Humans, and therefore workplaces, need three things: Ritual, Rhythm-as-Movement, and Breath.
Your work place has rituals already. These are the patterns that hold your culture up like scaffolding on a ceiling. Most of us aren’t consciously performing our rituals, we just do them. Some of the rituals might look like starting a meeting with a check-in, asking “what’ve you got [for me]” when someone sits down in a chair in your space, or signaling they need your time by asking “got a minute?” — even though you both know it’ll take longer than a minute.
In formal meetings like those of a Board of Directors, rituals of seating, minute passing, and conducting business using Roberts Rules of Order are designed to create group efficiency and cohesion — whether they are effective at this may depend in part by how these rituals are facilitated and used.
Rituals define us and we need them.
Our cultures will benefit from creating rituals that we are intentional about.
- First, observe your rituals. What are they? When do you notice that they occur? Is there a person or persons who champions or steers them? How do these rituals make you feel? Do they increase your curiosity and invitation to engage or make you cringe?
- Experiment with rituals. Instead of jumping in with “what’ve you got” make it a ritual to ask how the person is doing, say good morning or afternoon, or ask a group to start the meeting with 30 seconds of silence so that everyone can be more mindful and present. Rituals can also be storytelling, such as asking a board of directors to reflect on where they recently saw need for our mission.
- Focus on rituals that create connection between people and utilize those more frequently. Fruit Fridays in the break room (instead of donuts) and starting meetings with silence, breath, (more on that later), opening questions, are good for overall wellness and signal that our people matter. Regularly reflecting on what successes, struggles, and surprises they’re experiencing create framework. A Founders Day once a year gives us a chance to create rituals that connect us to story.
