Mission
Council at Work is dedicated to improving and maintaining your company’s culture by creating a more communicative environment through meaningful interactions. Studies show that connection and empathy drive purpose and effort. Council at Work functions in a succinct way with your business, allowing for powerful results in short periods of time. We work closely with leadership and management to coordinate a course of action best suited for your company’s needs, offering solutions to foster inclusion and a sense of belonging resulting in higher productivity and retention.
What You Need:
A video conference meeting, (when/ if in person) a room, a quiet outdoor space,… any space where participants can gather.
COUNCIL AT WORK CLIENTS INCLUDE:
About Us
photo by Mimi Fuenzalida, mf@mimi-images.com
Ken Rosen spent four years woking at Snap Inc. as an integral part of the program responsible for internal communications. After his first two years at Snap HQ, Ken was promoted and transferred to the London office as manager of the program for EMEA, Ukraine and China. Ken established connections and created programs of inclusion for over 1000 team members spread across multiple international offices. He started his work in Council at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, working with students, parents and faculty. In 2009 he formally entered Council trainings and became a Certified Trainer. Ken was hired by Snap Inc. in 2016 to be a part of the creation of an internal team building program using Council as the primary tool to promote employee connections and foster community within the company. He left Snap in 2020 and returned to Los Angeles and private consulting through Council at Work. Ken currently works with Slack, Bumble, TikTok (Germany), Pinterest (Global Marketing, EMEA), Connery Consulting (U.S.), GerberKawasaki and Mattermost (U.S.) organizing and facilitating Council and other team building activities building connections in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Ken is a Council Trainer and leads trainings to teach this connecting work for others. Ken currently lives in Los Angeles and is married with two teenage daughters.
What is Council ?
Council is based on the traditional practice of oral story telling and allows everyone present the opportunity to speak and to be heard. The Facilitator skillfully guides the virtual circle, introducing an activity or a prompt. All plans are specifically crafted in a way that complements the group dynamic and gives attention to creating connections and inclusion. Council is a judgement free-zone where participants are encouraged to follow the intentions: Speak from the heart, listen from the heart, be spontaneous and be lean.
Companies that implement Council on a regular basis find that their employees move through challenges more fluidly and experience a greater sense of community. When people feel connected, they work better with improved collaboration
Organizations and schools that have incorporated Council with their employees, faculty, staff and students have realized the importance of maintaining connection through this practice.
Council Groups could be set up by work teams, cross divisional, departments or structured drop-ins for anyone that wants to come. We will work with you to design a program that meets the needs of your company and employees.
All hands Council
This Council is a great way to keep the company connected. It can take place as it’s own stand-alone session or occur at the beginning of your All Hands meeting as a way to check-in and get a pulse of how everyone is doing.
Team Councils - Traditional
This is a traditional Council, using the form to create an environment that encourages sharing stories and connecting. When you create space during the workday for team members to connect, the sense of belonging in greater. Inclusion is essential to team members feeling heard, seen and a part of— productivity and retention increase.
Team Activity Council
This type of Council is activity based, used to engage teams in connecting through creativity, fun along with reflections on work styles and ways of operating. We consider the values that each member brings and work on ways to function more collaboratively. Activities can also be just for fun to give your team a light-hearted moment to foster connection.
Leadership Council
This is a great way to allow the leadership to interface with team members. Creating an environment where employees feel a part of is key to the success of any company. When the leadership offers to be with team members in a Council setting, it demonstrates a vulnerability that fosters inclusion. Most importantly, it allows team members to know the leadership in a controlled environment, with facilitation— in a relaxed and personable environment.
“I'm a firm believer in the power of Council to foster human connections between teams to make them strong, more unified and ultimately to create a sense of belonging. Ken is a natural Council leader making sessions effortless for attendees, able to bring both levity and emotional intelligence in equal measure. I strongly recommend Ken and Council for any business, large or small".”
—Ed Couchman, GM, Snap, Inc., London, U.K.
Testimonials
The culture of a team is fundamental to its success, and having worked with Ken I believe Council to be fundamental to team culture. Ken creates a space for teams of all levels and skills to step out of the day-to-day and connect on a relevant and human level. By bringing the people in teams closer together Ken helps us work not just better, but for each other as well as the business. Highly recommended. —Will Scougal, Global Director Creative Strategy, Snap, Inc.
I have engaged with Ken on several Council sessions now with my management team, with our whole company and for the leadership team at an independent school where I am very involved. Ken really takes the time to understand his audience, connect and help break down barriers. He not only has a unique offering, but also delivers unparalleled service that is clearly representative of how much he cares. After gathering feedback from others who were involved in the various sessions, I only heard positive feedback and requests to engage with Council again. Ken's offering while unique would be advantageous for anyone at any level in the private or public sector. I will use Ken and engage in Council sessions for years to come. I feel lucky! —Nancy Connery, Connery Consulting, Founder/ Principal
Council was a surprising team builder. My team said they got to know each other in ‘a more human and real way.’ Not only did they begin relating to each other as friends, they began communicating in a much deeper empathetic way. It’s certainly helped our interactions and increased productivity, the difference is noticeable.
—Tony Wong, Digital Onion, CEO
Ken's "Intro to Council" was a welcome breath of fresh air from a normal day at the office. He facilitated play that got us laughing and excited, and with his thoughtful prompt we traded off listening and speaking personally, to whatever extent we were comfortable. Council created a mid-day connection with the group that would not have existed otherwise. —Liz C., FastPay
Ken Rosen is an excellent Council Facilitator. He has an easy way of bringing people together, making them comfortable and allowing them to speak their truths. —Rebecca Heller, College Counselor, Viewpoint School
We'd love to hear from you
We are here to answer any questions you might have. Call us to schedule a consultation
