Happy Father's Day (very long)

Sun Jun 20 08:12:57 PDT 2010

Dear Suzanne

What a lovely item to add to the treasure trove of stories about the impact
of Open Space on our personal lives. And to send it on Fathers Day is an
added delicious touch.

I hope you have an inkling of how far your stories are already traveling and
what kind of influence they are having in tuning in people in far flung
places to a way of being that will transform their lives forever.

What can happen?

Go well, All

Alan

On 20 June 2010 20:43, Suzanne Daigle <sdaigle4 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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