A Holistic Context is a framework for empowering decision-making that is socially, environmentally, and economically sound in the short, medium and long term.

The following is a Holistic Context developed and agreed upon by Shine Co-creators @Alejandra Porta, @Amy Wood, and @Stef Grieser on December 8, 2021

The Holistic Context is not a static entity but rather a fluid one that evolves over time as we as individuals and the organization evolves. As such, we will revisit this living framework on December 6, 2022 9:00 AM (PST).

Quick links

Holistic Context - Exercise

Holistic Management Pt I: Defining the Whole Under Management

Holistic Management Pt II: Articulating an Holistic Context

Holistic Management Pt III: Putting Your Holistic Context to Work

Statement of Purpose

• What is a Statement of Purpose (SOP)?

Shine helps to create leadership equity threefold: by validating the experiences and uplifting the voices of women, especially Black, Indigenous, and women of colour; by offering active-learning experiences with clear and obtainable outcomes; and by challenging systems of oppression both within and outside of our organization.

Quality of Life statements + Modes of Production

• What are Quality of Life (QOL) statements?
• What are Modes of Production (MOP)?

We cultivate healthy working relationships among team members

• We respect each other's boundaries
• We are self-compassionate
• We listen and give each other space
• We accommodate each other's needs
• We have open and honest conversations
• We speak up when something doesn't feel right rather than let it fester
• We have clear communication and expectations of one another
• We assume good intentions and have compassion for team members
• We listen, seek to understand and ask questions from a place of curiosity
• We do not let our mental, physical, and/or emotional health suffer for the sake of the business

We cultivate spaces and environments that prioritize safety, inclusivity + accessibility

• We continue to educate ourselves on systems of oppression (the "isms" such as racism, colonialism, sexism)
• We have policies and protocol in place to protect those in our community from harm
• We do not partner with or hire anyone who has perpetrated harm and have not made meaningful reparations
• We have protocol in place to accommodate folks with various disabilities across all our products + events
• We consider our Statement of Purpose when hiring contractors and/or staff; we seek out and prioritize applicants of marginalized backgrounds whenever possible
• We are known for our support, integrity, empowerment, authenticity, courage and compassion
• We seek opportunities to reduce and eliminate financial barriers to entry.

We respect and value everyone's time and energy

• We come prepared to meetings and provide others with the materials they require to be prepared
• We are thorough, thoughtful and proactive throughout all phases of a project, including planning, executing, shipping, and retro-ing
• We are deadline-oriented and openly communicate if we expect to miss a deadline
• We automate as much as we can (without losing that personal touch)
• We are organized and efficient

We enjoy meaningful and fulfilling livelihoods

• We play to our strengths, abilities, inclinations, and curiosities
• We encourage higher learning
• We avoid fixating too much on perfection and instead on providing meaningful value and authenticity
• We celebrate our successes, big and small, in ways that are meaningful to each of us
• We leverage Shine as a vehicle to develop our skills, meet cool people and work on cool shit we care about

We demonstrate strong financial literacy and maturity

• We are on top of our financials + run a healthy business with healthy profit margins
• We have a steady cashflow from both active and passive streams
• We charge no more, no less than what our offers are worth
• We are intentional about spending and eliminate unnecessary expenditures
• We pay people fairly and never feel we are nickel-and-diming anyone
• We pay ourselves fairly and reward ourselves for hard work and dedication

We are autonomous and enjoy a flexible work environment while maintaining accountability

• We choose when and which days we work on Shine
• We have insight into everyone's priorities and what they're working on
• We trust each other to make decisions with the business and co-creators' best interest in mind
• We acknowledge each other's unique working styles and constraints
• We have some scheduled meetings and collaboration time

We are growth-minded

• We have our eyes on the future while grounding ourselves in the present
• We stretch ourselves both professionally and personally
• When we commit to something we do it
• We are ruthlessly efficient

Future Resource Base

• What is a Future Resource Base?
• A pool of dedicated and competent coaches
• Intuitive and complete information hierarchy and documentation
• Engaged and dedicated alum network
• Strong, coherent, recognizable brand
• Positive and reciprocal relationships with our inner circle (coaches, partners, contractors, sponsors, alums)
• Healthy working relationship among team members