Recently I was asked to design and facilitate a community process to choose a project lead. This can be a challenging process in any context. During times of economic downtown and scarce resources this can become a particularly charged process. The question becomes how can we engage in a competitive process and have collaborative results?

Clearly setting the tone and having a transparent and fair process is essential. Next, designing a collaborative process that sets the criteria for choosing a project lead. Once the criteria is established, collaboratively design a decision making process that involves choosing a project lead based on the values and criteria identified.

If you are interested in values-based decision making, check out our book Worldview Skills: Transforming Conflict From the Inside Out. If you are interested in learning from one of the masters in this field check out Dave Beckwith’s work at the Needmor Fund.