I was introduced to the concept of “holding the space” when attending my first shadow work transformational seminar with Debbie Ford in California in 2001. It seemed very important for the people running this three-day immersive experience, but I took it very literally. “How can you hold space?” I wondered. “Space isn’t something you can touch or hold. It’s invisible.” Creating the appropriate space for your conversation is like planting a garden. There is an entire ecosystem to consider that is ever-changing, and you need to be responsive to those changes.

As the Conversation Leader, you set the bar. Your presence creates an ecosystem for participants to work together. If you’ve been a parent, you already know that children will do as you do and not as you say. As a role model for listening, acknowledging, contributing, and questioning, participants will follow your lead, so be mindful of the example you set.

Children are the best teachers for parents when it comes to setting a role model. I was called into nursery school because my youngest son, at the tender age of four, was apparently teaching his classmates how to curse like a sailor.

The problems organizations now face are challenging. When experiencing rapid change, low or declining engagement rates, and rising uncertainty, we all need our best thinking caps on. Collectively, humanity is facing some existential crises – environmental, political, socioeconomic – that will require innovation, agility and resilience to solve. Old roles, strategies and reporting structures may be obsolete.