Advisory Work
Fostering Individual and Organizational Health towards Social Transformation
We are a continental network of experienced educators and consultants working together from a connection to Rudolf Steiner’s insights into human development, organizational and community transformation. The premise of our work is simple: through meaningful, respectful, open dialogue with the self and with each other we can foster transformational growth at all levels of culture. Together, we have over 150 years of collective experience in organizational development and Waldorf education as teachers, administrators and advisors. We are committed to our colleagues in Waldorf education and offer our insights and organizational skills to individuals and schools as advisors, trainers, consultants and transformational change facilitators. We work to illuminate the positive in difficult situations and foster solutions to empower individuals and groups to overcome the many natural challenges of modern organizational life.
Consultations and advisory work is tailored to the specific needs and situation of individual schools.
Please contact us for a free consultation to explore whether we might be a good fit for your school's needs.
A partial list of organizations we have advised:
Susquehana Waldorf School
Great Oak School
Bayou Village SchoolTwo=year school improvement advisory
Waldorf School of St Louis
London Waldorf School
Waldorf School of New Orleans
Sanderling Waldorf School
Whidbey Island Waldorf School
Wishing Well School
Portland Waldorf School
Sound Circle Teacher Training
Accreditation team participation:
City of Lakes Waldorf SchoolCuernavaca Waldorf SchoolDeveloping School Visits (AWSNA)
Over 30 schools in Mexico, US and CanadaRead about our principles and approach below
Leading with Spirit - The Principles
The Leading with Spirit consultancy is based on the following ideals:
· As social creations, schools/organizations achieve sustaining health through the inspired leadership of the individuals involved.
· Sustained and vibrant school/organizational health is driven by a balance of self and group development, where individuals are both developing themselves and working together with a sense of shared development.
· While there are common elements of a healthy school/organization, health looks different in every School/organization depending on its biography, phase of development and environment.
· Consultancies are valuable - Every school/organization can benefit from support, mentoring, and coaching from experienced consultants.
· Consultancies are generally more successful when done in teams and over sustained periods of time –building strong ongoing relationships.
· While there are a variety of potentially helpful tools, strategies and approaches to consulting work, consultancies are more successful in supporting long term school/organizational transformation and health when the consultants have experience gained from working in schools, allowing a deeper appreciation of the multiple dynamics affecting each institution and situation.
· Every school/organization has three primary dialogs that are fundamental to their development and success: a dialog with the spirit concerning questions of identity, mission, direction and alignment; a dialog in the social realm concerning questions of collaboration, process, roles and responsibilities, and; a dialog with the earth concerning questions of resources, effective delivery of services, planning and finances.
· Processes for developing school/organizational health are more successful when they are congruent with and integrated with the school/organization’s other regulatory requirements (state, AWSNA, accreditation)
· Rudolf Steiner offered insights into social and organizational development through four basic social principles, and these provide valuable reference points for social development that truly meets the needs and challenges of these times.
· Rudolf Steiner also offered basic insights into the nature of the human being and human development that provide the foundation for Waldorf education and for Waldorf school development.
The Approach: Transforming and Sustaining Healthy Schools/Organizations
In developing a transformative health program for a school, the consultant team conducts research through interviews with as many of the stakeholders in the community as possible. Then in collaboration with the school/organization leadership (individuals and groups), the consultants help identify the predominant dynamics contributing to and hindering development. In collaboration with school leadership, a set of strategic activities is developed and implemented leading to ongoing structural, procedural and relational enhancements. Along with each step, and continuing through the implementation of these enhancements, consultants provide individual and group coaching and support as needed. The developing work is reviewed and evaluated against criteria collaboratively established between consultants and school leadership.