Glossary

At Animal Think Tank we have many 'Thinking Modes' and 'Performance Values' that are sometimes mentioned in ways that may not mean much to someone who is new here. Here is a list to help you understand. You will probably hear them all over time, so this is here to help you as a reference point. However, feel free to read through them all. It may be an interesting read.

Conflict is 70% - Conflict is one of the most likely things to destroy a social movement. We process our emotions and approach conflict in a structured way. Refer to the Conflict Transformation chapter for guidance.

Dare to Lead - Referring to the phrase coined by Brene Brown. It is the title of her book which covers the following:

• Rumble with Vulnerability - In order to be courageous, you have to vulnerable.

• Live our Values - We do more than profess our values, we practice them.

• Brave Trust - BRAVING which stands for: boundaries, reliability, accountability, the vault, integrity, non-judgment, and generosity

• Learn to Rise -

  • The Reckoning: Knowing that we’re experiencing a strong emotional response and then getting curious about it.

  • The Rumble: When we are in an emotional struggle, and in the absence of data, we make up stories that help to make sense.

  • The Revolution: Claiming ownership of our emotions and behaviours and initiating change

Entrepreneurial, not bureaucratic - The more you grow, the more ATT grows. If you have an idea that will make your work easier or more effective. Just do it.

Give it a whirl - We value innovation and progressiveness as opposed to exercising caution and reducing risk.

Good enough for now - From a priorities perspective, not everything needs to be done to perfection. We all have busy schedules. If something doesn't need to be done perfectly don't spend an extensive time on it and be happy to move on if it only 50% of what your best work would be. Spend more time on things that really need the attention. Be effective.

Go slow to go fast - The task ahead of us is monumental, however not impossible. But if we don't plan we can't succeed. All successful social movements of the past have had solid foundations. It can be difficult not to take action when we know animals are dying everyday. But we stay composed and realise this is our only route to success.

Ideal - (Same as good enough for now?)

Purity Politics - We don't preach purity politics. No-one is better than anyone one else; we welcome all people. We don't look down on people for their individual beliefs and actions. The idea of a 'pure Vegan / Leftist... movement will only hurt us in the long run. We are aiming towards a collective goal of Animal Freedom. Anyone with this goal is welcome.

Nonviolence - We learn to hear our own deeper needs and those of others. Through its emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—NVC helps us discover the depth of our own compassion.

Own your shit - Don't merely 'smell' or 'look at' your shit. Own it and do something about it. Take responsibility.

Process is King - We have no managers, but we're not run by chaos. We have processes in place to ensure we function properly. If you're not sure how to act, follow the relavent process. If you're not sure what it is you can refer to Glassfrog, the handbook or someone within ATT

Safe enough to try -Very similar to 'give it a whirl'. When considering whether a proposed idea should be actioned. Don't take an extensive period of time debating whether its a good idea. If it has potential to be a good idea and it is 'safe enough to try' then do it. We can always resort back to our old ways.

Step into your power - Fulfil your potential

Tensions - A feeling you get when there is a gap between the way something is and the way it should be. These can come in the forms of sensing problems or new ideas.

We're All Crew - We all take initiative and responsibility. This means that we all contribute ideas, we don't rely on managers for consent or to come up with solutions. From an office norms perspective, it means that we expect others to look after it. If there's dishes stacking up, we wash them, if the plants need watering we water them. If someone needs a hug we hug them! We take collective responsibility. Forget the mindset 'but I did it last time'

We welcome all people, not all behaviours - Anyone who wants to work towards Animal Freedom is welcome. However, we have core values, and systems in place to ensure that we can work collaboratively together. If we can't behave accordingly, we will crumble.

Woke Culture - Woke culture is a leftist terminology that means that those who adhere to certain political claims are 'the enlightened'. The term can and has been used in a derogatory fashion to those who aren't 'woke'. We seek to ensure everyone feels welcome within ATT even those who may not deemed to be 'woke'

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