A gift to the human race

The gift of the Medicine Wheel for all peoples to use with respect arrived when I was already deep in the question of how organizations could access the wisdom of everyone in them – not just those at the top. The Medicine Wheel gave that question a framework. A circle with four directions, each representing a different mode of knowing and being. An archetype that resonates across cultures and over time. A way of asking ‘what do we need to attend to?’ that went well beyond conventional organizational analysis.

The audio recording from the conference where this announcement was made described it as being “given by the red race of the native people to be used by the full human race.” And that “the red race had so carefully preserved this knowledge for the human race for millennia so that it could again be used for the creating a life nurturing future for the human race.” I am so deeply grateful for this gift. I recognize that not all Indigenous peoples are in agreement with this gift being used by the entire human race. I can only express my gratitude, and remember that at one time, archetypes from around the world show that we all had this knowledge. I am deeply grateful to the Indigenous peoples for preserving it, for when humanity needed this gift.

Medicine Wheel

I worked with the Medicine Wheel to apply it to achieving healthy and balanced sustainable organizations. The first published article on this topic, co-written with my colleague Larry Peterson, was published by Berrett-Koehler in their journal At Work in November 1999 after considerable research by Larry and I.

This gift and the framework it gave me was the beginning of what would become the Medicine Wheel Tool as used in the Genuine Contact Way – a simple, multi-purpose framework for navigating leadership and organizational challenges. Not telling you where to go, but orienting you so that you can find your own direction from a place of wholeness rather than urgency. The work of applying it to organizational life has continued ever since.

Tapping Into Collective Wisdom

The intelligence needed to transform organizations is already present in your people. This six-part series explores where that wisdom comes from, why it so often goes untapped, and what becomes possible when you create the conditions to access it.

Whether you are reading this series from the beginning or arrived here partway through, each post stands on its own – and the series rewards reading in full. If you are joining mid-way, we invite you to start at Part 1. for a more complete picture.

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  • Birgitt Williams

    Birgitt specializes in helping leaders build organizations where people and purpose thrive. She co-founded the internationally recognized Genuine Contact Way of Working, a holistic approach to organizational transformation that has achieved consistent cross-cultural success worldwide. Birgitt's philosophy centers on the belief that organizations inherently possess the blueprint for their optimal health. Through her work, she partners with purpose-driven leaders, consultants, coaches and facilitators to create sustainable change by focusing on strengths and constructive energy. Her insights on leadership and organizational development have been featured in numerous publications, including her book "The Genuine Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership."
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