Evanston Chamber of Commerce Events
Culture Contracts Workshop
Hosted by Evanston Chamber of Commerce
About this event
What does "responsive" mean to your team? What does good communication look like? How should colleagues handle disagreement, ask for help, or let someone know when something isn't working?
Most workplace friction doesn't come from bad intentions. It comes from unstated expectations. We assume everyone shares the same definition of "responsive," "respectful," or "good communication," then feel frustrated when someone doesn't meet an expectation that was never actually said out loud.
In this interactive workshop, leadership coach Mary Ellen Ball will introduce the concept of a culture contract: a simple, explicit agreement between a leader and their team, or among teammates, about what they need from each other to do their best work.
Together, you'll explore the difference between assumed and stated expectations and use a practical framework to uncover what's going unsaid on your own team. You'll begin turning vague expectations into clear, actionable agreements and leave with a working draft of a culture contract you can bring back to your organization, refine, and put into practice.
This workshop is designed for business owners, nonprofit leaders, managers, team leaders, and anyone who wants to create clearer expectations and stronger working relationships within their organization.
About Mary Ellen Ball
Mary Ellen Ball is a leadership coach and founder of Open Delta Group, an Evanston-based talent development and coaching practice. She brings 20 years of experience in leadership roles and coaching, including designing and delivering leadership development programming for a national professional services firm reaching more than 1,000 leaders. The Culture Contracts framework comes directly from her leadership coaching work.
Most workplace friction doesn't come from bad intentions. It comes from unstated expectations. We assume everyone shares the same definition of "responsive," "respectful," or "good communication," then feel frustrated when someone doesn't meet an expectation that was never actually said out loud.
In this interactive workshop, leadership coach Mary Ellen Ball will introduce the concept of a culture contract: a simple, explicit agreement between a leader and their team, or among teammates, about what they need from each other to do their best work.
Together, you'll explore the difference between assumed and stated expectations and use a practical framework to uncover what's going unsaid on your own team. You'll begin turning vague expectations into clear, actionable agreements and leave with a working draft of a culture contract you can bring back to your organization, refine, and put into practice.
This workshop is designed for business owners, nonprofit leaders, managers, team leaders, and anyone who wants to create clearer expectations and stronger working relationships within their organization.
About Mary Ellen Ball
Mary Ellen Ball is a leadership coach and founder of Open Delta Group, an Evanston-based talent development and coaching practice. She brings 20 years of experience in leadership roles and coaching, including designing and delivering leadership development programming for a national professional services firm reaching more than 1,000 leaders. The Culture Contracts framework comes directly from her leadership coaching work.
