourself that you're currently doing just because you inherited It, because it was written into your job description, because you think you need to do it. There are some of those things that not only can you define them, but once you put them out there, there is somebody else on your team that has been waiting for the opportunity to step into Leadership in some ways that is going to be so pleased with taking the opportunity to take on even if it's two hours extra a week, three hours extra a week, who is biting the opportunity To be a part of that. And we don't even know that those things exist in our schools and in our organizations.)
- Time 0:30:09
-
- [note::Reminds me of the periodic role exchange activity in (I think) Impact With Integrity where team members listen to each other talk openly about what agreements/responsibilities they dislike to see if there's anothe person who would be excited to take that on (i.e. "what's one person's yuck could be another person's yum")]

(highlight:: People Points: An Approach for Tracking How People Contribute Outside Their Area
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And I think what it calls into question are again, some of these larger structures of, you know, full time headcount and how do we allocate people in a fractional sense? So how do we understand, you know, if somebody has 40 hours in a week, how do we pay somebody or understand somebody's pay grade or, you know, what band they're in if they spend 10% of their Time in the classroom and then 20% of the time on the budget committee and then, you know, another 50% of times someplace else. And I think it is really difficult, but there are organizations out there pioneering more flexible approaches to budgeting and to time allocation. One way that we've seen that work is when people have sort of control over their own time allocation and let's say you've got, you know, we call them people points. I've heard them call it before. So you have a hundred people points to sort of allocate, you know, in any given week of time and you have to, at the beginning of, you know, the week or maybe let's make the timeline longer, But at the beginning of the semester, you have to allocate, where am I going to spend this amount of time and that amount of time? And that calculation gets sort of uploaded into the system and you are compensated and recognized for that time map that you've sort of submitted. I don't think there are any like really great solutions to this. I don't think that we're going to find any great solutions until we begin experimenting and introduce a little bit more flexibility into our planning systems. But it is worth trying because the, you know, the excuse, the sort of age old excuse of like, well, we're not allowed to do that or the district isn't going to allow us to do that. It is, it's holding us back from experimenting where we desperately need experimentation.)
- Time 0:35:33
- people points, compensation, budgeting,

(highlight:: Leadership Principle: Take a Piece of Your Power and Offer It to Somebody Else
Transcript:
Speaker 2
What is one thing that a principal can do this week to be a transformative leader like you?
Speaker 1
Take one piece of what you're doing and offer it to somebody else. That's it. What do you mean by that? I mean, it's this, it's this conversation that we've been talking about this whole time. And, and I mean, there are a bunch of things in the book that I think are really valuable little nuggets and little shifts, but I don't know that any of them are as transformational as if You want to be a transformational leader. Your job is, like you said, to, to create empire builders. And you can do that by simply taking stock of the work that you're doing today, taking one piece or one role of what you're doing and then asking somebody who you know is chomping at the Bid to try on bigger leadership responsibilities. Ask them if they would be interested in stepping into that role.)
- Time 0:38:31
-