At PATHS, culture drives everything we do.  

We believe that setting the right culture is at the root of creating a space in which participants can learn rapidly, can be joyful, can feel respected for who they are, and can speak their truth for the maximum benefit of every person around them.

Have you ever been in a class discussion that made your heart beat, because although you couldn’t articulate it in the moment, you were talking about something deep? Or perhaps you were chatting with friends late at night and suddenly it felt natural for you to talk about your biggest fears, doubts, and inspirations? PATHS wants to create workshops that consistently invoke meaningful conversations such as these. 

Really dynamic learning environments have specific and powerful qualities to them. These qualities are direct opposites that would seem to clash, but in practice work really well together. Here’s an example: “the space should honor silence and speech.” Silence and speech are direct opposites, but in a well constructed discussion space, people are welcomed to talk as well as remain silent. Some people will have lots to say about the basketball community in the United States, while not a single thought will come to mind for others. Both are ok. Another pair of opposites that work in harmony is little and big stories. Individuals can share their personal experiences of an issue as well as how they think the issue plays out broadly in society. 

Discussion spaces will also welcome risk as well as rest. A risk is anything that feels dangerous and uncomfortable, and may or may not give you a benefit for taking it. You don’t know what is going to happen when you take a risk—it feels like jumping off a cliff. Usually in day-to-day conversations, people take very few risks. You won’t say the thing that is really on your mind, because you are afraid of offending someone or having others judge you in a negative way. But this is exactly the reason why conversations get boring! PATHS values risks as essential parts to growth and discovery. Who knows, maybe that risky thing you say will end up changing another person’s perspective and help them immensely. Lastly, PATHS realizes that risks expend a lot of emotional energy, so you need to rest after taking these risks. You need time and space to recharge after the scary endeavor of putting yourself out there. 

At PATHS this culture will be created through modeling by the group facilitators.  Facilitators will need to be the first ones to take risks and share about themselves in open and brave ways. Facilitators will also need to model support for anyone taking their first bold steps towards sharing at any level of risk. Once participants can see this is a reality with their own eyes they will be able to trust that PATHS is walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

This kind of trust-building, taking risks, and supporting each other allow us to learn and grow rapidly. PATHS believes this is the key to a full, connected, and exciting life.  But this kind of work can ONLY ever happen in the right cultural environment.  

*This cultural description is largely based on a section of Parker Palmer’s book A Courage To Teach  (p 74 to 77) and cultural approaches similar to this have been at the root of highly dynamic and effective learning and work environments throughout the world. Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast showcases several of them. Ray Dalio’s book, Principles describes the way one version of this type of culture was developed at his highly successful company Bridgewater Associates.