Consequently, this summary is a high-level aggregation of participants' diverse views and opinions. There are no paid links or referrals to or from authors that are recommended here.
In our last Community Meet-up conversation in 2024, we shared our favorite AHHH moment tools - the magical "helpers" that allowed us to make a big or small difference in our professional or personal lives. We started by collecting our "challenges" for which we were looking for tool support and then used our collective intelligence to share what each of us found to be a helpful tool, hack, or advice. It was a very fruitful round, and we came up with a great list of ideas to test, remember, or reaffirm as magical shift helpers:
Maintain a positive mindset during challenging times
Establishing daily routines for self-care and reflection, preferably in the morning to start with a mentally centered, focused mind and gratitude in the day
Using affirmation card decks to bring attention back to your sources
In teams: Asking solution-oriented how questions to get out of a spiraling problem talk (see as well our last community meet-up call on engagement)
Separate the urgent from the important:
Follow a daily or weekly task prioritization, i.e., make it a daily routine to review and reprogram your tasks for the day ahead.
Block out the morning hours for critical, creative work (and eliminate all potential distractions)
Describe accomplishments/achievements you seek rather than tasks when you prioritize daily and weekly tasks
Engage students in lectures for content/employees in meetings:
Instead of presenting the content, ask for a video assignment (preferably a group assignment).
Allow students to break into small groups or pairs before answering a plenary question.
Shortening meetings can lead to increased productivity and focus (e.g. 30 instead of 60 min)
Any "how" question or question that helps them relate to their lives (e.g., What does this (blank) mean to you?)
Use any digital interaction tool, such as Mentimeter, throughout the lecture, including pre-and post-questions that allow them to make their learning visible (see last community meet-up call on engagement).
Remain resilient, but not too resilient:
(which can lead to disrespect for your boundaries and the risk of burnout)
Schedule regular vacations and breaks - throughout the year (e.g., 1 week per quarter), every week, every day.
Set clear boundaries around work hours, i.e., schedule your "free time" as much as your work time (e.g., call it "sanctuary time").
Engage in activities that provide mental or physical distance (e.g., nature walks, exercise, yoga, etc.)
Digital tools that support true co-creation and collaboration:
Whiteboard collaboration tools like Miro or Mural – these include not only a whiteboard feature but also templates with structured instructions on how to collaborate (e.g., how to conduct a team retrospective, etc.)
Any team simulation game can help you learn to work together more consciously
The Game-Changer Index is a tool that helps teams understand and appreciate the different roles and contributions each person brings that are needed to make a transformation successful. It promotes building on each other's diverse knowledge rather than competing with each other.
What are YOUR favorite AHHH moment tools that have allowed us to make a big or small difference in our professional or personal lives? Thank you for sharing your experiences below. I am sure they will inspire others here as well!
Overview quarterly open PLA Community meet-ups in 2024
20 March 2024 | How to create buy-in from executives to invest in a cultural shift (towards a more partnering culture)?
21 June 2024 | How can we guide meetings back into the zone of productive partnering?
27 September 2024 | How to boost engagement - the most powerful questions to ask in meetings