Organizational Trust: Cultivating Authenticity, Commitment, and Collaboration

with Ruben Perczek, Susan Skjei, & Steve Clorfeine

Effective leaders understand that organizations are made up of networks of conversation, and that engaging these networks skillfully is a core leadership competence. They know that long-term growth can only be sustained if the efficiency of their organizational systems is driven by the people who bring it alive. They get that the 'who' in their organization is a fundamental factor of the 'what' that they want to accomplish. Consequently, their primary focus is to bring out the best in themselves and others through a culture of trust. They cultivate high-performing teams and a collaborative culture, where people work together effectively even in the midst of conflict and controversy. And they do so by relating to others with courage, integrity and authenticity.

In this workshop, you will learn skills and practices that build high levels of alignment, trust, and teamwork through authentic conversation. We will practice the art of making requests and offers, negotiating commitments, resolving conflicts, and valuing a diversity of personal styles and approaches. We will explore self trust, its impact on our relating style, and understand that personal internal change is essential for everyone in the organization if trust and collaboration in the workplace are to be real. Included in our facilitation will be creating physical scenarios in which we can embody, distill and evaluate the complex relationships and blockages in our organizational experience. Through a whole systems approach, our workshop invites you to BE the trust you want to see in your organization and the world through a learning experience of didactic sessions, group exercises, and individual reflective practices.

Ruben Perczek is trained and licensed as a clinical psychologist and distinguished as a research scientist scholar at Stanford University. He is an experienced top-level executive coach within organizations undergoing system-wide transformations. As one of America's and Latin America's preeminent corporate coaches, his clients include Ricoh Latin America, Discovery Networks, Mastercard International, Hewlett Packard, and most recently the Office for Government Innovation in Mexico.

"Dr. Ruben Perczek is a new sort of leader and teacher. He shows us that it is still possible to observe with intensity, use language that inspires, and listen fully and completely. Through these mediums he creates the pre-requisite conditions that move people and their organizations, with grace and grit, toward achieving their highest ideals and truest purpose." – Senior Advisor, Regional Director General's Office, Health Canada

Susan Skjei, M.S., P.C.C. is a management consultant specializing in organizational change, coaching, and leadership development. Formerly a vice-president and chief learning officer in the high-tech industry, she designs and facilitates participative approaches to strategic planning and organizational transformation. Susan also teaches meditation workshops for leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Human and Organization Development at Fielding Graduate University.

"Susan showed bravery, insight, and humor in navigating the organizational culture. Without her ability to penetrate the culture and understand the needs, the training would have never been accepted." – Acting Branch Chief, Center for Disease Control

Steve Clorfeine is part of the Cultural Envoy Program of the U.S. State Department and recently spent two months creating a perfomance with theater students in Kolkata's Rabindra Bharati University. Steve has been writing, performing and directing theater pieces since 1975. For many years he performed in the companies of Barbara Dilley, Meredith Monk, Ping Chong and at Naropa University where he has been on the adjunct faculty since its inception. His own performances and workshops have toured the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Steve has long standing collaborations with Lanny Harrison, with jazz singer Jay Clayton, tap diva Brenda Bufalino, musician/composer Steve Gorn, and with the arts team at the Shambhala Institute. He leads theater, poetry and storytelling residencies in public schools in Europe and the U.S. as well as workshops for theater teachers in Germany, computer engineers in Zurich, and acting students in India and Nepal. He is the author of In the Valley of the Gods – Journals of an American Buddhist in Nepal, several poetry collections, most recently, Field Road Sky, and a sourcebook on creative process.

"Steve is an excellent teacher: gentle, clear, and sensitive. He has the gift of making participants feel safe as they take creative risks." – Jack Zimmerman, former President, Ojai Foundation, CA

Shambhala Summer Institute Modules

Action Inquiry: Transformational Leadership in the Midst of Action
with Bill Torbert & Mary Stacey

The Art of Hosting Conversations and Collaborations Across Generations
with Chris Corrigan, Tim Merry, & Barbara Bash

Coping with Chaos: Tools and Practices from Human Systems Dynamics
with Glenda Eoyang & Wendy Morris

Embodied Leadership – Empowered Life
with Wendy Palmer

Leader as Coach
with Sarita Chawla & James Flaherty

Leader as Shambhala Warrior
with Margaret Wheatley, James Gimian, & Jerry Granelli

Organizational Trust: Cultivating Authenticity, Commitment, and Collaboration
with Ruben Perczek, Susan Skjei, & Steve Clorfeine