Happy Father's Day (very long)

Fri Jun 25 01:13:27 PDT 2010

Suzanne- your story is amazing... naturally taking me to the memories of my
father who passed away years ago.

Regarding books on OS, recently we had completed translation of Wave Rider
and got it published with a title"Self Organizing: Number One Power the Move
World"(http://openspace.kr/2010_so/) via a publisher who understands Self
Organizing nature of our lives on this planet.

Actually we also have a completed Korean version of OST User Guide which
will soon be published after promoting SO for sometime with OS events.

We'd like to pay our tribute to HO, the father of Open Space Practice, and
other fathers who has been helping us grow in our lives of being an
intentional Nexus of Caring for humanities from our heart. I also
commemorate this with all OS friends in our OS World.

Happy Father's Day... :-)

With Much Gratitude,

S

Spark
Open Space Institute of Korea,
Open Quest Squad
3rd Fl., Samkyung Bldg., 372-10, Seokyo-dong,
Mapo-gu, 121-210, Seoul, Korea
spark at openspace.kr
Phone: 02-353-6356
Mobile: 010-7247-0636
http://www.openspace.kr
http://www.seri.org/fr/frIntro.html?fno=217692
http://www.openspaceworld.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology
http://www.artofhosting.org
"Liberate the leader in each of us"

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Suzanne
Daigle
Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2010 9:43 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Happy Father's Day (very long)

Hello to my dear Open Space family,

This is a story about a daughter, a father and Open Space. Something
happened in Berlin in May, but the story started a long time ago and with
buckets of gratitude, I want to gift it to all of you, my Open Space family,
hoping what happened to me also happens to you.

While at the WOSonOS in Berlin, I happily spotted the Open Space Technology
Guide in Italian on the Access Queen Auction table.  I was determined to bid
and win this valuable book with the intent of giving it to my dad, an
Italian aficionado who is now fluent in Italian after more than a decade of
learning the language, traveling to Italy to visit many Etruscan ruins and
an avid reader of Italian newspapers on the internet. He is 80 years old. I
overbid the young Michael Pannwitz a few times; he graciously stopped
bidding when he saw how much I wanted it.  As I was collecting my prize, I
had the good fortune of running into Gerardo De Luzenberger, who had
translated this wonderful guide.  I asked him if he  would inscribe it for
my father which he did, in Italian.  I would have to wait until I returned
to Florida to know what he wrote. My intention then  was for dad to read
Gerardo's note and perhaps scan a few pages in the book, which hopefully
might give him a better understanding of Open Space. Lord knows he had heard
me talk about it often enough, like a smitten teenager with a new boyfriend.

I have struggled to explain OS to dad (and many others) in terms that he
could relate to.  As a retired radiologist and student of life in everything
from science, to ancient history, art and music , Dad has always been
someone more focused on data, facts, and accuracy than on the workings of
people dynamics, collaboration, and large system transformation which he
sometimes described as politics with too many controlling leaders - probably
lots of truth to his assessments.
Throughout my life, dad and I had had more than our share of talking "at"
each other rather than "with" each other in the ways of many daughters who
want to be like their dads yet fail to realize that it's more about being
yourself and living the best of who YOU are. That said, our debates are
similar to those everywhere with facts and wanting to prove something
blocking us from the essence of what's important..

Well things are different now between us because of Open Space.  Yes we
still talk about facts but we also talk about the "other stuff"
too.  We share in ways we have never shared before, with an easiness and joy
of just being together. He tells me stories of his youth, of his life,
dozens and dozens of them, some I've heard, many I have not.. We laugh and
we share with mom listening on quietly as entertained by the stories as I
am.  What's also really different now is how interested he is in the details
and essence of the work I am doing. Still sometimes hard for me to explain
it to him but I'm getting better at it.

The ITALIAN Open Space guide was a big breakthrough and I still smile at
what happened.  Well dad read the ENTIRE book from COVER to COVER.
He was glowing in his assessment of how easy it had been to read, describing
the excellence of the translation which according to him, captured the
essence and feel of the English language in which it had been conceived now
written in the new language that he loves.  Was I ever surprised but should
I have been?

And then here's where the fun begins.  Boy did I get grilled!  All of a
sudden he was interrogating me about the Open Spaces I had been involved in
this past year, asking if they had fully met the criteria outlined by this
chap Harrison Owen, a guy he evidently admired as he glowingly described his
common sense and "tell it like it is" style which is also dad's style.  Of
course dad was referring to the Open Space event that have: a real issue of
concern, high levels of complexity, diversity, voluntary self-selection and
a decision time of yesterday.  He asked me about my "topic themes" , the
groups and who they were, and about the book of proceedings and reports.
Admittedly, many of my early ventures in Open Space were timid and did not
fully conform but at least I was plunging in.  My mom, who was eavesdropping
on our telephone conversation that day, tried to mediate what became heated
and passionate discussions between us.  In the end, probably the best
compliment a daughter can get from her dad is to hear him
say: Sue you're going to be really good at this; you're made to do this kind
of work.  And then the conversation opened up in a whole new direction with
us animatedly talking about all the situations and possibilities of where
Open Space can make a huge difference in the world, the stuff he cares about
and the stuff I care about. The list was endless.

Now as I come out of  our second annual Open Space with my NuFocus family
having spent 2.5 intense days together looking at our international future
and possibilities  I see the same powerful breakthroughs between  the guys
and the girls that make up our company. The layers peel off, gently at first
when we started a few years ago and then so very fast as we revel in being
together, exploring our future and just being ourselves.  Open Space is a
precious gift.  I see it as the invitation to take that first big bold step
of courage as it was for us: to bravely be who we are, to notice ourselves
and others and then just get on with our beautiful life.
Magic in so many ways!

So Gerardo, thank you translating the OS guide and for your personal note to
my dad and Harrison well, Happy Father's Day. Who  knows maybe you and dad
will one day enjoy a martini together, which is something else you have in
common besides being "straight talkers".  Happy Father's day to all the OS
dads out there as I wish you all the same beautiful journey of love with
your kids as I have with my dad (and my
mom) in this last chapter of their lives.

Yes, much has changed in my life since I met Open Space and what I realize
now, more and more, is that this simple STORY is the STORY of many, people
in all kinds of situations, people with passion who want to make a
difference. Simple stories because of the predictable patterns that unfold
and that allow us to release the unique leadership that's inside of each of
us. These individual insights of us as leaders are the true building blocks
of community and a collective.  It all starts with the  "simple" stories of
who we are.

Much love to all on this Father's Day,
Suzanne

--
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com

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