Befriending Patience
Earlier this month, we held a conversation cafe where we asked people to reflect on the values that we thought would be important for partnerships to model in their work; and the resources (outside of financial) that we could help our partners share. A recurring theme was ‘patience’ - as both a value and a verb. So, in this next instalment of our series on re-imagining the role of partnership brokers, we reflect on the concept of ‘patience’ and our own relationships to it through conversation.
The Gift of Giving Over
What if brokering relationships was less about bringing order, control and structure and more about finding ways to let new ways of being and doing emerge?
What if instead of trying to help people “norm” and behave certain ways, we role modelled the values we would want to see in a better future? Things like reciprocity, a sense of solidarity and humility.
In Trade We Trust, In Trust We Trade
What if we wouldn’t centre it around selling and buying, around taking leading to exploitation and finally depletion, extinction and collapse? What if we would focus on sharing things that have a multiplying angle to them? Things that can’t be depleted when shared, because they themselves actually grow? We don’t need ‘free’ markets and trade systems to share renewable resources like love, kindness, courage and to work on relations.
Re-imagining the role of partnership brokers
At their heart, partnerships were meant to change the system itself rather than rattle the cages inside. It seems that the real tension lays between the system we're captured by, and the visions we have.
From the personal to the collaborative: how partnership brokers can bring value when navigating ethics
Partnership brokers can offer so much value when navigating the layers of values, interests, beliefs and understandings within a collaborative partnership, but can we ever truly be impartial when ethics are involved?
Why all partnerships should begin with the ending in mind
When we think about the ‘ending’ early and often, we create the opportunity to shift mode from breaking-up to celebrating the partnerships you created.