Category Archives: Meetings-2026

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Self-Directing Teams in Turbulent Times: 
 A Hands-on, Action-oriented Intro  

   
Come ready for a pivotal conversation about how we organize, lead, and adapt in rapidly changing times!  This will be an interactive session designed to surface insights, challenge assumptions, and expand how we think about organizing for effectiveness.

We’ll begin with documenting the more recent changes occurring in our ecosystem (our turbulent times) and the impacts to our lives and careers.

Next we’ll take a look at Self-Directing Teams, grounded in the DFW OD Network’s 33-year history of operating through a clear and enduring set of values.

From there, we’ll shift from theory to practice — drawing on our own real-world experiences with teams and organizations as our fodder for learning about and using levels of self-direction in organizing and getting work done.

Together, we will uncover practical ways to take action — both individually and collectively — as we move forward in our personal and professional lives and continue evolving  the DFW OD Network.   .

Please join us on May 14 to explore the future of this paradigm and this exceptional eclectic community!

Speaker:  Terri Adkisson  and  Pete Sorenson     {see BIOs below} 

        
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

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Schedule for Thursday Evening May 14:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:10  Program Begins  
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to join Virtual Meeting will be sent 2 days before meeting to all who register.

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Speaker BIOs:
           
As Chief Clarity Officer, Terri Adkisson is a strategic advisor and organizational consultant who helps executives and boards bring clarity to complex, fast-changing environments.

Through her practice, TAGAC (Terri A G Adkisson Consulting), she works with small and mid-market organizations to align strategy, operations, and decision-making for greater effectiveness.

Known for a creative, innovative, pragmatic, and forward-looking approach, Terri helps organizations navigate change while building the capacity to adapt and thrive.

 

Pete Sorenson is a published author in the AI / Automation / Technology space. He co-authored “AI for the Ordinary, A Non-technical Playbook for Citizens, Students, and Managers” with Raghu Kowshik.

In his work as an organization designer he supported not-for-profit, for profit, and public organizations through the scientific, medical, and organizational disruption of the pandemic.

Now his work focuses mostly on the constructive application of, evolution of, and governance of AI tools in organizations and ecosystems.

He is especially mindful of the impact of political and geopolitical forces on how innovation and technology shape organizations and societies.

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   Listening as a Design Tool       

 Building Trust Inside Systems 

Every design decision begins with a question: Who is this really for?

Inside organizations, that question often gets lost beneath deadlines, reporting requirements, and the pressure to demonstrate impact. Yet the quality of our listening shapes the quality of the systems we build.

In this session, Sam Hartsock reframes listening as a core design practice for leaders navigating change. Drawing from her experience guiding Fortune 100 companies and century-old family businesses through double materiality assessments, climate strategy, and social impact design, she will explore how structured listening can surface hidden assumptions, reveal risk earlier, and strengthen trust across functions.

Participants will:

• Learn a practical “design listening” framework for strategy, governance, and cross-functional work
• Explore how listening reduces friction inside complex systems
• Practice a structured inquiry method in small groups to experience the difference between surface-level input and meaningful insight

Through conversation and guided exercises, the group will tap its own wisdom and examine how listening can shift compliance-driven processes into trust-building ones. Participants will leave with practical questions and facilitation tools they can apply immediately in their own teams and change efforts.

Why?  Because systems don’t change on intention alone. They change when people feel heard inside them.  Please join us on March 12 to explore this useful new perspective on listening!

Speaker:  Sam Hartsock,  qb. Cofounder & Strategy Lead   {see BIO below} 

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

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Schedule for Thursday Evening March 12:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:10  Program Begins  
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to join Virtual Meeting will be sent 2 days before meeting to all who register.

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Speaker BIO:
            
Sam Hartsock is the Cofounder and Strategy Lead of qb., a women-owned strategy and communications firm that helps organizations design for resilience and trust. She has led double materiality assessments, climate strategies, and stakeholder engagement processes for companies ranging from global brands to newly public businesses.

Sam is co-author of Stakeholder Engagement That Doesn’t Suck and lead author of qb.’s forthcoming field guide on people-first resilience. Her work integrates systems thinking, design practice, and organizational development to help leaders build strategies that hold up under scrutiny and actually work for the people inside them. She also writes Build Something Better, a Substack on feminist leadership and values-driven business building.

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