## My process - "I'm like a counsellor but for businesses." My best shorthand for describing my work with organizations is to say, "I'm like a counsellor but for businesses." There are a few strengths to this analogy and a few shortcomings. Here's what I mean by it, which will help you understand my work: *One big caveat to the analogy is that I am not a trained counsellor or clinician and do not have any of the associated clinical responsibilities.* ### What it means to be "like a counsellor": #### Intimate partnership A good counselling relationship depends on mutual trust. The counsellor trusts their clients to be honest and brave; the client trusts their counsellor to be on their team, to root for them and help them bring their full wisdom and insight to bear on areas where it’s stuck in their lives. #### Increasing capacity is the goal Good counsellors help their clients increase their capacity to face their worlds skillfully and competently. I want the same. As I see it, our society depends on organizations in complex, myriad ways. We need our organizations to have immense capacities to face change, operate effectively, and achieve their goals and missions. The best way to do so is to increase the capacity of the people within the organization. #### Specialized training in "human-ness" Counsellors receive training that helps them understand people--their development stages, coping strategies, thought patterns, and so on. I have similar training specific to workplace dynamics: communication, giving and receiving feedback, and group dynamics, among other skills. ### What it means to be "for businesses": #### People and organizations must co-exist People and organizations are both complex, living systems with their own sets of needs. Organizations need proper funding, strong leadership, legal protections, and, ultimately, for work to get done. People need to make money, but crucially, they also need meaning, purpose, community, security, and room to learn, among other things. My job is to tend to both. #### I specialize in teams Many of the intense introspective elements of a counselling relationship are not suitable for work or teamwork; I bring a unique set of skills and tools specifically adapted to everyday workplace dynamics. ## About me and my journey to this work Some distant history: I've long been interested in the interface between our imaginations and the material worlds we live in. For my undergraduate studies, this curiosity led me toward geology, literary theory (especially sci-fi and historical literature), 3-D sculpture, and philosophy. I stitched together a degree centred on the question of how our dreams interface with reality, and I found a few answers: Geologists use field observations to imagine and create stories about the earth (e.g., plate tectonics); in sci-fi—even the most far-fetched—we see murmurs and reflections of how we already are (LeGuin, 2000); in 3-D sculpture, we gain an understanding of the nuances of bringing our imaginations into physical form and begin to listen to what the objects around us say about us; in philosophy, particularly phenomenology, we slow down to more deeply appreciate *what it’s like* to live in a world animated by our imaginations, fueled by our stories. I've been lucky to extend this inquiry for the past ten years into the one place where the impulse to create lives strongest: organizations. **What is an organization other than a group of people on a shared mission to manifest something tangible into the world?** ## My experience I've been supporting local organizations through volunteer leadership since 2014, when I co-founded a community bike co-op in Squamish, B.C. My volunteer experience since then includes leadership roles in both regional and local ManKind Project initiatives, community singing groups, and community grief-tending. Professionally, I've been writing and researching group process since 2012, when I contributed to Fit Matters: How to Love Your Job and subsequently Bravespace Workplace: Making Your Company Fit for Human Life. I've been working full-time in a small, boutique consultancy, Moementum, Inc., since late 2019. My work with Moementum has included extensive research and writing on workplace dynamics, team performance, and leadership. I have also worked closely with Moe Carrick, Moementum's senior consultant, on projects for clients ranging from state-wide medical service providers to mid-size private manufacturing companies all the way up to corporate organizations like Reddit. I completed a Master's degree in Organization Development and Leadership in the winter of 2024. ## How we’ll work together Our work starts with a conversation. I want to understand what’s happening in your world — how your people are feeling, how your systems are behaving, what’s drawing your attention, and what all of this is costing you and your organization. From there, we make meaning together: surfacing insights, naming patterns, and imagining new possibilities. Every engagement looks a little different, but the rhythm is similar: 1. **Listen and learn** — interviews, observation, and curiosity. 2. **See and sense** — clarify themes and questions that matter most. 3. **Design and try** — co-create experiments or interventions that move the system. 4. **Reflect and adjust** — learn from what happens and evolve next steps. It’s a collaborative process. You’ll always know why we’re doing something, and we’ll check regularly to see what’s working and what’s not. ## My commitments I hold a few steady commitments in my work: - **Integrity** — I don’t promise change I can’t help you create. - **Partnership** — I’m not the expert _on_ your organization; I’m a partner _with_ it. - **Learning** — Every engagement should teach us both something new. - **Respect** — People deserve to be treated with dignity, especially when things are hard. ## Words from others > “Making time to talk together felt indulgent and strange at first, but those who leaned in were glad to have it. It gave us time we didn’t know we needed. The way the directors showed up in the week after was a big change — staff saw a more aligned team, and it created more alignment in the organization.” > — **Rebecca Anderson, Executive Director, Lotusland** ## Working with partners I work independently and in collaboration with other consultancies, especially [Moementum, Inc.](https://moementum.com). Depending on the scope and needs of the engagement, I can call on a team of experienced interventionists. Together, we bring a blend of research, facilitation, and design expertise built over decades of helping teams and leaders thrive. ## How to get started If you’re curious about working together, I usually start with a short, exploratory call — no slide decks, no commitments. Just a conversation about what’s happening in your organization and what you’d like to be different. → [Schedule a conversation](https://calendar.notion.so/meet/camcarrick/cameroncarrick-meet1)