We Can Do This!: 10 Tools to Unleash Our Collective Genius

by Kate R. Sutherland

Something is trying to be born. We can feel it. The old ways of the industrial growth society are crumbling, and the new ways of a life-sustaining civilization are emerging like grass through cracks in the concrete. Everything we need is already here. We Can Do This! is about unleashing our immense potential by harnessing the power of "group work" through tried-and-true frameworks for working together better. What is "group work"? Hold in your mind, if you will, the soul-nourishing quality of a barnraising, the A-ha's accessed only through deep conversation, or the exhilarating joy of a team in creative flow. The transformative magic of being in relationship, of collaborating and actively working together to achieve big goals is not only not new, but it's also the answer to how we move forward, as a society and a species. Our deepest ailment is our disconnectedness, from self, each other and Life. The challenges we face are too complex for our old "lone wolf" and heroic leader strategies. We Can Do This! 10 Tools to Unleash Our Collective Genius provides a roadmap for how we can leverage the power of the group to intervene in our stuck systems. How does the book work? We Can Do This! works at multiple levels to foster transformation. The All these levels are important and mutually reinforcing. More about the book More specifically, the book introduces a complementary set of 10 Each framework is summarized from the perspective of what is most useful in the the framework in a nutshell, its origin, a story of the framework in action, how it applies at the personal level, finer points, possible pitfalls and finally key questions as a short cut to drawing out the insights of that framework. Icons support the reader to see connections between the different frameworks. The tools offer complementary perspectives and pointers, each focused on different aspects of how humans are together. Just as carpenters need hammers, screwdrivers, measuring tape, drills, sandpaper and so on, no one tool can do it all, but all together they support effective action.

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2017

Reviews

[Katrina Sark · Rating 1 out of 5]

“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” (Albert Einstein)

p.11 – Holding space – Perhaps you have had the experience of feeling really heard in a way that made it easier for you to speak what was in your heart and mind. Someone held space for you in a way that let you access thoughts and emotions you had not been able to express before. The same dynamic happens in groups. When there is at least one person in a group who brings depth and awareness, their ability to see and hear from a deeper place makes it easier for others to say what is real and to act authentically. The frameworks in this book give you ten different perspectives on yourself and any group situation. As you integrate working with them, you will deepen your ability to be that someone in the group who makes it easier for others to show up.

p.21 – Focus on the possibilities, not problems.