Unlearning Individualism

This event has passed; we invite you to engage with the recording below and register for the next Unlearning!

“I’ll just do it myself.”
“It’s fine, I’ve got it.”
“Ugh, it’ll be faster if I just do it.”
“I really don’t have the time to take care of myself like that.”

If you were raised in Western culture (or one deeply influenced by it), you’ve probably thought or said a number of these things. Maybe even today ;).

In their groundbreaking work in Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, researchers Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun identified these characteristics of Individualism at work (any of them sound familiar?):

• little experience or comfort working as part of a team
• people in organization believe they are responsible for solving problems alone
• accountability, if any, goes up and down, not sideways to peers or to those the organization is set up to serve
• desire for individual recognition and credit
• leads to isolation
• competition more highly valued than cooperation and where cooperation is valued, little time or resources devoted to developing skills in how to cooperate
• creates a lack of accountability, as the organization values those who can get things done on their own without needing supervision or guidance
• “I’m the only one” thinking
• connected to individualism, the belief that if something is going to get done right, I have to do it
• little or no ability to delegate work to others

They describe these potential antidotes in the workplace, including:

Evaluate people based on their ability to delegate to others; evaluate people based on their ability to work as part of a team to accomplish shared goals; include teamwork as an important value in your values statement; make sure the organization is working towards shared goals and people understand how working together will improve performance; evaluate people’s ability to work in a team as well as their ability to get the job done; make sure that credit is given to all those who participate in an effort, not just the leaders or most public person; make people accountable as a group rather than as individuals; create a culture where people bring problems to the group; use staff meetings as a place to solve problems, not just a place to report activities.

MEET THE PANEL:

Will C. Little is a bioengineer turned software developer and venture builder/investor. He’s currently serving as Managing Director at Prota Ventures, where he and his fellow partners enjoy helping both founders and enterprises build & scale new products. He personally enjoys writing about health science, startups, blockchains, software development, venture building/investing, and emerging technology.

On our panel he’ll open up about the unique challenges and lived examples of how people are self-organizing in Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) today. He’ll also explore how startups and investors can lead — and follow — in this exercise.

You can check out Will’s articles and the Ventures Podcast at: satchel.works/@wclittle

Ladan Yalzadeh is the Founder and teacher at Honey in the Temple, the co-founder and teacher at Contemplative Creativity Lab as well as the co-founder of Authentic Presence – Authentic Action. Ladan has brought together many aspects of her 15 years of Buddhist studies, various spiritual journeys and creative practices to form Honey in the Temple, sharing with others the joy and liberation she has discovered in her pursuit of what lays beyond suffering and pain.

On our panel she’ll bring her lived experience in both a collectivist culture growing up in Iran, and an individualist culture upon immigrating to the U.S. with her family at age 16. She’ll help us explore the duality expressed in this seeming Individualism / Collectivism conundrum, and open questions for us about how we might create a body of people who are invited to contribute their individual strengths for the good of the whole community.

You can join Ladan’s mindful movement courses and community at: honeyinthetemple.com

Joel Fariss is a social scientist leading research, strategy, and design endeavors for some of the world’s most innovative organizations. Today at Gensler, he works with visionary leaders around the world to deconstruct stagnating complexity and design for preferable futures during times of transformation.

On our panel he’ll illuminate post-enlightenment Western culture, including how we’ve adopted a cartesian dualistic perspective of the world that separates mind & body, and how we might begin to approach a more sustainably human future of work.

You can learn more about Joel and his work at: joelfariss.com

Joy Donnell is a creative executive whose background as an executive producer, cultural strategist, and author informs her dedication to producing media that builds cultural legacy and expands awareness from knowledge. to wisdom, to collective illumination.

On our panel she’ll help us explore how the dominant culture disembodies you through rugged individualism, and how this ties into somatic abolition, belonging as birthright, embodiment, natural diversity and the interconnectedness of all things.

You can witness her work in creative campaigns for content campaigns for Warner Bros., The Africa Channel, and at CIME: cime.us/donate

And your host… 🎙️ Lindsey T. H. Jackson!

Lindsey is a creative force in motion. Every year, organizations and outlets like MoPOP, the Washington State GSBA and King5 News call on her to guide thousands of individuals through their shared journeys of Unlearning our culturally patterned biases and traumas. And now, we’re fortunate enough to be one of them!

Through her ongoing research on the root causes of our Western culture of pressure and burnout, Lindsey has spent over 15 years clearing the path to wellness & liberation alongside leaders, teams, and organizations.

And today, she’s the CEO creating the future of work with her team at LTHJ Global — leading the organizational Diversity, Equity & Inclusion evolution from the inside out.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn or learn more about her work here at LTHJ Global.

Want to join the next Unlearning?