Crave More Diversity and Community Care?

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Have you ever wondered what would spark a vibrant community that attracted people you admire? Or have you craved diversity where you work? Have you considered how dynamite change can come from all, when we appreciate all! Yes, old timers and newcomers all possess the treasured potent we need most to build and sustain engaged teams across differences!

What about experiencing the joy of being appreciated around others who remain fully alive? Mind-guiding brings newcomers and old-timers together in ways that benefit all! You get an advanced screening here, but this brain based mentoring process makes its 2019 debut in an invited Wiley Press book, International Handbook on Mentoring Practices, where mind-guiding is introduced in an 8000 word chapter on brain-friendly mentoring approach for a new era.

Below is a related tool with two-footed questions my Rotarian Club will use to mutually mentor newcomers and sponsors in a shared exchange that benefits all! It’s a mind-guiding tool that invites each of us to become learners as well as teachers. Sound like fun? It is. More importantly it builds the kind of diverse community where hidden and unused talents come alive in ways that serve others. It helps all to speak up and feel heard, and it allows for new insights to rejuvenate and appreciate entire groups.

How so? Imagine the following guide between you and a person you admire … I first brainstormed this mentoring idea with new-member committee member, Eric Germain, a Rotarian guru I deeply admire. It extended into a bi-annual newcomer/sponsor BBQ led by another admired committee leader, Dr. Stephan van Vuuren. Then the questions below got ratified by my darling grandchildren, Henrik (8) and Frankie (7) when they both blurted out this response in unison to question number 2: I love to come to Nana’s house most! Count me in for a lifetime of fun!

On the day of newcomer induction, or ahead, the candidate’s sponsor shares with the Rotary community one interesting and telling mind-guiding response about the candidate. Likewise, the new Rotarian shares a favorite response related to their sponsor. This Rotarian event could replace the brief story typically told at our club, or could be part of introductions when new people attend the club. The idea of mind-guiding here is to bring together people across differences, in ways that help others to know Rotary and be known as a unique member.

How is the mind-guiding program introduced to any club? As any good author or communicator knows – better to show it than to tell it! Simply invite 17 Rotarians at the meeting to briefly answer one question each. Chair of new members goes to the front and reads questions 1 to 17, as pre-selected  members (or guests) stand and answer their designated question. It’s fun. People get to know others, and we all get to know something about Rotary.

Then hand the mind-guiding sheets to new sponsors and their candidate Rotarians and ask them to get together and play with one or all responses, after which they will share the most meaningful, different or interesting response with the club at our next meeting, or at the new member induction.

Our club has laminated mind-guiding sheets with a reminder on back that any serotonin injected into any club or community through this process is likely a good offering! See the back of our mind-guiding sheets below, which some members discuss with their mind-guiding partners and include in their reports back to the whole group.

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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset