Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!

Wed Mar 17 08:53:31 PDT 2010

Is the Leadership that is inside of us as valuable as the Leadership
we see or seek in others?

We will seek out the experts.  We will read books.  We will listen
carefully to their words, hear what they say and watch how they speak,
their body language, their expressions and their tone. We will admire
those whose actions inspire; those who drive results and achieve
goals.  We will often judge them to be almost perfect or at least
better than us. If they disappoint us in some way, we feel betrayed.
We then turn our eyes in another direction, always seeking those other
than ourselves for wisdom, guidance and leadership.  We will hang on
their every word, looking for advice, a recipe, a solution; a way of
doing and being that can make sense of the chaos around us and that
can guide our path making it a little easier than it is now.  We will
observe, analyze, criticize, and speak with others assessing those
leaders that are not us.  And so often, what emerges is that feeling
of emptiness, of starting over, of continually searching and never
finding.

What if the leadership we were looking for was inside of us and beside
us – our neighbors, our family, our colleagues and our friends?  What
if we could see with new eyes? Hear with new ears? Feel in a different
way? What would it be if we witnessed ourselves and could see what
goes on in our head?  The recurring patterns of how we judge, how we
see, how we feel. What would it be if we could change those patterns
or at least silence them a bit to let something new in?  Would it open
up space for us to see all that is there inside of us: the creativity,
the ideas, the love, the passion, the energy, the hope, the dreams,
and the vibrant life that is there? Is it time yet for us to realize
that the problems are too big, the chaos too great and the issues too
complex for one or more leaders outside of us to handle it all? Is it
time for us to recognize the greatness of our own leadership, a
greatness that is humble and real, a greatness filled with gratitude
for what we already have knowing that with others around us, we
already have a lot.

Is it time for us to Open up Space so we can hear ourselves speak and
hear others, a place where we can join our passions and take
responsibility for the world around us, one small step at a time.  The
world needs us now, the leader that is inside of each of us.  And yes,
that leadership is more valuable than the leadership outside of us.
Let’s Open up Space together wherever and whenever we can.  Let’s give
each other courage in doing what feels right even though many others
cannot know this until they discover, feel and experience it
themselves.  Choosing this work to make our living is not an easy
choice but sometimes when we feel as we do, we know there is no other
choice.

Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!  I’m in and thanks for
listening and being there always for me as I speak my soul.

Suzanne

On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 9:26 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
> Several days ago I sent a note to what I thought was going to be a small
> group of friends, inviting thinking about opening space every day, what that
> might mean, and how to accomplish all that in specifics. In effect, I was
> taking off from my book "Wave Rider" which is my best shot on the subject to
> date -- with the expectation that there is much more "out there" in terms of
> ideas and actions. Along the way I did suggest that OST (as the meeting
> approach) might be getting in the way of the larger discussion. Even worse,
> I facetiously (jokingly) invited everybody to join "The Imperial Society of
> Wave Riders!" Well you can imagine the uproar this caused. Here I am
> suggesting that we eliminate OST and become imperialists! Not a good day --
> but I do think the proposed discussion has merit. In fact from where I sit
> it may just be the most important discussion we could have.
>
>
>
> Given the state of the world (no need for detailed analysis) superior human
> performance achieved in a peaceful fashion seems like a very good idea. Or
> put another way how do we find the intelligence and energy to deal with the
> massive issues we face without killing each other? I believe that the 25
> year Open Space experiment has clearly shown that superior performance in a
> peaceful manner can be achieved any time we open space. It may not be
> perfect, but it works better than just about anything else, and for sure it
> is a lot less work. The reason for all this is that we are not really doing
> anything. Rather, we are inviting the system (business, family,
> organization) to do what it can do all by itself. Self organize. We are just
> helping people to notice that -- and when they do magic seems to happen.
> Peace and high performance show up. If we are honest about it, I think we
> might realize that OST is in some real ways a fraud and a joke, at least it
> becomes all that if we take credit for the power and effect of the process,
> and the special way that we might "do" it. Rather like taking credit for the
> power and effect of gravity -- which will continue no matter what we do!
>
>
>
> Anyhow, I believe the community that gathers here online (and anybody else
> who cares to join us) is uniquely positioned to engage in this discussion
> not just at a theoretical level but at a very solid practical level. We have
> the shared experience of hundreds of thousands of Open Spaces. And we have
> something else -- the shared experience of life in our community. As the
> world might see it the "Open Space Community" is a pretty strange thing. It
> has no boundaries, no formal organization, leadership, or corporate status.
> Membership is pretty much whoever shows up -- and the party has been going
> on for 25 years. Odd but very effective. Indeed there are multiple formal
> organizations in the world who with might greater effort have accomplished
> substantially less. Think about it! Multiple Global and regional meetings. A
> world wide reach. More training programs than you can name. And absolutely
> nobody is in charge. There has never been a Business Plan, and if a budget
> exists it has never been found. Is it all just a gossamer dream, a fanciful
> delusion, or something much deeper and more important? I vote for the
> latter. I think this is a conversation that needs to happen, not to the
> exclusion of all others, but this is where my passion is.
>
>
>
> Anyhow I invite you to share and think about our common experience -- and
> let our experience be our guide. As a starting point we might just begin
> with invitation. What would happen if all our projects began with invitation
> as opposed to assignment?
>
>
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
>
>
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--
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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