Sanford co-create their leadership charter using The Emotional Culture Deck 

Sanford, a renowned New Zealand company, embarked on a transformative journey to unify their leadership team and establish a cultural framework reflective of their values. Robyn Pagonis from Element Consulting facilitated this process using The Emotional Culture Deck, engaging 30 Sanford leaders in a pivotal workshop.

In the middle of 2018, Robyn bought The Emotional Culture Deck Team Pack and has been having endless fun playing with it. 

"I’ve been having a ball with it.  So much so, that one of my clients is now ready to step into an F word conversation with their Senior Leadership Team.  As a player in the primary industry, it’s fair to say they are more attuned to a different F word than “feelings. Thanks in advance, and thanks again for putting some great design thinking into a safe, structured way to explore these conversations with a straight shooting-crowd."

The group of 30 Sanford leaders (including their executive), which she described as a team of two halves…. those who have been around for 20+ years and those who are new to the organisation (and mostly new to the industry, too).

Due to the different groups within the team, they could have been described as slightly fractured and needed some help to find their leadership rhythm, and explore and embrace their individual differences.

"The business is on quite the transformation journey, and establishing a cultural framework that brings their values to life will be one of the most important first steps in their undertaking. I used The Emotional Culture Deck to lead them through the process and help them navigate their stories and come together as one team.”

Initially met with scepticism, the workshop quickly unfolded as a powerful means to explore emotions and foster unity within the team. Despite their initial reservations, the leaders discovered a shared leading emotion: love. This unexpected revelation underpinned the creation of their Leadership Charter, a testament to the collective vision and commitments of Sanford's leaders.

Through Robyn's guidance and a half-day workshop, the Sanford leadership team navigated their diverse backgrounds and perspectives to draft a charter that not only defines the impact they aspire to have on the organisation but also outlines the rituals to bring their shared vision to life. 

This journey marked a significant step in Sanford's ongoing transformation, illustrating the profound impact of emotional culture in shaping leadership and organisational values.