Embracing Invitation (was Digest - 24 May 2009 to 25 May 2009 (#2009-133)

[Michael Herman]

we did a food security summit for illinois here in chicago some years ago.
it was two months after 911.  most of the issues were about organic farming,
emergency food, farmer training, land use, urban food production and so
forth.  ted ernst, who's been seen floating through here before, but up a
brilliant, cut-through-the-unspoken-conflict sort of question -- do hungry
people care if it's healthy and is that even a fair question.

but somebody else put up an issue called "food and terrorism".  eight people
showed up to the session.  turns out all of them wanted to learn and none of
them arrived knowing anything about the question.  they talked around it for
quite a while and by session's end they had a plan.  they went out and did
research.  then wrote letters to the major papers, which got published.
they ended up getting interviewed on tv and radio news shows.

maybe this is one of those cases when the expert didn't show.  and i'm
guessing that if an expert had showed up, everybody might have listened
intently and gone away a little relieved that there was an expert out
there.  as it was, these folks stumbled on a real hole, a real need, and
took full responsibility for filling it as best they could.

so maybe the boeing story is such a good one because the expert didn't show?

m


and, just to be clear... a few days ago brendan referred to "can catholics
do this?" as a michael herman quote.... that would actually be a michael
herman favorite story, about a client who wasn't sure his catholic folks
could do ost.  punch line is that i found a 68-year-old (and very catholic)
nun to come by and talk about how her order had been using ost in their
annual meetings for some years.  could not have been anyone more
convincing!

somehow the right people really do show up.






--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.ronanparktrail.com
http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org
http://www.openspaceworld.org

312-280-7838 (mobile)


On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 11:41 PM, John Rapp <jfs.rapp at gmail.com> wrote:

> Also remember: physical presence - esp if coerced - is never the same as
> genuine Being There/real Presence. J
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 26, 2009, at 7:08 PM, Brendan McKeague <mckeague at iprimus.com.au>
> wrote:
>
> Bhav - so the perceived 'key technician' didn't show up...I wonder what
> would have happened?
>
> Would Boeing have ended up building a door with different hinges, in
> different colours, with left-handed handles?
>
> and would another even more marvellous 'key technician' emerge from the
> woodwork?
>
> and would the mob have found another way of including the 'key technician'
> after the OS meeting? (or even from his/her holiday location?)
>
> and maybe the sky would have fallen in....and the Boeing with it????
>
> Whatever happened was the only thing that did!
>
> When I try to hypothesise what 'might have happened' - it gets rather
> convoluted.
> We usually only see who the real 'key players' are/were after the event -
> and where their energy/responsibility emerges and grows into something
> new...
>
> And anyway, even if mandated to be there by the Boss, everyone can use the
> Law and 'go on hoiliday' whenever they like
>
> Cheers
> Brendan
>
> At 09:12 AM 27/05/2009, you wrote:
>
> Dear Harrison and friends,
>
> My Boss raised an interesting question and I would love to hear your
> experience on this issue.
>
> He cited the Boeing doors example and then challenged the idea of
> INVITATION. He said in a business organisation, some key people just have to
> be there, they can't have a choice about coming.
>
> So I explained to him that in the Pre-OST stage, there is a lot of work
> done with the Sponsor group looking at questions like that, however
> ultimately people must individually choose to be there or not.
>
> So then he said well what if in the Boeing example, one of the key
> technicians, essential for the whole process, decided not to turn up because
> he had booked a holiday and just didn't want to miss it.
>
> This does raise an interesting question about whether people can really be
> free to choose.
>
> PLEASE PLEASE share your experiences with me because having facilitated a
> number of OSTs, I am convinced about how it works, and the also the deeper
> aspects that emerge from it.
>
> Thanks Bhav...
>
>

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