Invisible Leadersip

[Phelim McDermott]

As Milton Erickson said... You cant learn to swim on a piano stool!

By the way i was just sent the Tao of leadership by a friend and  
although i already had it it made me reread it and i found myself  
rereading it all!

The tao of open space

Phelim
On 19 Jul 2007, at 12:24, Harrison Owen wrote:

> Michele – I just can’t resist. When the facilitator (Communications  
> Skills) leaves the circle all together and goes and takes a nap –  
> that is Open Space. By the way, I suspect you will find that  
> reading will not get you there. Just do it!
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
> Michele Frankel
> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:53 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Invisible Leadersip
>
>
>
> I don't know why I am drawn to Open Space. I have not read enough  
> yet of what it really is but on invisible leadership in a theatre  
> and a communication context I have a few experiences.
>
>
>
> Theatre
>
>
>
> Bringing actors together to devise, they have in the past not only  
> said 'we did it our selves' but also we are going to carry one  
> doing it - without leadership. It was suggested on a panel at the  
> theatre museum, that as a feminist woman theatre director in the  
> late 7O's early 80's ,  I was shy and or uncomfortable with the  
> notion of assuming leadership power.
>
>
>
> Communications Skills workshops with students.
>
>
>
> The facilitator sits slightly out of the circle. The facilitator  
> uses I statements or emphatics ( nods, gestures, listening  
> sounds) , research has found, this encourages other participants to  
> speak more and have more words in each of their sentences.
>
>
>
> 'The art is making it look like there is no art.'
>
>
>
> Are there many/any speech therapists, involved with open space?
>
>
>
> Michele
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 7/19/07, Pankaj Bhargava <pankaj at people-builders.com> wrote:
>
> Very true. And only such leadership builds institutions. Because  
> when the work is done, people say "we did it ourselves". Yet it is  
> so uncommon to find because the gratification for many comes from  
> the thrill of being in spotlight and being applauded for their  
> charisma than the joy of having built people and thereby an  
> instituion. Yet all great companies have been built by many  
> invisible leaders.
>
> Regards
>
> Pankaj
>
> -- original message --
> Subject:        Invisible Leadersip
> From:   Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
> Date:           18th July 2007 3:32 pm
>
> A friend once said, the mark of a true leader is that you never notice
> him/her. I think it was Gandhi who said something like, with a good  
> leader,
> the people think they did it all by themselves. Another friend who  
> was the
> director of a very large federal agency (and my boss for a period  
> of time)
> told me that every time he had to resort to an overt use of his  
> position,
> power and authority, he had failed in some substantial respect.
>
> I know that we have been treated to the headliners on the  
> conference circuit
> billed as "charismatic," "inspirational," "aggressive" leaders. They
> probably have all of those characteristics, but I don't think any  
> of them
> really make for good leadership. Those sorts of people tend to fill up
> space, and hog the stage. It may look good under the klieg lights,  
> but in my
> own experience it is a real downer when it comes to individual and
> collective performance in an organization.
>
> I doubt that anybody is ever totally present and absolutely  
> invisible, but
> that is not a bad ideal. It creates a lot of space in which good  
> things can
> happen.
>
> Harrison
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
> Craig
> Gilliam
> Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:01 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Report from the field
>
> Harrison wrote:
> "No question that experience is a plus when it comes to the subtle  
> art of
> doing nothing, being fully present, and totally invisible."
>
> These three descriptive images struck a deep cord in me--1)  the  
> art of
> "doing nothing, being fully present, and totally invisible."
>
> I am not certain what I am asking, but here is a attempt to ask or  
> invite
> conversation on this notion of invisibility.  I both love it and  
> hate it!!!
>
> My question is around the image of totally invisible.  Wow!  at the  
> danger
> of revealing my own "stuff," that one is tough, but powerful.   
> Especially in
>
> a "game or culture" where I believe invisibility is  
> counterintuitive.  Some
> of it or maybe a lot of it is ego, but does this word invisible mean
> different things in different situation or contexts?  If there is a
> difference, how does one separate unhealthy invisibility from healthy,
> needed transparency, vulnerability and "not being seen"?
>
> I like OS not only as a technology/methodology, but as a way of  
> being and
> doing leadership in all contexts and as a way of learning about  
> systems.
> Does invisibility have a shadow side?  Is there sometimes when as a  
> leader,
> invisibility, if not practiced artfully, whatever that means, can be
> counter-productive or a way of not taking responsibility?
>
> The bigger question I am trying to get at is:  I would love to hear  
> more
> discussion about this notion of leadership and invisibility.  While it
> strikes deep, I am working to understand the implications and effect.
>
> Thanks,
> Craig
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: Harrison Owen < hhowen at verizon.net>
> Reply-To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Report from the field
> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:16:53 -0400
>
> Alan - I like what you are doing here! And yet I felt a cautionary  
> flag fly
> at some points. You said (the sponsor said), "I invite everyone to  
> express
> your passion and responsibility for things you feel are important.  
> Let's see
> where Open Space takes us!"  Nice, and I also think it is worth while
> remembering that Open Space doesn't take us anywhere. We do the  
> "taking."
> Open Space, as a process, only invites us to do what we all can and  
> do do,
> naturally. Success for me occurs when we get rid of the middle man  
> (OST).
> And I find these thoughts take me further to consider the role of the
> facilitator. No question that experience is a plus when it comes to  
> the
> subtle art of doing nothing, being fully present, and totally  
> invisible :-).
> I think it is also true that anybody with a good head and a good  
> heart (more
> heart than head) can play the role very effectively - just as  
> effectively as
> someone with years of experience!  It is not only that Open Space  
> is so
> simple (which it is), it is also just natural, which is another way of
> saying that everybody has equal access, provided they choose to  
> walk through
> the door. The other day I got a note which said in part, "I was  
> surprised to
> find out that there was a hierarchy in the OST community and  
> everyone having
> a specific place to hold, voices are not equal and politics  
> prevails in
> certain circuits  Just the same old same old... I'm not sure this  
> is what
> you envisioned with OST." I have no idea what the specific  
> circumstances
> were, and less interest in finding out. But presuming that we have the
> creeping tentacles of elitism sneaking in - a good dose of the Law  
> of Two
> Feet and a clear recognition of the Universal License of Open Space
> (everybody has one by birth) should do the trick. Or something.
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>   _____
>
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ] On Behalf Of  
> Alan
> Stewart
> Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:47 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Report from the field
>
>
>
> Harrison and All
>
>
>
> Picking up your focus on respect and how it emerges .
>
>
>
> Tom Atlee, who you may be aware of,   <http://www.co- 
> intelligence.org/>
> http://www.co-intelligence.org
>
> articulates very nicely the 'reason' why processes such as Open  
> Space are so
> critical to bringing forth a spirit of 'We are in this together.'
>
>
>
> Or, in these words which I found when poking around in Jack  
> Ricchiuto's
> <http://www.designinglife.com/> www.DesigningLife.com , to help  
> promote
> awareness of
>
>
>
> "Our behaviors change only if we decide to belong together  
> differently."
>
>
>                              Margaret Wheatley, author of 'A  
> Simpler Way'
>
>
>
> Tom notes: "Co-intelligence, dialogue and democracy all flourish  
> best among
> peers. It isn't a matter of everybody being equal in every way. It  
> is a
> matter of everyone having comparable power to influence the outcome  
> of their
> interactions and, most importantly, everyone giving each other  
> respect.
>
>
>
> This is, unfortunately, seldom the case. Most of us have deeply  
> ingrained
> ways of not respecting each other -- sometimes without even knowing  
> it. This
> is one of the main reasons that we need "processes" and  
> "facilitators" to
> help us get good results from our meetings and conversations."
>
>
>
>
>
> As those of us who facilitate/host conversing processes know, the  
> according
> of respect occurs spontaneously and naturally when conditions for self
> organizing are in place. And that this happens (at least for now)  
> in the
> hands of skilled and experienced process facilitators working with  
> sponsors
> who intuit the potential value in letting go of control.
>
>
>
> In the case of the group with whom Vivien Pau and I were working in  
> Shanghai
> last week:
>
>
>
> The notion of 'circularity', which comes from cybernetics - the  
> study of
> self organizing systems (or of how 'one thing leads to another') -  
> may be
> useful in understanding what transpired.
>
>
>
> Being treated with respect was not a novel experience for the  
> participants
> in this instance. For what was readily apparent to us was that the  
> CEO (an
> Aussie) habitually accorded respect and trust to his colleagues.  
> This led
> him to take a 'risk' of bringing in OST for the company's  
> deliberations even
> though he had not ever experienced it. He did so at Vivien's  
> suggestion,
> whose professional judgment he trusted having engaged her services  
> last year
> with good outcomes. In turn the team of 40 people 'dived in' when  
> trusting
> the process as their 'boss' - who they greatly respect - said it  
> was OK.
> None of these other people had ever heard of OST prior to the event.
>
>
>
> We supplied the form of words with which the CEO introduced the  
> Open Space
> component. These concluded with:
>
>
>
> "I invite everyone to express your passion and responsibility for  
> things you
> feel are important. Let's see where Open Space takes us!"
>
>
>
> As I reported the process fitted very well with their existing ways of
> interacting with each other. And their consistent feedback at the  
> closure
> indicated their delight that Vivien and I had accepted their  
> invitation to
> open space for them.
>
>
>
> Now they have the language and the experience to carry them forward  
> with
> greater vigor and awareness.
>
>
>
> And we are inspired likewise.
>
>
>
> My observations on the role of young women as integral team members  
> brings
> this to mind:
>
>
>
> If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and  
> power, but
> for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever  
> young and
> ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.
> Soren Kierkegaard
>
>
>
> Go well
>
>
>
> Alan
>
> .
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: Harrison Owen <mailto:hhowen at verizon.net>
>
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>
> Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 8:15 PM
>
> Subject: Re: Report from the field
>
>
>
> Alan - the experience of respect in Open Space is a first for many  
> people,
> and may be the first step to renewal, creativity, and for some,  
> healing.
> There seems to be a natural progression from respect to trust to  
> hope. At
> least I have seen it play out that way on countless occasions. This
> progression is most obvious (and most needed) in highly conflicted
> environments. I guess it is most obvious there because people usually
> experience so little respect that it comes as very much of a  
> surprise. It is
> a constant wonder to me that people can survive in situations  
> bereft of
> respect and literally dripping with a level of pathology that for  
> me is
> incomprehensible. It is an even greater wonder (mystery) that these  
> same
> people can consider this situation to be "normal." If the  
> "situation" were a
> concentration camp, that makes a certain amount of sense - but more  
> often
> than not we are talking about a "perfectly respectable" business or
> corporation. Then again, I guess it is not so strange for the standard
> organizational structure seems perfectly designed to limit, even  
> eliminate,
> essential human connection, to say nothing of respect. Folks are  
> locked in
> boxes and deprived of information all in the name of efficiency,
> effectiveness and productivity. The name of the game is fear and  
> control.
> Nothing new here, and hardly a deep insight - but under the  
> circumstances
> Open Space is definitely revolutionary, if only because people are  
> invited
> to leave their cages. The greatest wonder may be that we are ever  
> invited to
> open space.
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
>
>   _____
>
>
> From: OSLIST [mailto: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
> Alan
> Stewart
> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 7:54 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Report from the field
>
>
>
> Hi All
>
>
>
> To resume the flow post July 4 holiday and Live Earth connectings  
> (still
> going strong in the Western hemisphere) ...
>
>
>
> Here for your information is a brief report on a happening last  
> week in the
> East which you may find helpful for your
>
> purposes. This is slightly adapted from what I sent it initially to a
> marketing agent here in Hong Kong.
>
>
>
>
>
> "Am back after a very productive few days in Shanghai co- 
> facilitating a
> workshop which featured an Open Space component for the senior  
> management
> team of a large international hotel company. This was with my  
> friend and
> colleague Vivien Pau.
>
>
>
> They got Open Space in one. By this I mean there was no stopping  
> the flow of
> respectful interaction. For example, the CEO and the most recent  
> recruits
> talked to each other animatedly if they found themselves in a  
> session which
> they felt strongly about.
>
>
>
> From your barest soup con [small taste] experiencing of group  
> conversational
> processes you may have a glimpse that when all feel totally  
> respected and
> included remarkable outcomes are likely.
>
>
>
> Among these are new found deeper relationships and associated  
> questioning
> from which emerge changed mindsets, creativity, innovation,  
> collaboration,
> commitment. The overall result? $ and Joy.
>
>
>
> The immediate outcome of the two day event was a clear set of  
> strategies by
> which to achieve defined goals by the end of next year.
>
>
>
> And a request for me to change my flight so as to stay on to party  
> with them
> after the closure. <smile>
>
>
>
> The 40 people present - from all around China - included several young
> women, ie around age 30-35 (in my 'take') who were very articulate  
> and who
> contributed with great confidence. Wondrous to observe!
>
>
>
> You may be most heartened to know that organisations whose  
> financial success
> is based on such an open corporate culture exist in China. For  
> others are
> sure to follow when given the opportunity to notice what may happen  
> when
> they engage the services of skilled facilitators."
>
>
>
> With warm regards
>
>
>
> Going well
>
>
>
> Alan
>
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