Brigid Russell
@brigidrussell51
All about working relationally, learning, listening, & coaching. Exploring how working collaboratively & leadership can develop in practice. What does it mean and what does it take to be alongside? #SpacesForListening
When did it get so unrelentingly busy in organisations, and whose purpose does that busy-ness serve? Where have the spaces in-between gone, and who gains by their disappearance? Why is it OK for there to be no time to think, reflect, wonder, connect, and take a breath? Who are we fooling?
What am I able to listen to right now? Where can I pay attention? What's going on? For you, for me. What gets in the way? How am I feeling? How we can listen to each other depends on all of this, and more. No wonder it's not easy. It's so much more than a 'skill' or 'technique'.
Being relational doesn't just happen because I say it. If I say listening is essential to sustaining relationships, then I need to practice it consistently. What we do and why we do it matter, of course. Too often, though, 'how' gets breezed over as if it just happens. It takes concerted effort.
When gluten-free doesn't have to mean missing out. Thank you Nikki's Bakehouse for the first pancakes I've been able to have in a while (and oh what pancakes!).
Space for connections at work isn't inefficient, unproductive, or ineffective. It's essential. For reciprocal care, shared solidarity, and lots of intangible learning. We need space for our relationships to breathe, live, and make a difference to what we can do and be together.
There's something so very familiar in the unpredictability of a Scottish summer, and I've missed it of late. Glad to be out amongst the mix of grey and bright blue skies, the purple of the thistles, and the vibrant green this evening. Quintessentially cool Scotland 💜
Sitting in the mess of reflective practice alone is sometimes essential, and (I reflect...) these are the moments when it's hardest and perhaps most helpful *not* to ask for help but to be open to someone who's willing simply to sit alongside.
Oh it's been a while: this place steeped in memories, light, shadows, and love.
How often do we give ourselves, and each other, space to find the words? Pressure to perform (whatever that means) gets in the way of seeking ways of expressing uncertainty, our unfolding curiosity, a sense of wonder, an underlying fear. We need all of these to be truly heard.
I wonder whether all the focus on leadership is a distraction from something else far more important.
This will always be a special day. The sun shone all day back then, truly. I smile when I remember it. Every single moment of it. With love.
The time and the space to notice gets treated as if it's a nice-to-have luxury or privilege in too many organisations and contexts. When really it's an essential in life, I reckon.
gains and losses both hope and despair love and grief in the same moments
The older I get and the less time I have, the more I want to slow down and take my time. I'm well aware it may seem ironic. To me it feels essential, not self-indulgent, to take time. What's all the breathless pace for, where's it driving to? What and who gets missed when we rush on by?
Genuine connections can't be manufactured. If you try to make them happen step-by-step, then they'll feel contrived, as if set up only for a specific use. Yet, you can't take relationships for granted. They take care and attention, a subtle balance of reciprocity and generosity.