Category: Circles Blog

Our Journey

At Circles, our customers confirm: we augment company culture by designing inclusive spaces for people to connect and grow. Customers frequently describe our platform and programs as inclusive. Yet when we forged a recent partnership with Glassdoor, they asked to see our company DE&I statement–and we realized we had merely conceptualized one. We sat down to write it and recognized our approach was through a white U.S. lens, one that did not represent our globally complex team. Cognitive dissonance ensued.

Were we fostering inclusive communities for our customers without adequately serving each other?

This launched a culture journey for our entire company. Together, we began investigating our internal landscape, making space to intentionally lay the foundation for an inclusive company culture.

Culture Builders

Inspired by conversations with Glassdoor and DuPont, who are pioneers in the work of inclusion and belonging, we designed Culture Builders, a four-session program. Arriving at cultural competence wasn’t the goal; we simply made a commitment to connect and grow together, with the program as a starting point. 

Program objectives included building awareness and appreciation for DEI, discovering opportunities for personal growth, sharing learning and stories, and simply connecting as humans. Facilitated groups were sorted cross-culturally and functionally, and the four Culture Builders sessions covered:

1. Inclusivity: What it means to each of us.
2. Background: Discussing our cultures of origin.
3. Privilege: Revealing power, privilege and marginalization. 
4. Reflection: Sharing how the sessions enriched our connections.

Team Experience

To engage the Culture Builders sessions, team members set aside 75 minutes every other week over an eight-week span. Facilitated sessions consisted of prompts promoting storytelling and active listening, with the Circles platform features guiding the way (spotlight with timer, hand raises, random order generator and more).

Across the board, participants enjoyed connecting with one another and sharing stories…

Inclusivity 

One early discovery was that although we all value inclusion, the acronym “DEI” isn’t typically used outside of the U.S. We also learned that ideas like diversity and inclusion mean something different depending on not just our country of origin, but the intersectionality of our individual gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, personality and more.  True diversity means welcoming all the complex ways that the word is defined. 

Background

Initial conversations also revealed that in today’s U.S. cultural moment, our violent history and longstanding systemic inequities have resurfaced DEI conversations specific to ethnicity. The Culture Builders curriculum addressed, however,  that colonization is not unique to the United States. Racism is part of our shared, global human history.

“There are a lot of things taking place in the U.S. right now that seemed like a felt need for many in our circle to discuss.”

The U.S. focus on inclusion as it pertains to ethnicity rubs against the fact that our company can feel U.S. centric to Circles employees living outside the States–which describes the majority of our team. Our operations and development teams are dispersed throughout Argentina, Spain, Australia and New Zealand, where current inclusion efforts focus more on accessibility and socio-economic inequities.

“It was surprising to see how our current reality and culture of origin impacts the way we perceive DE&I”

Privilege

Depth of conversation increased with each session, culminating for some with the third session covering privilege, power & marginalization. As the topics increased in intensity, likewise participants engaged with increasing trust and vulnerability.

“We finally hit on some great, deep conversation–and we’ve only just scratched the surface”

Reflection

“We didn’t end up with any specific actions to take at Circles”

Sometimes in a business setting, it feels unwise to leave a gathering without agreed upon action steps. But when it comes to inclusive spaces to connect & grow, the conversation itself is often the bulk of the action needed–at least initially, as a starting point.

That’s not to say no Circles participants were compelled to take action–it just wasn’t prescribed by the Culture Builders program. The desire was for action steps to emerge organically. As one team member shared:

“To me personally, the Culture Builder journey did more than just start the conversation. I feel like I learned important things that are already impacting my actions–It’s not enough to notice. I need to take action on all the little things.”

Discovering We’re not Alone

As an organization, we know that we join with other global organizations who are pressing in to serve their communities well from a global DEI perspective.  We are all learning from each other, innovating & expanding our inclusive mindset. In our new world of hybrid and globally remote work, it’s bound to be an increasingly present opportunity to grow in global DEI together.

Outcomes

Culture Builders created space for open dialogue and discovery, and ultimately accomplished the initial objective: serving as a culture-setting starting point that left us wanting more.

“It’s difficult to find a baseline for a global team. It’s slow enough to advance everyday tasks, let alone engage potentially difficult topics.”

Initially, some wondered if culture circles were necessary–after all, we’re a growing, early-stage company with work to accomplish. Furthermore, for many of us, Circles is the most inclusive culture we’ve encountered.  But as we grow in size and diversity, we want to ensure that inclusion permeates everything we do, internally and externally. Our culture is not truly inclusive unless every voice is heard–and how will it remain so if we don’t keep short accounts and periodically reassess? 

So, what does DEI look like for a globally distributed startup? Starting the conversation, making sure every voice is heard, and once we’ve listened to understand, maintaining spaces that invites diverse perspectives and emerging action, ongoing.

For an individual or organization an inclusive mindset is a pursuit, not a fixed outcome. We commit to the journey, together.  

It used to be difficult to find a gathering of women in senior leadership, but not anymore.

The dramatic rise of organizations like Chief illustrates the opportunity to establish affinity spaces for women in the workplace.

Over the past few months, we’ve hosted sessions for women in leadership to discuss the hot topic ‘Inclusivity in the workplace.’ The women in our circles represent CPO, LD, HR, DEI professionals and more, with a common desire to lead well during turbulent times. Together, we’re sharing stories about creating intentional, safe communities at work, spaces our employees won’t want to leave.

At the end of each session, participants report that the highlight is simply coming together with other women leading in this moment in time. It reminds us that we are not alone.  We connect and grow as we share common struggles and triumphs. Here’s what women are saying:

“It’s great to discuss the topic of inclusion in a small, intimate session, and build connection and relationship with others;  loved the platform, the centering of voices and the connection”

“I always love hearing from like-minded women in similar roles”

“There’s space to come as we are, and the meaningful connections are so energizing”

Beyond this, as we reflect on participant contributions –  we’ve discovered some themes to share with you:  

1. Women Care Uniquely About Inclusion

No matter our title and department, we’re discovering that as women, we all care about inclusion. As a gender we’re still forging our way, some days just pushing through imposter syndrome. To varying degrees, we’ve experienced what it’s like to navigate male-majority corporate spaces, striving to find a voice and be valued for the unique perspective we inherently contribute.

We’re still fighting to be seen for who we are–without gender filters–while pursuing women’s advancement initiatives, like equal pay for the same work. These circles have carved out space for honest dialogue about the challenges of working (and, for some of us, caregiving) while seeking to provide the most impactful professional development, sponsorship, and support to help women move into higher levels of leadership and onto corporate boards.

Together, we’re figuring out how to be included while being inclusive.

2. Strategizing how to Influence Executives

One common bond we share is the struggle to gain executive buy-in on our quest for inclusion. On the journey to equitable workplaces, how do you revamp organizational cultures deeply embedded with generational norms?

We’re advocating for the intersectional inclusion of women across all levels of decision making, ultimately preparing more women for the C-suite. Meanwhile, if culture flows from the top down, how can we create more space for all to contribute to this important conversation – across gender lines – at the top of our organizations? 

Together, we’re strategizing how to alleviate fear of change, and foster an inclusive mindset across senior leadership.

3. Intersectionality Intensifies our Attention to Inclusion

Intersectionality sometimes intensifies one’s experience of exclusion; the more marginalization you’ve experienced, the more easily you empathize with others and seek their inclusion. For some of us, our passion for inclusion reflects the intersectionality of our gender with our ethnicity, religion, cultural background and much more.

We’re celebrating the fact that many organizations began prioritizing hiring a Head of DEI or Culture, likely because of the pandemic and increased polarization We know and in some cases are the women in these roles–accordingly, we see or experience isolation while navigating systems that generally don’t support new ways of ‘doing the work.’

Furthermore, inclusion initiatives are some of the first cut when pandemics or recessions create economic uncertainty–just the time we need inclusion the most. Even when prioritized, inclusion initiatives can come across like another box to check, instead of as deeply personal, emotionally taxing work.

Together, we’re pondering how we can keep inclusion from being reduced to a metric.

4. We’re Listening to our Teams

Across our organizations, we’re receiving feedback revealing that some of our people feel marginalized–like they’re simply a number without a voice–which we understand firsthand. Many of them feel overwhelmed and isolated in our remote working world, just like we do (and practically speaking, fostering conversations across silos remains critical).

Because as women we tend to care for everyone else, we’re left wondering: How do we support ourselves and our people?

5. The Way Forward

As women leading and championing inclusivity initiatives, we aren’t just boxes to check. We’re part of the solution to culture change that the world needs. 

The goal of equitable workplace inclusion is a lifelong journey, and with the advent of these circles we’ve made strides in one significant facet: community on the journey. We’re sharing sparks of hope with one another as we see them in our organizations–here are some of the best inclusive practices we’re discovering together:

• Engaging Men in the Conversation: Not surprisingly, in order to be truly inclusive, men need to be welcomed into these conversations.  Male allies who champion inclusive practices and make space for underrepresented voices help shift the traditional structures and impact lasting change in our organizations.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s): voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with the organizations they serve.
• Story Exchanges–the practice of retelling someone else’s story in first person.
• Connection Circles/World Event Gatherings–space to process the challenges facing the world to better understand, empathize, and facilitate proximity.

As we continue meeting together, we’re realizing just how much we need community to pursue the work of inclusion, ensuring hope for the future and less loneliness for us and our teams. We must find new ways to truly operate differently, to look beyond structures of the past and innovate human-centric, inclusive new strategies.

No longer are we satisfied to just talk about inclusion, diversity and equity – we want systems that transform organizational culture.  

Circles’ Response

At Circles, our experience listening, learning and participating in WIL circles reinvigorates us to continue creating spaces where people can connect and grow. Whether it’s fostering inclusivity by supporting DEI programs, creating community through onboarding and leadership development programs or connecting peer CEOs across communities, we’re committed to being a part of the inclusion solution. 
Do you have a strategy to create inclusive community across your organization? What opportunity is there for your programs to be enriched and scaled with Circl.es, a tool designed for human connection? Experience circles for yourself: [click here] to join an upcoming Women in Leadership Gathering, or connect with someone from our team to discover the possibilities.

Karla Talley works in Learning & Development and DEI at Glassdoor, a company using Circles as their ‘work from anywhere’ strategy to foster connection and community in a scalable way. Her team has integrated Circles into multiple programs, including an ERG summit, in-depth Allyship training program and Connection Circles on world issues.

Safe by Design

Karla felt the platform was a safe space the moment she joined her first circle. “I do not use the term “safe space” loosely–as a woman of color, I feel safe spaces are hard to come by. There is an immediate welcoming and safety that I feel comes with Circles, and that seems to be consistently stated by any of our colleagues joining a circle for the first time.”

What she experienced is by design: founders built the Circl.es platform with belonging and inclusion in mind, including built-in features like timers preserving equal talk time, hand raises to limit interruptions and a random-order generator to signal who speaks when. Karla noticed: “The features keep people from cutting in and talking over each other. The result is extra space for everyone to process and engage in a way that is most helpful for them. Also, who doesn’t love the hugs?” She’s referring to another popular feature–participants can virtually circle around a team member for a ‘hug’, or press ‘c’ on their keyboard to celebrate with a shower of onscreen confetti.

Circles for Remote Work Community

Glassdoor first tried launching ERG breakout groups back in 2020 when work went remote; the gatherings worked for a while before fizzling out. A year later, head of DEI Stephanie Felix integrated Circ.es into the gatherings while rebranding and rebooting the experience. “In a company that is majority culture, we wanted to create space for safe conversations regarding identity, culture, and belonging. Our aim was to provide intentional space for meaningful conversations around intersectionality.”

“In a company that is majority culture, we wanted to create space for safe conversations regarding identity, culture, and belonging. Our aim was to provide intentional space for meaningful conversations around intersectionality.”

At a time when employee connections had dwindled down to their immediate teams, organizing them into cross-department breakouts gave everyone the chance to interact with colleagues they wouldn’t normally talk to everyday. Attendance was high, and the circles integration proved to be just what the experience needed to succeed. 

Allyship Program

After the success of the ERG breakout circles, Glassdoor used circles with an Evolution curriculum to develop Journey Lead, an experience to train up allies. Karla noticed social learning happening in the circles, as people grew in active listening and moved from defensive to curious. “People are not only learning about identity and privilege; they’re learning through interacting with one another in circles how to sit back and give someone else space to talk.” 

Karla emphasized that circles were an especially protected space for allyship training–she’s heard multiple people use the word ‘safe’ without hesitation to describe the experience. “It’s been a space for people to ‘go there,’ and know that they are being supported and heard by everyone.”

Space During Crisis

The platform also provided a place for processing crisis when war broke out in Europe. With a global team dispersed throughout the U.S., London, Dublin and more, several Glassdoor employees formerly lived in Russia, or had personal ties to Russia and/or Ukraine. Using circles, leaders facilitated optional Connection Circles process conversations; facilitators had an agenda, but focused on providing space for people to share feelings and hear actionable relief opportunities from around the world.

Augmenting Cultural Values

Transparency and good people are two core Glassdoor core values, and Karla felt Circl.es elevated and activated both. “If Circl.es was going to impact something, it was going to elevate the goodness of our people–and it already is.” The people who have experienced Circl.es through the ERG breakouts, Ukraine processing groups or Allyship program are showing up for each other in new ways, and their vulnerable communication is proof of their trust in the platform.

In fact, Circl.es continues expanding throughout the organization. The people experience team used it during their first offsite of the year for a team building time. Karla noticed that “people feel really safe jumping on, whether it’s a fully facilitated and scripted convo or if we are meeting in circles to plan our next quarter.”

Unexpected Outcomes

The positive twin outcomes of connection and growth are undeniable at Glassdoor, with 97% of respondents indicating positive feedback about their experience. Some participants shared that circles helps them engage in conversations they can’t even have with family and friends. Karla marveled: “I have learned so much about my co-workers, and I’ve been working at GD for almost a year!” She attributes the connection and growth in part to the unique circles design, saying: “The majority of our team was crying with happy and sad tears.  I don’t think that people would have done that on another platform.” 

“The majority of our team was crying with happy and sad tears.  I don’t think that people would have done that on another platform.” 

Frances Kraft has used circle process since becoming certified in 2013. As a teacher outside Chicago, she used circles for community building in the classroom, then in after-school programs and at the local library. “So much of what is difficult in education is the formation of strong relationships between teachers and families, or teachers and students. It’s important to get to know each other so we can see each other fully, but it’s hard to find time or make it a priority.” It makes a difference for students, however, when relationships are strong. In one summer reading program Frances created at the library, 74% of students grew a full grade level in reading in just one month. Teachers began each session in circle, and Frances credits the trusting relationships built as a significant reason for student progress.

When she joined Weave’s online community–which meets in Circl.es–Frances was blown away by how the technology replicated the circle process she’d seen work powerfully in education. “It felt very much aligned with what I had learned in circle process: you’re taking the group on a journey in your time together, so that you leave feeling a deeper connection with each individual. I feel the same connection when I’m using the technology with a group that I do in person.”

In fact, she says the circle group was the piece that drew her to Weave, an organization working to bring people together across the country, virtually and in person. “We work to connect and support people who are weaving in their local community so they can build trusting relationships and meet others doing similar work.”

Every month, Weave offers new and existing members an opportunity to sign up for a circle during onboarding. “Once weavers join a circle, meet a group of six or seven people, and go through four agendas, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging in the community.” Frances says Weavers who join circles are more likely to become connected in other ways in the online community, to engage in discussions, and to reach out to others. “The main value of circles is for people to form deeper relationships. The technology allows for that in a sustainable, scalable way.”

The circle Frances joined when onboarding with Weave continued meeting even after working through the four initial agendas. She attributes that to how fast people build trust in a facilitated circle process. “Circle is so simple, but it can change your life. When you have a good facilitator who sets the tone and the participants settle upon agreements together, people slow down and listen – not to respond, but to understand. We are attracting people who want to be relational, not transactional. So it’s a beautiful fit to have a platform and technology that is bringing people together to truly communicate.”

The Circles Team is excited to share about some of the awesome stuff that we’ve been working on. Read on to find out about the new features that we know you’re going to love.

One Circle to go, please!

Don’t want to miss your Circl.es session while you’re out and about? The CircleSpace Mobile/Tablet App allows you to connect from anywhere (with video!), while still enjoying the features that make for a powerful small group learning experience.

More Circles, More Learning!

Ever wish you could group into smaller circles to have a more focused or intimate conversation? Now you can: Breakout CircleSpaces multiply the power of your circle by creating additional spaces within sessions.

Track Your Progress

Gather new insights and learn more about your circles through the data in our improved dashboard and analytics sections.

Be There Or Be Square(d)

Maintain focus during sessions by engaging visual full-screen mode and blocking out background sounds with noise reduction.

For those who lose their keys

We’ve made logging in easier than ever; Single Sign-on (SSO) allows new users to sign up with Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft & Okta.

What’s next?

Our community is growing and we’re offering more ways than ever for you to stay in the loop as we expand. Check out our latest blog post, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook #circlesnotrows. We’re excited about these updates, and as always we welcome your feedback. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments: experience@circl.esor call us at +1 (866) 303-4255.

Meredith Moore launched Interesting Women Leaders in ATL Virtual Circles Luncheon so women could connect and have “bigger conversations.” The owner of Atlanta based Artisan Financial Services, Meredith surveyed the small group landscape and couldn’t find the right senior leadership group for women. She shared: “I wanted to create a space where people could have authentic conversations.”

A YPO client suggested Meredith try Circl.es after the client’s Forum gathered on the platform. The initial luncheon took place during the pandemic, and Meredith has continued hosting one every few weeks, inviting different leaders each time. She sparks conversation by asking three simple discovery questions, and says she’s blown away by the transparent way the women engage. Their vulnerability seems to flow from a combination of facilitated questions and the Circl.es platform design. “I don’t know exactly why Circles works, but something about it leads to open conversations.”

She’s referring to the X-factor that our team at Circl.es finds hard to put into words: the magic that groups experience when meeting on the platform. Meredith describes it this way: “I’m a financial advisor–not a psychologist. But these circles are like therapy.”

After gaining permission from each attendee, Meredith posts a screenshot on LinkedIn and tags participants as a way of connecting the women together, resulting in a curated community of females in corporate leadership. 

To gather women for each luncheon, she asks alum from the last circle to replace themselves. “There’s so many women who want to attend now; I think there’s a sense of luncheon FOMO.” As the world slowly opens back up, Meredith finds herself hesitant to convert the virtual luncheons into live events, saying “I’m fascinated by the amount that gets disclosed on the platform. I don’t know if people would feel comfortable sharing the same things face-to-face.”

Is this the kind of space you’re looking to attend or create? Let’s talk!

I recall fondly my reaction when invited to my first ‘team-building’ day. The invite promised a day in the woods, navigating a precipitously-high ropes course, to build trust and teamwork. My response: “A day out of the office!”

I’m sure everyone meant well.

My bosses likely wanted to create a sense of belonging, loyalty, and collaboration–complete with matching t-shirts and bug spray–but the camaraderie faded faster than the bug bites. What remained, though, was the feeling that I’d been exposed, perhaps more than I’d anticipated. Not only was I in shorts in front of my colleagues, but they were asking me to perform a physical feat.

More than belonging and safety, I felt vulnerable, and not in the best way.

Responding to our customers’ eagerness to create community within their organizations, at Circl.es we’ve transposed the idea of a team on a ropes course to our CircleSpace. One customer put it like this: “As we wondered how we could connect people and make sure everyone was heard, Circl.es ended up being the platform we didn’t know we could have.” The space more safely replicates the vulnerability felt on a ropes course, allowing peers to draw out the best in each other while exploring the core challenges that impair success.

In over 19,000 participant debriefs, we’ve discovered that the #1 job we do is powerfully connect participants beyond their titles, departments, or pay grades. Connection alone isn’t enough, but we find it helps set the stage for growth. Why is that? Because healthy growth–however defined–happens when unsaid feelings have space to be shared, when unconscious patterns come to light.  When raw edges are exposed and support is given and received. 

“Connection doesn’t exist without giving and receiving.”–Brene Brown, Sociologist

We talk a lot about the call to openness.  Does that mean forcing everyone to share? What about inclusion: respecting each person’s journey, allowing them to process and share on their own terms? It’s hard to know how much time each person needs before they’re ready for a trust fall. Whether someone opens up quickly, slowly, or not at all, we’ve found the common theme is candor and authenticity, not necessarily disclosure. Vulnerability is a hard, deeply authentic place, and it’s in those moments that connection and growth are born.

Though we have 19,000 reasons to hang our hat on connecting people, it’s not enough to stop there. Those that love and care for me the most don’t stop at merely feeling connected; they also provide accountability, the cornerstone of growth.  They act as a mirror, reflecting back how I tend to show up, and my impact on them and others. Peers hold each other to the flame, acting with a fierce love that sees what’s possible, and challenging one another to rise to the moment, whether that’s stepping up to a professional opportunity or tackling a personal crisis. This is how we grow.

True growth happens when we’re watered and fed by those tending to us. Openness plus accountability creates bonds among colleagues, and collective leadership from peers.

And, unlike the ropes course, the view from the top is a lot less scary.