Let's Adjourn

“I offer you peace.  I offer you love.  I offer you friendship.  I see your beauty.  I hear your need.  I feel your feelings.  My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.  I salute that Source in you.  Let us work together for unity and love.” 

n  Mahatma Gandhi

I have never been a fan of working in groups.  In fact, when in a group setting, I share with my peers that I prefer working alone.  This particular disposition certainly does not prohibit me from working with a group and I actively engage in that type of communication and sharing model.   I have been engaged in groups that have worked well together and I have been engaged in groups that faced an uphill battle the entire way. 

For me, I enjoy groups that challenge my intellect, working alongside individuals who bring lots of different experiences and ideas to the table.  A group where there is trust and respect brings out not only the best in me, but it brings out my fears and anxieties to the forefront.  I don’t feel I will be judged, rather I feel I will be supported along the way.  These types of group interactions for me are a time to contribute as well as a time to gather information and resources for my future work down the road.  I look at these types of high level groups as an advantage in my career and I enjoy the idea of learning from my peers.  When in this type of setting, I am always taking notes, jotting down ideas shared by the group. 

One such group was a director’s group I worked with.  All of us came from different backgrounds and we worked really well together.  We were all functioning at a high level.  When our work was done, we began the adjourning process, which for me gives a sense of closure to something.  This was difficult as I had developed collaborative and personal relationships with the group.  We came to rely on each other, brainstorming and discussing issues each of us had at our own programs.  To wrap up our work together the leaders of the group had us participate in a webbing exercise where we held a ball of yarn and threw it across to another member of the group having to say something positive about the person or some insight gained about the person.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the group as we were all so thankful to have engaged in such a thought provoking and information sharing environment.  I still keep in touch with many of these women, each of us checking in on the other still sharing with one another