October 28, 2009
Learning Organization Points of Intention -- From Toke Moeller and his participatory work with senior leaders in the European Commission: Innovation. Concrete Action. Working across boundaries. Building partnerships. Engaging Staff. Improving relations. Colearning. Activating collective intelligence. Action learning.
Balance Requires Movement -- From Bob Wing in a recent check-out circle. Bob offered the image of a bicycle in motion. It needs to be in motion to be in balance, as do we in our work. It is easier in the movement. Few can balance a bike when at rest.
Being Present = Hosting Self -- An insight in working with friends last weekend. It is part of a model, "The Four Fold Practice" that I often use in conversational leadership. I have usually emphasized the "being present" aspect of this through meditation, or the helpfulness of a deliberate pause to more fully show up at an event. Many of these friends were telling stories of the need to be able to host ourselves.
Awareness Days -- From conversations with Jerry Nagel and Toke Moeller. We were exploring how to invited people into the practice of hosting conversations that matter in a way that leads with purpose and need rather than process. We spoke of half day gatherings that proceed an Art of Hosting training that focus on this kind of question: Why do you feel it is important to host conversations in this city now? Or, why have you showed up to learn more about leadership through hosting conversations that matter? This is also a way to activate a shared sense of purpose for convening that is pointed at outcomes. Good also for new calling teams and for finding first level of purpose.
Powerful, Artful Questions of Invitation -- Again from conversations with several hosts at Flow Game training. What are the questions we want to ask on behalf of this city? What do we dare to start today that the kindergarten children will thank us for when they are older? And so as to give this some process awareness also, what if how we live in inquiry is our hope for our grandchildren -- to live as we have lived today.
2 comments:
This question, "What do we dare to start today that the kindergarten children will thank us for when they are older? " really rings deeply in me as I prepare for our presentation tomorrow to Bastyr's Cabinet. Dissolving the edges of "being attached to outcome" and finding that what's left is warm invitation and a willingness to offer bold questions without knowing at all what the responses will be.
May it live in your heart and at Bastyr. May we create the space for this to happen. Perhaps my 4 year old Elijah will be one who thanks us.
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