Getting Real: Why "5 Easy Steps" Don't Build Strong Teams
"I've read 20 articles with 5 steps each, and it's not working for me."
Sound familiar?
There's so much out there you can just Google—"five steps for creating a healthy team," "seven secrets to better communication," "ten ways to build trust." And we read them hoping this time it will be different. This time we'll find the answer.
But these things aren't easy. We can't just read a blog with five steps and be done. In fact, all that simplistic advice might be contributing to the cynicism many of us feel. We've tried the steps. We've implemented the frameworks. And our teams are still struggling.
What Actually Works
Here's what I think is important to really connect with: it IS possible. You can build strong teams and communities that work together with high trust, high communication, and the ability to step into difficult conversations.
It's important to know that's possible—and to see real examples of it.
But it's a slow process. An organic process. A deep process.
What does that look like on the ground? What are the real struggles that communities and teams have faced in doing this work? What did they have to lean into? What actually helped build trust?
Those are the questions worth exploring—not through another listicle, but through real stories and lived experience.
Learning From Living Labs
At Clear Sky Retreat Center, where I've worked for 20 years, we've been living these questions. We've navigated near-bankruptcy, power dynamics, money struggles, communication breakdowns—all the messy realities of building community and team.
Through sharing these stories and bringing out the patterns, I hope to offer both hope (this can be done) and practical insight (here are places you might start with your own teams).
carrying on the conversation
If you're a visual learner, here's the video conversation with Christopher Lawley from the Conscious Transformation Collective in Calgary covering this theme.
What have you experienced that works?
Are there teams and communities you work with where you’ve experienced things that actually worked, and helped create trust, communication and collaboration? Please share below - I’d love to learn more.
Join Us in Calgary
If you're in Calgary, and you're tired of simplistic solutions and ready for real conversation about what it takes to build trust and healthy teams, join me on December 4th. We'll explore these challenges together, share stories and practical frameworks, and build community with others doing this work.
Building Conscious Community: From Resentment to Trust in Teams and Organizations
December 4, 2025 | 7:00-8:30 PM MT
Congress Coffee Company, Calgary
If you're leading a nonprofit struggling with trust and communication challenges, I'd welcome a conversation about how I might support your work. Get in touch.