Half-Day Workshop
One 3-hour session
- All five modules in a focused half day
- One paired SAFE and I+CARE™ practice round
- Each person leaves with a one-page plan
- Best for a retreat, a conference, or a first introduction
Team Workshop on the Unwritten Rules at Work The WAT™ We Are Tricked.
You did the culture training. You ran the leadership workshops. And the same patterns keep coming back.
That is because every workplace also runs on rules nobody wrote down: who gets heard, who looks like a leader, and who gets a second chance. People learned those rules long before they joined you, and most never chose them. The WAT™ helps your team see the rules, name them, and choose a better standard. It is where Re+Calibration™ begins.
- Step 1Where Re+Calibration™ begins
- 5 modulesRecognize · Restore · Realign
- 3 formatsWorkshop · Sessions · Intensive
- 8–25People per group
What Is The WAT™?
The rules that rank people before anyone speaks.
Long before a meeting starts, many of us have already decided who is smart, who is capable, and who will be heard. We did not choose those standards. We were handed them.
The WAT™ is the outside standard that teaches people how to rank themselves and one another. It lives in systems, institutions, families, and each of us.
A standard is handed down
From school, family, media, and past workplaces.
We accept it without deciding to
It feels like common sense, so no one questions it.
We grade people before we know them
Including ourselves. That is the trick.
Patterns, not people. The WAT™ describes how we were taught. It says nothing about anyone's worth, and no one is ever labeled a "WAT person."
Why It Didn't Stick
You did the training. The old rules stayed.
Most programs work on what people can see: words, policies, and behavior in the room. The rules underneath were set long before anyone arrived, and nobody touched them. So behavior changes in the workshop and slips back by Monday.
- What if
your culture program taught new words, but not new standards?
- What if
your leadership training rewarded the people who already looked like leaders?
- What if
your values are on the wall, but the unwritten rules decide who gets heard?
These aren't failures of effort. They're gaps nobody could see, because everyone was taught the same way, leaders included. The WAT™ makes them visible.
See what The WAT™ isWhat others see
Thoughts, feelings & choices
Identity & purpose
How the Trick Gets Inside
It starts outside. Then it moves in.
A message comes in through what we see and hear. It turns into a feeling. Repeat it enough, and it becomes what we believe about ourselves and others.
The WAT™ runs outside in. Outside standards decide how people feel, and those feelings shape what they believe. Teams end up reacting to old rules instead of current reality.
- What I heard"Let's hear from someone with more experience."
- What I feltBrushed aside and unsure.
- What I came to believe"My ideas don't count here."
An invented example for teaching. A pause at any step can change the direction.
Project SPICES™ runs inside out. People lead from their values and purpose first, and the outside responds from there. Real people move between both directions during a day, a week, and a season. The goal is to notice the direction and choose it.
- What I valueGood ideas, whoever brings them.
- What I choosePause, then ask to finish the point.
- What others seeA calm, clear contribution.
An invented example for teaching. Nothing literally turns; "direction" describes how influence moves.
The Program
Five modules. Three phases.
The WAT™ follows the same three phases as Re+Calibration™. Each module pairs a short teaching with a hands-on team activity, so people practice the new standard instead of just hearing about it.
Recognize · Restore · Realign
-
Phase 1
Recognize
-
Module 01
Naming the WAT™
Your team gets the words to describe the unwritten standards around them.
Standards Walk -
Module 02
How it travels inward
Follow one message from what was heard, to what was felt, to what was believed.
Trace It
-
Module 01
-
Phase 2
Restore
-
Module 03
Releasing what tricked us
Steady first, then let go. Name the trigger, name the reaction, and release the old standard behind it, so it stops deciding for you.
Trigger Map & Release
-
Module 03
-
Phase 3
Realign
-
Module 04
Conversations and systems
Listen and speak differently in the moment an old rule shows up in a meeting or a hallway.
Paired practice -
Module 05
Reversing the direction
Pick one unwritten rule and replace it with a written practice, an owner, and a date.
Team Plan
-
Module 04
By the end, your team can:
- Explain the WAT™ in their own words, with two examples from your workplace.
- Trace one outside message from what was seen, to what was felt, to what was believed.
- Name their own triggers and the habits that follow them.
- Release one old standard they no longer want to follow, and choose a new response.
- Turn one unwritten rule into a written team practice, with an owner and a date.
Formats
Choose the pace that fits your team.
Same five modules in every format. The format decides how much time your team has to practice between sessions.
Five Sessions
Five 75-minute sessions
- One module per session: check-in, teach, activity, reflection
- A small practice between sessions, like using the three-step pause once a day
- Time to try the tools on real work and report back
- Ends with a team plan: one rule changed, an owner, and a date
8-Week Intensive
Pre-work plus eight weekly sessions
- One module a week, with practice assignments
- A practice review: what worked and what did not
- A live team scenario to apply everything
- Optional weekly office hour and a three-month check-in
Built for real teams, with clear ground rules
- 8 to 25 people, working in small groups.
- Sharing is always optional. Anyone can pass on any exercise.
- Stories stay in the room. Managers never ask direct reports to disclose.
- Reporting lines respected. Managers and their direct reports are not placed in the same small group unless your organization agrees and it is voluntary.
The Foundation
See the trick. Then see the whole person.
The WAT™ shows what was handed to your people from the outside. Project SPICES™, created by Dr. Sarai Koo, shows what is inside: six connected areas of life that people bring to work every day.
- SpiritualMeaning, purpose and values
- PhysicalHealth, energy and capacity
- InterpersonalHow we relate to others and ourselves
- CognitiveHow we think, learn and create
- EmotionalFeelings, resilience and resources
- SocialCommunity, belonging and service
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The WAT™
See the trick
Name the unwritten rules your team absorbed.
-
See the whole person
Understand what is driving reactions and choices.
-
Change the direction
Recognize, Restore, and Realign the people and the system.
Straight Talk
What this is. And what it isn't.
Your people should feel safe from the first minute. So we say plainly what The WAT™ does, what it does not do, and how we keep the room safe.
What it is
- A practical team program built on a framework created by Dr. Sarai Koo.
- A shared language for the unwritten rules in your workplace.
- Hands-on practice with tools your team can use the next day.
- The first step before deeper Re+Calibration™ work.
What it isn't
- Not therapy, counseling, or a diagnosis.
- Not a test or a score. No one is ranked or graded.
- Not a way to label people. We describe patterns, never persons.
- Not a promise of a specific result. Change depends on practice.
How we capture progress: in your team's own words
Before and after the program, participants answer the same short reflection questions, such as "What outside standards shape how you judge yourself?" and "What will you do differently this month?" With permission, we share their words with you. We do not turn them into percentages.
The WAT™ is a new framework. It has not been tested in controlled studies, and we say so up front.
Questions
What leaders ask about The WAT™.
Clear answers before you bring the program to your team.
Bring The WAT™ to Your Team
Prefer to talk first? Call (888) 305-8884
or email [email protected]
What does The WAT™ stand for?
We Are Tricked. The WAT™ is the outside standard that teaches people how to rank themselves and one another: who is smart, capable, or worth hearing. It comes from systems, institutions, families, and each of us. The program helps your team see those standards and choose better ones.
Who is The WAT™ for?
Leadership teams, managers, departments, and agencies that want people to be heard and judged fairly. It works best for groups of 8 to 25 people, split into small groups.
Is this therapy or a personality test?
No. The WAT™ is a practical team program. It does not diagnose, treat, or score anyone, and it never labels a person. If something personal comes up, the facilitator pauses and helps the person find the right support outside the session.
Will people have to share personal stories?
No. Sharing is always optional, and anyone can pass on any exercise. Stories stay in the room, managers never ask direct reports to disclose, and teaching examples are invented.
How long does it take?
You can choose a 3-hour workshop, five 75-minute sessions (recommended), or an 8-week intensive. All three formats cover the same five modules.
How does The WAT™ connect to Re+Calibration™?
The WAT™ is where Re+Calibration™ begins. It follows the same three phases, Recognize, Restore, and Realign, at the team level. If the work shows that deeper change is needed in leadership, decisions, or structure, Re+Calibration™ is the next step.
How do you measure results?
Participants answer the same short reflection questions before and after the program, and we share their words with your permission. We do not report percentages, because The WAT™ has not yet been tested in controlled studies.
Is the program faith-based?
No. The program for organizations is secular, and it works for people of any background or belief.
Start Here
See the trick. Then choose a better standard.
The rules that rank people can be named, questioned, and rewritten. Start with a confidential conversation about your team, and we will recommend the format that fits.
Confidential. No obligation. A 20–30 minute conversation.