Paradigm Makers Moonlit Minds Journal: Edition 5

Paradigm Makers name, Happy at Work and system-level change

Author

Jess Price
December 16, 2024

Welcome to the fifth edition of Paradigm Makers Moonlit Minds Journal!

Table of Contents

Jess’ Monthly Reflection

How is it already mid-December?

This month was all about writing, reflecting and connecting.

Among early project proposals for 2025, I started my first (of many) ‘Tiny Experiments’ to post on LinkedIn every day for 90 days. I thought this would be a useful way to share my knowledge to help others, experiment with different types of content and practice visual thinking techniques. Today is day 25 and it has led to some interesting creative outcomes, including:

While finding new content to post every day has been challenging, it is now a fun exercise as I test different types of content to see what resonates.

My final piece of work for 2024, was something I have been dreaming about since 2018 - creating an Annual Failure Report! Analysing Paradigm Makers’ failures in detail has been a surprisingly useful way to begin my strategic planning for 2025. I encourage everyone to create their own Failure Report - even if you don’t share it publically.

I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Cold Moon,

Jess Price

Founder & Chief Vision Officer

EXPLORING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Why Paradigm Makers?

Paradigm Makers is officially one, which is making me nostalgic.

I am counting this as historical context because in November 2023 Paradigm Makers was non-existent. This year my focus has been on creating the foundation for whatever Paradigm Makers will eventually become so it felt important to document this context now.

Since the beginning, I have been very intentional, prioritising the foundational elements to help us create systemic change at work. I knew the right name also had to embody this foundation.

I started searching for names in August for fun, but it wasn’t until late October that I knew I was serious about registering a company. I had very specific requirements, which made this step particularly challenging. The name had to:

  1. be a maximum of 5 letters and easy to say.

  2. have a secret hidden meaning that you would only know if you were curious to search the etymology of the word.

  3. have the .com URL available.

In early November I thought I found the perfect name - I had dedicated my quarterly Unyoked* retreat to choosing a name and after hours of research I was confident. But then I got internet reception and discovered it was the name of a crypto company. The other names on my shortlist were also crypto companies.

By late November I had narrowed it down to 5 names, which all failed requirements 1 and 2:

  1. Paradigm Makers

  2. The System Makers

  3. Operation Simplify

  4. Here to Human

  5. String Thinking

I went with Paradigm Makers because it directly aligned with our mission of driving systemic change. It was intimidating, but I knew systemic change was intimidating so it needed a name to match. Reviewing this list a year later, I can’t imagine what these other 4 companies might have become. I do know that Paradigm Makers was the right choice though.

While I could tell you about the puzzle phase of Paradigm Makers I will leave this part of history for another time…

*if you want to try Unyoked, here’s a 15% discount code (not sponsored, I love Unyoked and we can both get 15% off if you use my code!)

IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORK TODAY

Happy at Work Collective

In October I met Dr Liz Spencer at Neon Shed’s Psychological Safety Summit* and we immediately knew we needed to work together. As we are both passionate about workplace mental health and helping people experiencing psychosocial hazards we have started the Happy at Work Collective.

Over the last month, we have had 2 meetings where we agreed on our shared aims and ground rules with a small group of participants. We are determined to build this community of practice with attendees, so before we recommence in February, Liz and I will finalise the broad structure and standing agenda to help guide our discussions.

While neither of us know where this will go, we are excited to start a ripple effect so we can come together to share resources, stories and support to make our workplaces happier.

If you are interested in joining the Happy at Work Collective, I will include more details in January’s edition of the Moonlit Minds Journal.

*Tickets are now available for the 2025 Psychosocial Safety Summit

CREATING NEW WORK PARADIGMS FOR TOMORROW

How do we create system-level change?

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot over the last month. For International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3 December, I chose to disclose I was disabled. I was overwhelmed with the positive response, as generally disclosing I am disabled is a negative experience.

As I spoke with people who shared their experiences I realised the reason people loved the post was because I was talking about something we usually don’t see in professional forums. For many people, it isn’t safe for them to disclose they are disabled because disability discrimination is everywhere.

As we work to create new work paradigms, an important step is sharing our experience of the current system. We all experience the world differently, so for those who are excluded sharing helps us identify patterns, uncover root causes and start conversations that lead to meaningful change. The challenge with this approach is that it places the onus on the ‘excluded’ to share their experiences.

That is why I have committed to regularly sharing the anonymous experiences of people who share my experiences with disability and workplace mental health. Each week, I will be posting one anonymous experience with disability and workplace mental health on LinkedIn so we can start conversations that lead to meaningful change.

You can share your experiences anonymously using the forms below:

Together, we will create an inclusive and sustainable world.

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