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1.6 | What have you learned/observed about your experience practicing with the Wisdom Circle in your team?
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I have to start by saying, I am genuinely thankful for my team. Each person brings their unique flavor to the wisdom circle. They are thoughtful, compassionate, inclusive, brave, vulnerable, honest, and the true definition of a team.
MLT introduced me to wisdom circles. The wisdom circle was different than my typical meetings. In those meetings, each person seems to show up with their own agenda + goals, making it easy to go off track or get stuck. I am curious about how to bring wisdom circles into regular corporate meetings.
Thankfully, I’ve had the experience as a speaker and as a listener/question asker. As a speaker, I was a bit nervous about sharing at first, but once we got to the questioning portion, I felt more relaxed and like my team had a vested interest in helping me get clarity around my issue. Their questions were thought-provoking, pushing me to lean into my core values and dig deeper. When they shared “This reminds me of a time when…” stories, it felt like each of their hearts met mine. I felt seen, heard, understood, and affirmed. I felt more expansive, more aware of what was important to me, and had new freedom to choose alternative options. As a listener/question-asker/experience sharer, I really had to use my deep listening skills. Sometimes when it’s multiple people talking, even one at a time, I find my mind drifts to some other topic (usually my to-do list). But for the wisdom circle, I was dedicated to hearing everything my group members shared and asked.
One of the biggest takeaways is seeing how many commonalities are among the group when we share our “this reminds me of a time when” stories. One thing to be mindful of is asking questions during the “questions” period rather than beginning to offer advice or shared experience stories. So much of the power of the circle is in the deep questioning process.
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The small group intersections have been invigorating. Being part of a circle with empathetic and open-minded individuals, who you know are working on mindfully listening and speaking, just brings one to a different level. I’ve felt very cared for and supported and feel that I am comfortable and wanting to provide the same care and support I’ve received. They just feel like very pure and thoughtful, yet organic, interactions. Ones without distraction that rely on the good intentions of the group to prosper.
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My reflection from my wisdom circle (I have also done these before), was how powerful the group can be. Allowing oneself to talk on a subject which you think you have thought through, but then by talking about it coming to see different perspectives. Seeing how differently other people think about similar things and how their questions can open up new ways of seeing. It is wonderful to feel the care and support from others when they truly listen and put others issues and wellbeing at the center and to be able to be helpful to others in doing so
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This is my first time experiencing the Wisdom Circle. I found it to be profoundly rich and rewarding on many levels. The structure of the circle allowed me to seamlessly transition from listener, empath, an inquistor, and problem solver, all while being fully present in each moment. I appreciated that each shift was softly transitioned by a nourishing breath. One particular experience that was shared resonated deeply with me. Having the opportunity to hear from someone else around this similar situation and the thoughtful advice shared, I found very comforting. The members of our circle have demonstrated such care in their words, advice, and for one another. So far, I’ve left each circle moved, empowered, and filled with gratitude.
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A deep sense of connection and common humanity. Across the board, we all have similar struggles, concerns and experiences — and have been open, honest and giving in sharing those experiences with one another. It’s been freeing to be open with others in my Wisdom Circle and inspiring to hear others’ stories and the commonalities among us.
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The Wisdom Circle is a welcome new tool of not only connection but increasing depth or understanding. I felt supported in my circle but at the time did not feel that I learned much, however, that changed as I reflected in my own time. My takeaway ended up being around precision and sparkliness; I could use less of the precision and more joy and connection with others as my central focus.
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I love our Wisdom Circles! One of my goals with the MLT program was to tap into a like-minded community and address my sense of loneliness. Being a part of such open, inclusive, well-intended, and caring group conversations allowed us to create psychological safety in our team and have a deeper sense of connection with people facing similar challenges and struggles in life. I felt connections and not alone anymore. The Wisdom Circles have been the highlight of my MLT experience so far!
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The practice of the wisdom circle requires vulnerability and MOLS. One of the greatest benefits thus far is the clarity in objectivity and recognizing how feelings often steward the course of how we navigate difficult decisions. The wisdom circle brings this juxtaposition front and center.
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To begin, I have to comment on how refreshing it has been to be part of team five (5) and our Wisdom Circles. Everyone in our group has simultaneously taken these collective times seriously without taking ourselves seriously and achieved a fine balance of care, kindness, openness and vigor. I am grateful for every member of our group. What I individually have noticed is the shift that takes place in me between the beginning of each circle and the end. In each instance, I’ve found myself at the beginning of the circle either antsy, impatient or nervous. By the end the exercise imbues me with a sense of connectedness, camaraderie and nourishment.
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I wasn’t able to join the wisdom circle for this round, I look forward to participating in our next circle. I found the wisdom circle we practiced during the opening weekend to be incredibly encouraging and a beautiful opportunity to connect, learn and be supported.
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Wisdom circles are a new format for me and I feel like I’m still getting used to them. However, they are a wonderful opportunity to deeply listen and hold space for another person. It will continue to be good practice for me to learn to frame my questions as inquiry rather than recommendations or suggestions.
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I find wisdom circles, wise councils, and similar case study/feedback formats to be very illuminating and supporting. It’s been true for my team here. As a natural know-it-all, it encourages me to listen deeply and be mindful of what and when I share my thoughts, regardless of how helpful I think I might be.
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The format restricted my natural tendency to give advices. Answering questions by different people forced the person with the issue to look at the issue from diverse perspectives. The articulation helped them sort through the multiple dimensions of the issue. It opened up more options to solve the puzzle.
Sharing personal experience was really powerful in creating the leap of faith that any challenges are solvable. The narration made me distill the lesson out of my experience, and it was gratifying to see how the lesson could inspire the person with the issue to untangle it with recovered hope.
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I was unable to attend our team’s wisdom circle due to a work related emergency that came up 30 minutes prior to the meeting. The response is in reference to the Wisdom Circle we practiced during the first large group session.
I held some judgment about other people’s interpretations of instructions. It was challenging for me to be fully present in listening without being concerned about time, outcome of meeting, and completion of task. It translates into physical discomfort – area of work to deepen body awareness! Then I felt disappointment in myself for holding judgment. Reminders to be kind to myself are needed. This tends to translate into kindness towards others.
I enjoyed the prompt challenge to only ask clarifying questions. I felt this prompt was one of the most useful practices that can be applied in my day-to-day work. Can interpret other’s issue with less judgment when entering a conversation with a curiosity mindset.
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There was a lot of anxiety and anticipation before the meeting, and an initial frustration around miscommunication as our meeting started. Once the circle was in flow, I felt the genuine desire for connection and support from members of the group, and I realized my fear of the unknown of group work is often an exaggeration, a trauma response from a time where I had no control or ability to remove myself away from negative people or scenarios.
Now, I realized I have the authority to make decisions in our conversation where I can set boundaries but still be present for those I’m supporting so that I do not lose myself but still authentically connect.
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