Shifting power involves seeding space – intentionally creating room for marginalised voices to lead and shape projects. This approach supports equity and inclusivity, but you may face challenges rooted in power dynamics, communication barriers, and accountability pressures. Here’s how you can address these challenges and meaningfully seed space in your work.

Within this though, we need to be aware of the tendency towards ‘saviourism’ – doing something good and worthwhile, and bringing your ego into the mix. It’s not about you ‘doing good’ or helping others. It’s about correcting something deeper at the structural or systemic level that has given some groups an unfair advantage over another. Be aware of when the tendency to congratulate yourself for making space comes up, and don’t make this process about you. Thinking of it as a course correction helps – our work should never have been structured this way, so we’re fixing a problem. One way to do this meaningfully is to just step aside, and not draw attention to the fact that you’ve done so. Just do the right thing, and don’t talk about how you’ve done it on social media or publicly (at least not until you get to the stage it can be turned into a case study to help build sector knowledge).

Recognise and Shift Power Dynamics

One of the biggest challenges in seeding space is overcoming entrenched power dynamics, including your own. This starts with an acknowledgement of spaces where all of us take up space because of our own power holding and hoarding. There’s an assumption that the current power holders in our work – those with gender, age, ability, or language privilege – will keep being in those roles, and continue to lead. That needs to shift, and seeding spaces involves us all stepping aside.

What You Can Do

1. Acknowledge it: Take a moment before any activities or project-related work, to reflect on your position and background. Recognise how your presence might unintentionally impose authority. Where are you automatically given authority because of something outside your control (eg. Your skin colour or age instead of your perspectives and work experience?)
2. Step back: In meetings or project settings, consciously step back to allow others to take the lead. That can include others on your team who don’t normally speak, making space for local staff and partners to co-facilitate, or creating a meeting culture that makes introverts feel welcomed.
3. Shift the role of expertise: If others view you as the authority, try rephrasing questions to encourage creative and shared problem-solving. Instead of offering solutions, ask, “How would you approach this?” or “What has worked here before?” Try stepping outside normal ways of asking questions and running meetings, and open up conversations.

Facilitate Open and Respectful Communication

Be aware of different communication styles, and how that helps encourage or stifle a work environment. Culture is important here too: directness may be valued in some cultures, while consensus and taking the time to align on ideas are preferred in others. You can apply this to your work with partners too of course, but in this example I start with your teams.

What You Can Do

1. Reflection spaces: Set up weekly reflection sessions where everyone on the team can share perspectives. A learning circle, where each person reflects on their experiences and challenges, ideally facilitated in turns or externally, can help conversations flow.
2. Talk about communication styles: During these meetings, find ways for team members to learn about each other’s communication styles and expectations. That includes their meeting preferences! This can demystify differences, and help find common styles and communication methods –  you may discover biweekly 30-minute meetings are more than enough, and your teams will use email and Slack for anything else. Or you may find that more meetings can help clarify roles and expectations and help solve conflicts. Have open conversations about what works and doesn’t.
3. Be adaptive: From those conversations, actively listen, learn, and adapt anything that needs it. Check you’re understanding and ask about everyone’s preferences by paraphrasing or summarising what’s been discussed to make sure everyone is aligned.

Embrace the Mindset Shift

Seeding space involves moving from authority to facilitator, which can be challenging if you’re used to leading. It can be confronting to identify areas where you should not be taking up space, and stepping aside. This shift calls for humility, recognising limitations, and committing to ongoing learning and unlearning.

What You Can Do

1. Reflect: Set aside time to think about what works and hasn’t in this power shift, and get feedback from others on how you’ve done so – and whether it’s been useful and meaningful for them. Ask about where your behaviours have reinforced traditional power dynamics, and reflect on those ideas so you can do better.
2. Get feedback: Ask for open feedback, and seek out constructive inputs and ideas to keep improving. Embrace the new ideas shared – and share your own too.

Seeding space is essential to creating equitable practices within our teams and in our wider work. It all starts at the individual level, and tackling challenges in power, communication, accountability, and mindset in phases.