What collective results can we achieve when we positively embrace the 4 “Baddies” in our work?

If you're leading complex collaborations, you will no doubt experience fear, conflict, resistance, and even failure at some point along your journey. 

These might show up in the people you work with and might show up inside you too. We often think of these as “bad” things to avoid or manage but they’re not only normal in our work, they can yield real benefits. 

Together, we’ll explore how we can cultivate our own healthy relationships with these 4 baddies to support greater joy, presence, and wellbeing (not to mention effectiveness!) in our work.

Join us for this creative event to: 

• Play with our relationships with these things that are often considered negative or bad but can support our happiness and effectiveness

• Have a deeper sense of how fear shows up in resistance, failure, and conflict

• Share our own fears and have it held by others!

About the Speakers & Facilitators

Martin Kulungu-Banda has worked at senior levels in business, government and international development specialising in leadership and organisation development. He is co-faculty of the Presencing Institute, Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, and Research Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Between March 2005 and May 2008, he served as Special Consultant to the President of Zambia with the mandate to re-establish the position of Chief of Staff in the Presidency. Martin is the author of the bestseller "Leading Like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela" (2006). Other books he has authored are: "It’s How We End That Matters: Leadership Lessons from an African President" (2009); and "Driftology: How to Access Life’s Greatest Opportunities by Flying on the Wings of Others" (2015). His academic and professional qualifications include Organisation Development and Coaching; Public Affairs; Philosophy; Development Studies and Anthropology.

Neil Denton believes there is an energy within disagreement and conflict that can be a powerful force for positive change. He helps communities in conflict to find ways to reduce violence, increase justice, solve real life problems and strengthen human relationships. He is an Independent Community Mediator and a Professor in Practice with the After Disasters Network who specializes in conflict transformation. He works to find ways that place communities at the heart of our thinking and doing, and to explore and demonstrate how the principles and practices of conflict transformation can be beneficial to disaster prevention, response and recovery. He also spends time swimming and attempting to create the perfect roast potato.

Aggie Kulungu-Banda is an expert in organisational development with experience in international development, government, and the health sector. Aggie is passionate about developing and facilitating women’s leadership development programmes. She has significant experience in change management and building high-performing teams. A social entrepreneur in her, Aggie is the co-founder of two enterprises (BBS Consulting and GPS Funds) and a social innovation hub (ImpactHub Lusaka).

Russ Gaskin is a managing member of CoCreative, a consultancy that has helped develop over 55 impact network across all 17 sustainable development goals, and supports others to support and build networks. Prior to launching CoCreative, Russ served as the chief business officer of Green America, a global leader in developing economic strategies to advance social equity and environmental sustainability; served as managing director of US SIF, a pioneering membership organization for financial firms and institutional investors doing impact investing; and founded the Green Business Network, the first network of triple-bottom-line businesses in the U.S.

Ashish Arora supports people to follow their hearts and organisations to create transformative cultures. He founded Sahaj Foundation in 2013 along with his partner, Divya Gupta. Most of his work has emerged into Personal, Systemic and Organisational Transformation space. He organises retreats for youth to understand their own selves better, and facilitates workshops for people to collectively explore the limitations and possibilities of transformation of our mainstream socio-economic systems. In India, he works with organisations to familiarize them with the Teal worldview and inspire them to transform their organisational practices, culture, processes accordingly. Ashish has also recently co-founded The Vriksh Initiative, which supports the work of early-stage social leaders working with communities across India.

Franziska Kohn's diverse work experience began in her youth in the family business, and led her to study forest and natural ecosystems in Europe and abroad. Inspired and influenced by our view on how natural ecosystems engage and interact she learned about her own potential supporting people and organisations who want to work together and lead differently, in more collaborative and caring systems. Together with Jannik Kaiser and Emily Johnston, she co-founded Unity Effect (www.unityeffect.net) in 2019, focusing on team and leadership development, regenerative impact measurement and participatory learning spaces. Aside from her vast work experience in diverse, international teams and various roles and responsibilities, her work in supporting organisational, team and leadership development is based on her further education in essential psychotherapy, combining approaches of buddhist mindfulness and western psychology.

Hosted at the Wellbeing Lounge

Within the vibrant tapestry of the network festival, nestled in tranquility, lies the well-being lounge. It's a sanctuary designed to provide respite from the currents of volatile, fast-paced, and complex change processes. Here, you are invited to unwind, indulge in healing conversations, and cultivate a sense of inner balance and resilience. Lounge sessions are intentionally slow and deep, and you're expected to bring your body, spirit, and mind—to share with others, while also leaving space for self-care and holistic nourishment.

What is the Networks Festival?

Embark on a month-long journey filled with connection, curiosity, and play bringing together thousands of changemakers, funders, conveners, companies, and governments to explore the power of networks to transform our world.

As you step into the festival grounds, you'll be greeted by a buzzing atmosphere of excitement and innovation. Everywhere you look, there are people eagerly discussing the latest breakthroughs in network theory, sharing stories of how networks have changed their lives and communities, and dreaming up new ways to harness the power of connections.

Leveraging the power of lived experience, we will strengthen our collective practice, directly increase funding opportunities for networks, and foster new collaborations to scale innovations and amplify transformational impact on the lives of billions around the world.

Whether you're a seasoned networker, curious changemaker, or philanthropist interest in "doing things differently" – there's something for everyone at the Networks Festival. Join us!