Reconciliation: The New Way Forward
“Let us call in our highest selves, our human consciousness, in wanting something bigger, better for all of us.”
– Excerpt from Namwayut by Chief Dr. Robert Joseph
Every month, we bring inspiration to the Global Round Table Leadership community from leaders and ensembles worldwide who demonstrate shared leadership and create positive systems change. This month we’re excited to highlight our beloved client and partners Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, OC, OBC and the team at Reconciliation Canada.
Chief Joseph is a peacebuilder, author, and leader who uses reconciliation and healing as a powerful way to bridge the differences brought about by intolerance, lack of understanding, and discrimination. As a residential school survivor, his work focuses on sparking dialogue to transform the relationships between Indigenous peoples and all of Canada.
Chief Joseph’s teachings have made their way around the globe as a powerful method for community dialogue and reinforcing our shared humanity. In 2012, Chief Joseph founded Reconciliation Canada: an organization engaging people in open and honest conversations as well as transformative experiences to understand each other’s diverse histories and experiences. Its mission is to engage multi-faith and multicultural communities to explore reconciliation and forgiveness. Reconciliation Canada has been nurturing the reconciliation ecosystem in Canada, including expanding the capacity of facilitators of Reconciliation Dialogues through their coaching and mentoring and curriculum design.
Together, they are charting a New Way Forward: through meaningful partnerships, outreach programs, group coaching, and reconciliation leadership workshops, Reconciliation Canada is creating communities that pave the way for healing. In their public awareness events and organizational workshops, Reconciliation Canada provides learning experiences for members to share personal stories, create visions for the future, and develop Reconciliation Action Plans. By creating synergies through shared experiences, Reconciliation Canada is encouraging collaboration for our shared future.
“Reconciliation includes anyone with an open mind and an open heart who is willing to look into the future in a new way.” – Excerpt from Namwayut by Chief Dr. Robert Joseph
In his new book Namwayut: A Pathway to Reconciliation, Chief Joseph demonstrates how to take the first steps on this journey by sharing his own story, and emphasizes how this act of vulnerability encourages mutual understanding of one another. When we transform the relationships within ourselves and others, we can collectively empower a new society.
“Let us take on a responsibility to each other and let our every action be in the highest interest of the collective.” – Excerpt from Namwayut by Chief Dr. Robert Joseph
We need collective consciousness and support to facilitate positive change. The work you do on yourself will extend to your family, workplace, and communities. If you’re wondering how you can practice reconciliation in your life, we strongly encourage you to read Chief Dr. Robert Joseph's book to embark on your reflective journey – our entire team is also reading Namwayut and reflecting on it this fall.
Reconciliation and our Shared Leadership Framework™ work hand-in-hand. They both require safe and brave spaces to encourage vulnerability, active listening, and open communication. Rather than coming from a place of critique or judgment, reconciliation and shared leadership call us to seek genuine connection and a mutual understanding of one another. The ancient wisdom of Indigenous traditions informs our leadership training program because these concepts remind us of the universal principle of wholeness and that together we can shift from a mob mentality to becoming healing fields together and that we are humans in kinship with each other having experiences before we are people playing roles in society.
The pathway to our higher humanity is the way forward.
Looking for more ideas & practices to take back to your team? We’ve got team development tips and leadership inspiration here:
● READ A Steward of the Future: John Muir
● LEARN The 6 Key Qualities of Ensembles
● TRY Our Compassionate Accountability Process
● WATCH Relationship-Building with Lori Hanau, Global Round Table Leadership Founder & Principal