The end of leadership

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Mon Oct 16 12:20:19 PDT 2006


Yoav -- thank you for this very insightful piece. And I think you are
absolutely right. Open Space allows us to get beyond the one, powerful,
charismatic leader who will save us to reach a better place where we can
understand that it is only when we fully claim our passion and assume the
responsibility that things are likely to move/change/happen. No guarantees
of course.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Yoav Peck
Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2006 12:55 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: The end of leadership

Today the Israeli Knesset (parliament) convened for its winter session.
Yesterday, the police recommended indicting our president for a collection
of offenses, the most serious of which is the rape of two women in his
employ. 
Many legislators announced their intention to protest the president's
appearance at today's session and he wisely bowed to the pressure and did
not attend.  
Why am I sharing this with you on the OS list? 
As I facilitated my first OS last month, I noticed a recurrent theme among
the different groups - the longing for "someone who will be crazy about our
issue" to appear and assume leadership in the efforts to fulfill the vision
that crystallized in response to the day's question: the formation of a
national council for parents and parenting professionals. 
What did not come home to the group of 60 people, mostly professionals who
run parent-training programs, is that the "crazy-about-the-issue someone" is
none other than they themselves. I low-profiled as much as I could,
empowered, returned questioners to themselves. I left the room some. But the
group seemed to be waiting and praying for the someone who will save us,
during most of the course of the day. It appears that only after meeting
with the steering committee and then holding round two of the OS will people
be likely to get that the person sitting in their seat is "the one." 

At any rate, the profundity of OS' message came home to me during that first
day. The fantasy that one driven, inspired leader will rescue us all from
our helplessness is a chorus that can frequently be heard when people
discuss the overall situation here in Israel. 
In my view, the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin marked the end of this
fantasy here. Indeed, Rabin had qualities and qualifications that enabled so
many of us to follow him. But, as in OS, the leader's "strength" was our
downfall, because in the shine of his leadership our own light dimmed. The
lion's share of peacemaking work remained even as he lived, but we deluded
ourselves that he would carry us through to the promised land. Since his
death, no comparable leader has emerged, and many here bemoan this reality.
However, now that I have caught the OS "bug" I am wondering if Rabin's
death, tragic as it was, may not be our cue to understanding that it is we
who must create whatever is to be created here. It has been nearly eleven
years, but with people's growing distaste for our "leaders," it appears that
we Israelis may finally be getting the hint. 
Even Moses stayed behind, to die on Mt. Nevo while the people crossed over
into Israel. It remains now for us to shoulder the burden of making the new
tomorrow. 
I am grateful to discover OS as a way of holding this leaderless future. I
relish the mails and look forward to the ongoing learning that is here. 
								Yoav Peck,
Jerusalem 

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