participatory leadership
learning journeys
listening circles
teambuilding

TEAM & ORGANISATION

Spirit? Not immediately a common word in most organisations, especially in the corporate world.

However, chances are that your team or organisation has questions about intrinsic motivation and ownership. Would you like to see the right person in the right place? Do you strive for inspiring leadership, effective cooperation, healthy cohesion in teams and a connection between individual values and those of the organisation?

In my view, all of this has to do with spirit. And all of them are exciting challenges in which I like to support your team or organization.

What

You can approach an organisational system from different angles that continuously influence each other: structure, processes, culture and capacity. My interventions mainly focus on cultural change and capacity building, with a focus on the fascinating relationship between the individual and the collective. How can a group support the development of an individual, and vice versa?

In practice, this means that I offer short and long-term programs, around participation, leadership, cohesion and cooperation. Within the European Institutions, I also regularly join a hosting team for participatory processes.

For whom

I work with people from very different sectors and at every 'level': employees, managers and other relevant stakeholders.

Life is no longer about individual success but success as a collective organism.

Richard Ruddteacher, mystic, poet

Thanks again for this rich interaction today. Especially found it very interesting to prepare the joint session with you. The idea of closely observing our employees during the different exercises gave me a new dimension in coaching. It was a very special experience. Thanks!

Philippe Lemineur

Partner, Origin Architecten

I have been designing and facilitating workshops with Stien for years. Everyone believes (and so do I) that our duo works great. Stien brings her creativity and her artistic experience to the different sessions. Some examples: original warm-ups to start the workshop or to energise the group where necessary; a very meaningful thread through a tailor-made story, which helps to anchor and remember the message; a poem containing important elements that she noticed during the workshop. I am happy that our duo shows that art has its place in the business world, and not outside of it.

Xavier Mathy

HR, Belfius

Stien, thank you so much for the authentic, subtle and eye-opening coaching given during my leadership journey. It’s been an intensive time and you exactly lead me where I wanted to end up: asking myself the right questions. I’m now even more convinced I have all the needed luggage to find the right answers. I truly hope others will have the same opportunity I got. Thanks again, best of luck and see you soon!

Yann Reynders

Participant Leadership Training, Belfius

Services

Participation & Leadership Journeys

Short or long-term processes in organisations around (participatory) leadership. A creative mix of methodologies, models, practice, with appropriate and supportive input from an artistic perspective.

Some examples of journeys and trainings that I have (co-)hosted in recent years:

Three-day Art of Participatory Leadership Training in collaboration with. the Art of Hosting Network
Two-day training Participatory Collaboration
Future Teamleaders trajectory, in the form of modules, with learning journeys and group assignment - duration: 9 months
Young Potentials trajectory, in the form of modules, with learning journeys and group assignment - duration: 9 months

Creative & Artistic Teambuildings

Let me be clear from the start: a team building or team day that is not taking into consideration the whole system, does not do much. That is why I start every intervention with an open and honest conversation: is this what is really needed in your team, your organization?

If yes, then we get to work! These are some surprising, artistic and creative perspectives

The wisdom of your clown. Yes, you read it correctly. Clown. A very special teacher who makes us work in a fantastic way on much needed skills in a changing world. Download the brochure for more information
Harmony through singing. A unique combination of individual voice coaching by Martine Reyners and team coaching by Stien, with the icing on the cake being your own team song!
Together we go to a theater or dance performance, in collaboration with the KunstenFESTIVALdesArts (annual festival in May), followed by a reflective dialogue
Participatory dialogue around themes that matter, with the icing on the cake being your own team song!

Listening Circles
Online & In person

A storytelling circle around a "hot topic", an exercise in listening and sharing. Including intake, decision-making process, preparatory process and aftercare. With the special extra: a creative harvest of the circle in the form of a poetic observation.
Here's more information about the online version. The offline version would be similar, with of course more opportunities to meet face to face.

We have the choice - Circle Online & In person

A Circle of We have the Choice can provide relief at difficult tipping points. As co-founder and circle coach from the very beginning, I would like to introduce this wonderful organization to you here:

We have the Choice grew out of a citizens' initiative of Kristin Verellen - who lost her life partner Johan Van Steen in the attacks of Maalbeek on March 22, 2016 - and a circle of friends. In the meantime, We have the choice has grown into an organization with more than 70 voluntary circle guides.

Since the attacks, We have the choice guided connecting Circles in various multicultural contexts at important turning points. Circles are organised in collaboration with partner organisations, both on location and online.

Approach

An honest assesment

My first concern is defining the core question. What is really at stake? And why? Who needs to be involved from the very start? Are we the right persons to do this work?

Focus and Impact

I am result oriented. Not because I work towards pre-fixed goals, but because I work purposefully and stay with the process as long as needed.

Tackling real issues

In a participatory way

All my interventions are co-creative, participatory processes. From beginning till end I will look for effective ways to hear all voices and tap into the collective wisdom.

Working with the undercurrent

I create the conditions for people to bravely ask the question behind the question, to have those long due conversations , to surface the wisdom of the minority.

Using Polarity as a force

Many people get stuck in polarity, but in reality it is a great source of power, energy and wisdom. Releasing and harvesting that power is part of what I do.

Thinking in systems

A team or an organisation are not a vacuum. They are systems that are part of a system, contain systems and connect with other systems.

Speaking 4 languages

I facilitate fluently in Flemish/Dutch, French and English, and I stand my ground in German. I can also easily combine two languages.

Creative and Artistic

As a theatre maker, writer and musician I have several tools to my disposal to intensify the experience of my interventions and/or to (co-)create an artistic object in words or images, recording the visible and the invisible outcome.

Fun

Playing is a skill we forget all too often. I will always be sincere. I might not always be serious. Laughter is a good sign: it means we have released something, encountered something different, stepped out of our comfort zone. So beware: smiles ahead :-)

Professionalism

For me this means walking the talk, being respectful, direct, effective and transparent, and continuous evolving and learning in my area of expertise.

A broad network of professionals

When I need the complementary skills of a colleague, when I don't have the time or when I simply think somebody else is better suited than me to do the work, I have a broad network of professionals that I can recommend.