Powerful, tangible, and empowering organizing has never been more needed. Here is a gentle, stepwise guide for how to begin. Drawing on many years of experience and teaching, Ted Rau takes the mystery out of forming effective groups.

Nathan Schneider, University of Colorado Boulder

Ted Rau has written another invaluable survival guide for groups interested in distributing power and working towards a shared purpose. He demystifies common and frustrating pain points of governance and offers practical, down-to-earth tips for running effective meetings and clearing the path for meaningful collaboration.

Lisa Gill, founder of Reimaginaire and self-management coach

Ted Rau has done an outstanding job of tackling how to avoid the sneaky slide into a power struggle amongst well-meaning people who really want to cooperate and collaborate but need better tools. A practical, accessible approach to decision-making, this book is an excellent handbook for groups wanting to fulfill a mission and not spend their time stuck in a decision-making quandary.

Dawna Jones, author, Decision Making for Dummies

How does one start a completely self-governed group? Ted Rau is one of the most appropriate people to answer this question, because it is something he works on every day, not only in the organization of which he is the operational leader and co-founder, Sociocracy For All, but also accompanying groups and organizations (for profit and non-profit) that seek self-management and sharing of power. For those of us who work with him, he is a constant guide and reference due to his great knowledge, multiple experiences and the ability to explain things with clear, simple and with replicable materials. This book brings great clarity to those who accompany groups and who are part of them, since there are always common situations. Here, we will find concrete ways to be able to navigate and overcome them.

Nora Plaza, Consultant, leader of Sociocracia Práctica

What I love about Ted’s writing is that he speaks from the heart and from experience. Everything Ted discusses in this book he has tried and tested; and everything works! Our world seems to be moving through a phase of increasing division and rampant self-interest. Forming small groups that embody cultures of caring, empathy and `power-with’ rather than `power-over’ is a way for each of us to practice the skills that the world needs to move toward greater harmony. Well functioning small groups are a powerful piece of the more networked world we are creating. Ted is a gift to the world, and this book is a fantastic, practical guide to creating groups with the culture we need.

Paul Atkins, Prosocial.world