Professional Learning Communities

One of the hallmarks of a "Professional Learning Community" is the establishment of a set of "system norms," basically agreements about how the group will operate.

Listed here is what the David Allen Company calls its "Rules of Engagement...In Other Words, This is How We Play." Something from the list may speak to various ones of us as we put together our own system norms.

• We build vital, on-going, expanding relationships.
• We exceed expectations for service.
• We consistently challenge ourselves to participate in the bigger game.
• We operate in a highly productive and efficient way.
• We leverage our strengths.
• We are respectfully nice.
• Silence means we’re OK with what’s going on.
• We communicate richly, with open systems, updates, questions, clarifications, and ideas.
• We practice what we preach.
• We bring joyful engagement to our work and our lives (aka we have fun!)
• We support the personal and professional development of each of us.
• We support creative conscious risk-taking.
• It’s safe for all of us to explore, express, and move on.
• We share what we learn.
• We support the health and well being of each of us.
• We recognize and act as if we are all alone in this together.
• We honor and use our intuitive truth, using the highest good of all concerned as our primary reference point.
• We call upon our spiritual source in our work.
• In our day-to-day interactions our intention is a sincere connection with those whom we serve.
• We donate what resources we can to people doing good work.
• We generate healthy profitability and reinvest to fund growth.
• We keep our principles alive and well, and we honor them in our practices.
• We support our positive vitality by inviting, hearing, and integrating feedback about how we're doing, individually and organizationally.
• We encourage each of us to manifest our greatness and serve its source.
• We focus our energy where it produces the most value.