What does Easter mean?

For me, Easter brings back childhood memories.

Time with my mum - wrapping raw eggs in leaves and grass collected from the farm and garden. Winding cotton around, around and around to secure the greenery. Boiling the eggs in onion skins to dye them, then shining them with bacon rind. The kitchen smelt terrible – but the end result was amazing!

A tradition born from “making do” with what you had - something my mum carried with her from growing up in war-torn central Europe.

For some, Easter is deeply spiritual, or it means time with family, rest, a long weekend… and of course hot cross buns and chocolate.  Different meanings attached to the same word - shaped by our experiences, expectations, and context.

In teams, we often assume we’re aligned because we’re using the same words – but it might pay to check that!

I was working with a team recently who talked about “quality advice”. I paused the conversation and asked “What does quality advice actually mean to you?” The initial response was silence… then options… then debate…and very different views!

Until there is explicit shared understanding, what sounds like alignment might not be. And that’s where confusion, frustration, and missed expectations creep into teams. 

If you’d like to talk about team alignment (or the art of dying eggs in onion skins) please get on touch. 

And have a very happy Easter – whatever it means for you!

Did you play with figurines as a kid?

I did! Lego and the small plastic animals that came in cereal packets were firm favourites. All sorts of scenarios took place. One day I built a zoo, the next it was a shop - always staging dramas, moving characters around, looking at things from different angles exploring “what ifs”?

Coaching Constellations are basically the same thing - but with serious insight!

I attended a Coaching Constellations course in Melbourne recently. We used figures, objects, and each other as representatives to explore systems, team dynamics and relationships. It was about stepping back, experimenting safely, tapping into our bodies and emotions, and seeing patterns and insight we might otherwise miss.

Who knew those cereal-packet animals I loved as a kid would help prepare me for systems work later in life?

My bollard friends in Geelong (just out of Melbourne – I spend a few days holidaying in Victoria before the course started) look just like the Coaching Constellations figures we used in the course – except life size, and with expressions. The second one along from me is definitely dodgy!

If you or your team would like to experiment with systemic relationships and Coaching Constellations, get in touch. Dodgy expressions are not compulsory!

Some good comes from negative events!

We often see it at times of natural disaster - communities come together, support each other, and solve problems in ways they hadn’t before. And those benefits often last long after the immediate crisis.

The same is true in organisational teams. I’ve certainly experienced plenty of extreme conditions in corporate teams – and benefitted from post-traumatic growth too. 

But what if we built those benefits in advance? 

Our very own amazing Dr Lucy Hone believes it’s possible on an individual level. I believe the same holds true for organisational teams - and team coaching is one way to make it happen.

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with the Taranaki Principals’ Association (thanks for the invitation, Nadia Ballantine) on this topic. It was inspiring to explore how, even in sectors experiencing constant change, teams can develop the resilience, collaboration, and mindset to grow stronger together. A great discussion!

If you’d like to know more about team resilience and how to build it, please get in touch. Or visit the resources section of my website www.growtobe.co.nz.