“If you are here to help, go home. If you are here because you see that your liberation is bound up with ours, then let’s walk together.” – Achuar
Welcome
We are happy you have chosen to work with us. This welcome guide is designed to ensure that the workplace we create at Seven Stones wholly reflects the values ingrained in all of our work.
We take seriously and to heart your choice to spend your precious time working with us. We believe in a partnership model of roles and relationships. Rather than exerting power over others, we choose to be in relationship with others, even those who work “for” us. We see our work together as a co-creation.
We are committed to creating a rich exchange between us so both parties are satisfied, even delighted, with how we work together. In creating a rich exchange of value, there are multiple currencies, money being an important one but not the only one. We also value connection, belonging, truth, transparency and appreciation. To us, these currencies matter as much as money. As you move through your workday, managing projects and serving our clients, we ask that you care for all of these different currencies.
Our Ethical Stand
Our guiding philosophy: Sustabu
SUSTAINABLE: ethical, reciprocal, just.
ABUNDANCE: grateful, radiant and present to the bounty everywhere.
The 7 Laws of Enough
- Stories Matter
- I Am Enough
- I Belong
- No One is Exempt
- Resting is Required
- Joy is Available
- Love is the Answer
For Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
“Diversity is not as much about who occupies the space, as it is about who controls the space.” – Debbie Irving
Our dominant model is based in scarcity and can leave anyone in a subordinated group feeling excluded, unwelcome and potentially unwanted. We are committed that individuals and organizations travel from this place of scarcity to what we call Sustainable Abundance. We hold this commitment to all who work with us.
Please read the Seven Stones thought leadership piece on diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging here.
You belong here. Period. Full stop. You know you belong, because you are here.
Exchange of Promises
We live in a complex interwoven web of promises; the keeping and renegotiating of those promises builds trust and lasting relationships. When we fall short, as we all do from time to time, we address those breakdowns until both parties are complete and satisfied.
We will...
- Establish boundaries. They matter and we matter.
- Honor your boundaries.
- Provide a deep listening for what you need to be successful.
- Take all your requests seriously and make our own as needed.
- Speak our truth with dignity and care for all involved.
- Commit to no retaliation when you speak the truth.
- Say things to people’s faces, not behind their backs. Not engage in gossip.
- Look at our unconscious biases so we are all unwinding the system of inequity together and building something that is safe for all, not just a few.
- Promise to keep investigating our internalized relationship to power and ask that you do the same so we can, in fact, be in relationship with each other and co-design a future inside of Sustainable Abundance.
- Declare breakdowns and commit to staying to handle them without cutting off the relationship.
- Come to conversations, even challenging ones, looking for how we can be responsible for the breakdown.
- Promise to stay in relationship through mistakes, missteps and failures.
- When it is time to end our work together, by either party’s choice, we commit to a process of respect, open communication and completion.
- Be committed to completion and being complete with you.
You will...
- Make a commitment to relationships and demonstrate the courage to candidly examine professional challenges.
- Look at your unconscious biases so we are all unwinding the system of inequity together and building something that is safe for all, not just a few.
- Promise to keep investigating your internalized relationship to power and ask that we do the same so we can in fact be in relationship with each other and co-design a future inside of Sustainable Abundance.
- Speak your truth with dignity and care for all involved.
- Establish boundaries. They matter and you matter
- Stand for yourself and advocate for your needs. No one can do that for you, and we welcome your self-care here.
- Make requests and ask for help at any time.
- Say things to people’s faces, not behind their backs. Not engage in gossip.
- Let us know immediately of any dissatisfaction so that any breakdowns are addressed until both parties are satisfied with the outcome.
- Declare breakdowns and commit to staying to handle them instead of just leaving or quitting without warning.
- Come to conversations, even challenging ones, looking for how you can be responsible for the breakdown.
- Deal with breakdowns over the phone, Zoom or in person, never over email. E-mail is for coordination of action, not for process.
- Develop a practice to support your commitment to lifelong learning.
- Engage in practices that support your learning and capacity building to fulfill these shared promises. We know we are asking a lot and we only ask that which we also ask of ourselves.
The above promises are enduring—they remain in place holding us all accountable to create a culture consistent with our ethical stand.
Our Process
Availability Request
Once we’ve identified a fit between a client’s needs and a practitioner’s profile, we’ll send you an availability request. This request will outline the services we are seeking, provide a broad timeline, and a high-level overview of pricing. We request that you reply to let us know whether you are interested or not within three (3) business days. This is not a contract or agreement. Your response only confirms if you’d like to be included in the proposal to our client. If the client decides to move forward, we’ll re-confirm your availability before the next phase.
Onboarding
Below you will find a short form to continue onboarding. Please fill out this form so we can collect your company/contractor contact information and begin the onboarding process. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
After you fill out your contact information, you will receive a PandaDoc (our e-signature platform) to sign our Umbrella Agreement, Covenant and WISP.
Our Commitment to Information Security Compliance
At Seven Stones Leadership, protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Sensitive Information (SI) is a cornerstone of our operations and client care. To meet state and federal legal requirements and safeguard our proprietary data, we require all of our practitioners to comply with our Written Information Security Plan (WISP).
The WISP establishes critical protocols for the secure handling, storage, and destruction of PII and SI. It reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest standards in information security and confidentiality to protect our business and our clients. By adhering to the WISP, you play a vital role in upholding these standards, ensuring compliance, and protecting the integrity of our shared work.
We ask that you carefully read the WISP, familiarize yourself with its requirements, and confirm your understanding and agreement by signing the compliance acknowledgment form that will be sent to you via PandaDoc upon submission of the below form.
Professional Liability Insurance Requirement
As part of our commitment to excellence, professionalism and safety, we require all Seven Stones Leadership practitioners to maintain a professional liability insurance policy with coverage of at least $1M. This policy must list Seven Stones Leadership as an “additional insured.” If you already have a policy, please provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming Seven Stones Leadership as an additional insured. If you do not yet have coverage, follow these steps to secure a policy:
- Select a Carrier and Policy: Obtain professional liability insurance from a provider of your choice. We often work with Next Insurance (nextinsurance.com) and The Hartford (thehartford.com), which offer convenient online quotes.
- Add Seven Stones as an Additional Insured: Ensure your policy includes Seven Stones Leadership as an “additional insured” and request a COI. Use the following address:
Seven Stones Leadership Group, LLC
6 Half Moon Hill
Acton, MA 01720
- Submit and Maintain Records: Email your COI to [email protected] for our records. Note that a renewal COI will be required annually to keep your file up to date.
We appreciate your attention to this important detail, which protects both you and the organization as we deliver exquisite service to our clients.
Statement of Work
Once the client signs our letter of engagement (LOE), or contract, we will provide you with an SOW to officially engage in the project. This agreement will outline:
- Project ID—This must be included in all invoices submitted.
- Engagement overview—What the engagement is, the purpose and any expected outcomes based on goals communicated.
- Engagement details—Including any frameworks and deliverables.
- Timing of the work—When and how the engagement will be delivered, along with a timeline and any milestones if applicable.
- Rate & payment schedule—What Seven Stones will pay you, as well as a payment schedule.
- Cancellation clause—In the rare event that the client cancels.
- Any other special requirements and specifics about the engagement.
You will receive a PandaDoc to sign your SOW.
Money Flow
We endeavor to make this as simple as possible as we honor your time and want you to be remunerated with ease.
- If you are new to Seven Stones, you will need to submit a W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification to our [email protected] before we will issue any payment for services. We’ll use this to generate your 1099.
- Please submit your invoice(s) for the total project fees to [email protected] as soon as our SOW agreement is signed. We will process the first payment as soon as possible after we receive the invoice and the client’s first scheduled payment.
- Additional payments will be issued according to our SOW payment schedule agreement.
- Your invoice needs to include your Project ID (located in your SOW agreement). Please submit separate invoices for each SOW (e.g. do not combine multiple SOW agreements into one invoice).
- For some consulting engagements you may be asked to track your hours. Currently we use Google Spreadsheets for tracking. If so, this request will be outlined in your SOW.
- Payment to you will be made via Bill.com (no merchant fees apply). If this is the first payment you have received from us, you will receive an email from Bill.com requesting your payment preferences and ACH details. If you need to change your preferences or update your ACH details, please send an email request to Bill.com.
Expenses: All expenses must align with your client’s travel policies. Some may require pre-approval for any expenses, and some do not. It is imperative that you are clear on what each client will and will not reimburse, as we cannot guarantee payment for items outside of their policies (e.g. most do not pay for first class airline travel). Invoices for expenses must be submitted using Expensify (click here for instructions on using Expensify).
Working With Us
Coordinating Information Technology Slack
If you are a part of a team delivering on a contract, you may be invited to join the Seven Stones Slack Workspace. In the workspace, you will have access to two (2) channels:
- A private, client-specific channel (named proj-CLIENT NAME), accessible by you and the internal Seven Stones team. Best used for quick updates and/or internal communication regarding the client.
- A general, public, Seven Stones channel (named #sevenstones) – includes all Seven Stones internal team members and coaches, and is for company-wide announcements. We will occasionally use this for company updates, or office closures; think of it as a bulletin board.
Google Suite/Drive
For some clients, we will use Google Suite products (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, etc.) which are stored in Google Drive. We promise to share any document with you if it relates to the delivery on a contract.
The Seven Stones Online Community
We call it “The Community” for short. The activities and gatherings in this online space (via Mighty Networks) include bold conversations, innovative practices and provocative experiments. This community is filled with exceptionally thoughtful, skillful and committed change-makers. We are lifelong learners, practitioners, entrepreneurs, CEOs, VPs, community leaders and creatives. Together we intend to spark breakthroughs in each other, and to usher forward a sustainable and abundant way of living and leading.
For one-on-one contracts, the Community is an included service and clients will be invited to join this space after they’ve completed the client intake form.
As a practitioner, you are also invited to join! You will have the opportunity to register at the bottom of this page.
Seven Stones Website
Below you will find a space to submit a professional headshot and biography. Please submit your most up-to-date biography so we have it on hand to send to prospective clients during our initial connecting phase.
Additionally, we’d love to add you to the Our Practitioners section on our website. Our goal for this page is to showcase all of the expertise that coaches and consultants provide to our clients through our partnerships. This is completely optional and you have the opportunity to opt in or out on the form below.
Calendar Requests:
Internal to Seven Stones: Cassidy Lam can help you with any scheduling needs on the Seven Stones side!
External (does not involve Jen, Gina, Nilesh or others from Seven Stones): Feel free (and your EA) to schedule meetings with Seven Stones clients that do not involve Jen, Gina, Nilesh or others from Seven Stones on your own with the client.
Seven Stones Design Format and Creative Requests:
Here is a link to a Dropbox account that contains:
- Seven Stones Letterhead Template (Word + Google Doc form)
- Seven Stones Slide Template (PPT + Google Slide form)
**Please download files to your computer and edit them outside of DropBox.
Fonts:
Seven Stones default font is “PP Mori” for Word and PowerPoint documents. Please reach out to [email protected] if you’d like us to send you our custom font files.
If you are using Google Docs or Google Slides, please use the font “DM Sans”.
Fonts in Emails:
We are not strict about the font in emails, as long as the information is clear and organized, and the font itself is consistent. We do use black as our general text color in emails and feel free to highlight/bold in whatever way makes sense to you for organizing your thoughts/information/requests.
Brand Colors:
- Deep Jade: #0F3330 (main color)
- White: #FFFFFF
- Cream: #FFFFF2
- Sand: #F2F2E6
- Pink: #E5BCC7
- Tangerine: #FA9566
- Red: #E85E3A
- Light Green: #6AA691
- Honey: #FEC362
Creative Requests:
Please reach out to [email protected] with any requests related to design (whether that is creating slides, creating graphics for slides, organizing information in a more visually appealing way, etc).