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Permission to Lead: How to step up in sociocracy without power-over

November 10 @ 16:30 – 19:00 UTC

Permission to Lead Generic - - Sociocracy For All

Explore how to lead, align, and build accountability without stepping into “power-over”

  • Groups of 3+ get a 30% discount.
  • Organizational Learners get 25% discount on individual registrations or 47.5% discount on group registrations.
Register

Email [email protected] to register your group or for questions.

A class for circle leaders on how to lead and increase accountability

There is a huge misconception in shared power which is typically unconscious: the belief that “if we’re all equals, no one can tell anyone what to do.” 

People in leadership often find themselves in an uncomfortable double-bind. They see that if they don’t say things, stuff doesn’t get done, or not done in a way that’s helpful. But they worry that if they say that out loud, people will scream “you’re doing power-over!”

There are two re-frames that get you out of that position. Because once you see it, you notice that it is actually not about you:

  1. You’re not telling anyone what to do. It’s not about what you want. We’re accountable to the organization. And the organization has things it wants to do! Strip the individualistic frame that hierarchy tries to lure you into and the shame-loop stops. 
  2. Accountability isn’t to you as the “leader” – it’s to agreements we make together. 

So much about the good news. Yet, making agreements doesn’t mean they are magically followed. Everyone drops the ball sometimes. 

So someone needs to close the loop – and that is often also a job for leaders. And it’s uncomfortable because it feels like power-over to say “hey, we said, no dogs in this room. Could you take the dog somewhere else?”

In this class, we will look at those misconceptions, how to get out of them, and how to rethink accountability as service to the organization. 

We will find that leadership is a function, not a person. And that hierarchy made us believe that a lot of sub-functions – direction, accountability, alignment, improvement, performance, care, servitude – were held by bosses in hierarchy but don’t have to all be held by leaders in sociocracy. There is so much more room to think about things differently and do things differently!

To understand what functions to fill how, we need to first understand what the functions are and how to make agreements, structures and rhythms to hold them, and how to close theo loop to make sure it happens. 

You’ll leave with:

  • A map of which leadership functions your organization holds, and which ones it doesn’t yet
  • A way to close those gaps so it doesn’t all hinge on you
  • Accountability mechanisms that don’t feel like power-over

It will be practical, personal, enlightening – and maybe even liberating!

Who it’s for: people already practicing sociocracy in circles.


Format: 2.5 hours online, with presentations and reflections. 

All classes include presentation, practice, and time for questions.

Schedule

0:00-0:1010 min Welcome, check-in
0:10-0:4030 min Presentation: Functions in organizations
0:40-1:1030 min Reflections on gaps in our own organization
1:10-1:4030 min Presentation: Agreements – what to hold accountable to
1:40-2:1030 min Practice and reflection on increasing accountability
2:10-2:2010 min Personal next steps
2:20-3:0010 min closing

Trainer

Copy of Ted Rau - - Sociocracy For All

Ted is an advocate, trainer and consultant for self-governance. His main focus is sociocracy. After his PhD in linguistics and work in Academia, he co-founded the membership organization Sociocracy For All in 2016 which has grown to 250 members with several international and topic-focused departments and action teams. Ted spends his days consulting with mission-driven organizations, teaching and deeply immersed in the work as a member within Sociocracy For All. Ted identifies as a transgender man; he has 5 children between 10 and 20. A German citizen, he has lived in Massachusetts since 2010. He is (co)-author of three books on self-governance, Many Voices One Song (2018), Who Decides Who Decides (2021), and Collective Power (2023) and working on a book on the interface between governance and wisdom.

Duration and time zone

DATE: November 10, 2026

TIME: 16:30 – 19:00 UTC

CHECK YOUR LOCAL TIME ZONE HERE :

Price and Tickets

$85 USD

You can request a 30% group discount for groups of 3+ people.
Affordability is important to us. Please email [email protected] if the ticket price keeps you from attending and describe your need briefly. 

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