Courtenay Welcome, Cohort 1
Slow inclusion focuses on relationships and acknowledges the time it takes to build strong foundations for trust – especially with underrepresented communities – which allows people to be themselves and do their best work.
This was underpinned throughout BE IT by the phrase ‘moving at the speed of trust’ 1 where each cohort member, partner and team member too needed something different. This is a care intensive approach to work, but it allows people who would not otherwise be able to engage to do their best work and feel seen, heard and supported.
Kiara Corales, Cohort 1
It is easy to work quickly when you ‘task’ someone with doing a predefined ‘thing’. When you are working in co-creative bespoke ways, starting with openness and starting where people are at, seeing someone for who they are and trying to ensure that whatever it is that makes a person’s creativity distinct has the space to grow and evolve in ways that are true to their own priorities and practice, it takes time and there is a need to work at the right pace.
Kiara Corales, Cohort 1
But being in an environment where we're leading in a loving and caring way and constantly sharing you realise that is the way forward, that is the most holistic and sustainable way forward and efficient way forward. Helping just recognise the difference. That's exactly what made me think about leadership, that collaborative question.
cohort 2 interview
I think having that time and space is important and a big takeaway from the programme is about pacing ourselves and not overwhelming ourselves and trying to resist the grind culture and productivity, feeling like you have to always be showing how much you’re doing in order to feel worthy, so I think unlearning those internalised capitalist ideas of productivity and yeah Rising is all about the rest and that being an important part of the work and I couldn’t agree more. Embracing slowness this year in particular has been major for me. I feel like we have to be told that message over and over again… until your brain just unlearn all the years of basically doing the opposite, so it is really helpful.
cohort 2 interview
I just want to say how incredible it has been in terms of taking very small decisive steps and constantly checking in and making sure everyone is at the same level of understanding and making sure everyone’s prioritising their own needs.
cohort 2 interview
Amber-Ruth Watson, Cohort 1
Footnotes
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US scholar and activist Adrienne Maree Brown also talks about ‘moving at the speed of trust’ in their book Emergent Strategyand Stephen M.R Covey is credited with coining the phrase ‘The Speed of Trust’ ↩