‘What is your bedtime routine with your kids? Ours is not working very well at the moment.’

Over the next few hours, our friends and I talked about various tactics of bedtime routine and many other parenting challenges. In addition to learning different ideas and approaches, we were reminded we are not alone. That other parents have similar challenges. And we were reminded there is no ‘only one right way’ of parenting.

And it’s not just parenting that prompts these types of discussion. The same thing happens and can happen on all topics imaginable. This is the promise of ‘communities of practice’, of learning groups, of masterminds, and so on.

The key is found not in experts, but peers and fellow ‘travellers’. And we often confuse conveners, facilitators, and experts. Conveners help bring us together and often ask the initial question. Facilitators draw expertise out of us all not just one. Experts are slightly further ahead on the journey than the others.

While embarking on digital transformation and organisational change creating space for these types of discussion is critical. Some of them can be formal, but encouraging them to happen informally is also critical. Learning from peers is almost always more powerful than learning from managers.

And here’s the thing. We can all be conveners. The choice is up to us.

Photo by Kate Kalvach