Growing Together at the Emerging Edge of Evolution (long)

Fri May 27 10:53:19 PDT 2005

Peggy said:
My conclusion: there are times that support, provided sparingly and always,
always with the intent of letting go, is of service.

If I am hearing you, the way I have come to frame this Peggy is, that for
years, when working with congreations or organizations, I was very
nondirective, using primarily questions, and it is there challenge to move
or not to move.  But the more toxic, anxious, or less mature
theorganizations/congregations seemed to be, the more difficult time it had
even hearing the questions, much less responding to them.  I came to believe
that my either/or was too dychotomistic (I guess that is a word),  too
reducationistic, for it depended not only on where I was, but also where
they were.  It became more of an art than a science.  I would have to make a
  determination of where they were, and meet them there. The challenge ws to
be nondirective enough to challenge them to move forward, but being
directive enough, that I  stayed in connection.  In other words, looking
back, I believe that through questions, I tried to open space.  Sometimes  I
am certain I missed on my estimation, sometimes I hope I didn't, but
regardless, hopefully, whatever happened, needed to happen.  And that is
something of what I think I hear in your discussion about the other
processes in addition to OS?  How do we meet people were they are or is this
too much of a compromise, or rationalizing other needs/issues going on?
Thanks, Craig

<html><DIV>
<P>W. Craig Gilliam</P>
<P>3762 Red Cypress Dr.</P>
<P>New Orleans, LA  70131</P>
<P>504-393-0309</P></DIV></html>

<br><br><br>----Original Message Follows----<br>From: Peggy Holman
<peggy at opencirclecompany.com><br>Reply-To: OSLIST
<OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU><br>To:
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>Subject: Re: Growing Together at the
Emerging Edge of Evolution (long)<br>Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 08:54:38
-0700<br><br>Harrison said:<br><br>Through my eyes it has always appeared to
me that there is precious little that occurs at a deep level in WC, AI, and
FS -- that does not also occur in OS. Further, that the deepest moments of
the preceding three happen when the space (for whatever reason) is most
fully open...if the common point of power is open space -- why not just Open
Space? Not much else needed.<br><br><br>Harrison, I deeply and firmly
believe that all roads lead to Open Space.  And yet, I do work with AI and
occaisionally TWC and I applaud the work of my fs colleagues.  Why?  Because
they are where a client is willing to start AND they lead to Open
Space.<br><br>Years ago I remember you telling me that anytime you do
something for another, it disempowers them.  Anytime I consider supporting
someone in some way, I think of this.  As I've experimented with this
through the years  (mostly by not stepping in to help), I saw others support
someone that I had left (lovingly) to find their way on their own.  In many
cases, that helping hand gave the person or group the start they needed to
take the next step on their own.  My conclusion: there are times that
support, provided sparingly and always, always with the intent of letting
go, is of service.  That is how I hold any work I do that requires me to do
silly facilitator gyrations like asking people to do activity a, then
b.<br><br>The critical, critical discipline for me is to continually ask
myself my favorite Harrison design question: "what's one less thing to
do (and have this be whole and complete)?"  I know without hesitation
that anytime things start getting complicated that it is time to step back
and ask, "what is the intent?" and "what is the minimum
required for this to occur"?<br><br><br>You said:<br>...it is not The
Designed Process (AI, FS, WC, or OS) but rather the natural gift possessed
by all of us that deserves the credit.<br><br>...I seriously doubt that the
genesis of all that good stuff happened because of brilliant design and
application. It happened because a total natural and pre-existing phenomenon
was allowed to do its work. Most importantly, this phenomenon was NOT the
creation of the conference designers and facilitators. It was in fact the
natural "possession" of the group as a whole, and each individual
present.<br><br><br>Absolutely!  Goodness knows that I wouldn't dream of
taking credit for their work!  I do believe that what is useful is naming
what is happening (e.g., speaking the law and the principles) so that they
have the gift of consciously knowing what's working and can take it with
them when they leave.<br><br>To that end, I have taken to describing the law
of two feet with the phrase "Take responsibility for what you
love".  While simply another way of talking about passion and
responsibility, it has remarkable potency.  In fact, I learned something new
about the implications of this invitation.  On my way to breakfast on the
third morning, one of the many luminaries at the gathering stopped me with a
clear, crisp call.  She said that she'd just "gotten" what it
means to take responsibility for what you love.  She explained that she had
been excluded from a journal on a subject in which she is an acknowledged
expert.  She had been hurt and fretting about it and wasn't sure what to do
with the angst.  She told me she woke up with my face in hers saying,
"take repsonsibility for what you love" and immediately knew what
she had to do.  She started composing a letter to the publisher telling him
that he needed to publish something of hers and indeed, that he needed her
as a keynote at an upcoming conference.  And with that, she could let go.
She went on to say (and this is where my new learning comes in) that in the
past she would have told herself that it was her ego talking and let it go.
What the phrase "take responsibility for what you love" did for
her was help her discern calling from ego.  It gave her the power to act
appropriately.<br><br>Wow!  She did the work.  No question.  Yet those words
-- take responsibility for what you love --  the essence of Open Space, made
it possible for her to clearly see herself and her power in a new
way.<br><br>As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get any better.<br><br>from
sunny
Seattle,<br>Peggy<br><br><br><br>*<br>*<br>==========================================================<br>OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>------------------------------<br>To
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