<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Great story, Harrison! I appreciate
it. And a saying came to mind - something about real strength being whatever
is needed at the time. True vulnerability might just take real strength
as much as anything else.<br>
</font>
<br><font size=2 face="Arial">Susan K<br>
</font><a href=mailto:susan.kerr@aurora.org></a>
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<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>Harrison Owen <hhowen@verizon.net></b>
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<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: OSLIST <OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU></font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">11/01/2007 04:33 PM</font>
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<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
OSLIST <OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU></font></div></table>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</font>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Re: Seeking a very strong facilitator</font></table>
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<br><tt><font size=2>Diana -- were it not for the fact that driving to
Toronto from Washington,<br>
DC seems a little much, I would definitely be on the road! At least I would<br>
make the offer. And I think I even have the necessary experience.<br>
<br>
Some years ago a friend became ill and asked me to fill in for her with
what<br>
she termed "a difficult client." She didn't provide any more
details, but<br>
she was a good friend and obviously in need, so I agreed. The client was
a<br>
major division of a very large global institution, and when I arrived at
the<br>
appointed time and place I was given an envelope containing a note from
my<br>
friend. I have lost the note, but I remember the essence. She said, "I
guess<br>
I should have warned you, but these people have the reputation in our<br>
organization of being the meanest, feistiest, most cantankerous group of<br>
executives in our organization. They dearly love a good fight, but best
of<br>
all they totally enjoy eating facilitators for lunch, after which they
can<br>
go home with their reputation in tact. Good luck!" In as much as I
was about<br>
to enter the circle (yes we were going to open some space!) I didn't have<br>
too much time to think about it -- so I just went with the flow, so to<br>
speak.<br>
<br>
I walked into the circle, protected only by my hat. I stood quietly for
a<br>
moment considering the assembled group. Seems to me that there were about<br>
150 of them and truthfully I have never seen a more hostile crowd. Arms<br>
folded across their chests, heads lowered, eyes barely slits -- and very<br>
quiet. I let the silence build for a long time, a very long time. When
I<br>
broke it (silence) I said, "I don't have a clue why you are here or
what you<br>
expect to do, having just come into all of this. But if you know what needs<br>
doing, have some real passion for getting it done, and are willing to take<br>
personal responsibility for your actions, I can help. If you don't care
or<br>
won't take responsibility, we can all go home right now. Your choice.<br>
<br>
It was pretty quiet. People looked at me and each other. They looked at
the<br>
floor and up to the ceiling. I just waited. <br>
<br>
After a while a voice from somewhere in the circle said -- "We have
an awful<br>
lot to do and we care about doing it. Let's get on with it."<br>
<br>
"Right", I said, and started walking around the circle -- inviting
people to<br>
notice each other and to take a deep breath. . . Well you all know what<br>
happened next.<br>
<br>
At the end of two days in the closing circle when the microphone came back<br>
to me I thanked them for the pleasure and privilege of being with them.<br>
Truly they were an awesome bunch. And I couldn't help but add that it seemed<br>
to me that they had just blown their reputation as real Tigers.<br>
<br>
I don't quite know where I am going with all this, but one thing for sure--<br>
I have never met a group that could not function well in Open Space provided<br>
they cared and would accept responsibility for what they cared about. And
if<br>
neither passion nor responsibility is present -- not much of utility is<br>
going to happen. And it doesn't have much to do with strength, so far as
I<br>
can see. Indeed vulnerability may be much more important. <br>
<br>
Harrison <br>
<br>
Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, Maryland 20854<br>
Phone 301-365-2093<br>
Skype hhowen<br>
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <br>
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org<br>
Personal website www.ho-image.com <br>
OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the<br>
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<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Diana<br>
Larsen<br>
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 1:55 PM<br>
To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
Subject: Seeking a very strong facilitator<br>
<br>
Hi,<br>
<br>
I'm looking for your help and recommendations. Do you know someone <br>
who is a strong facilitator and lives in the area within driving <br>
distance of Toronto Canada? When I began wondering how I could find <br>
such a person, my thoughts immediately turned to this list...where I <br>
knew I would find other strong facilitators who would recognize and <br>
know where to find the best folks. So, thanks for being here.<br>
<br>
Here's the story:<br>
<br>
This year, I'm serving as the chair of a group of thirteen strong <br>
personalities who work together on the board of a industry <br>
association non-profit (mostly volunteers and a couple of staff <br>
members). We usually work in monthly teleconferences for our board <br>
meeting, then two or three times a year come together for a face-to- <br>
face meeting. We have set the time for 1.5 days in early December, <br>
and already have a list of tasks we need to accomplish during the <br>
meeting, including at least one report from an outside service <br>
provider, so I suspect we won't hold the meeting in open space. :- <br>
( (Just to manage everyone's expectations.)<br>
<br>
I'd like to find a strong, general facilitator who can rein in some <br>
folks and encourage others; who can offer a few alternative processes <br>
for discussion, visioning and action items; and who comes from <br>
outside the software industry. I need someone with excellent <br>
facilitation skills because we have facilitator members in the group, <br>
and I want them to focus on the topics at hand rather than meta- <br>
critiquing the facilitator in the backs of their (my) minds. ;-) We <br>
need someone who is strong enough to let us relax and trust their <br>
process.<br>
<br>
Who would you recommend? Please send suggestions/recommendations to <br>
me off the OS list at dlarsen@futureworksconsulting.com . (Michael, I <br>
will also check the worldmap. ;-) )<br>
<br>
Again, thanks everyone,<br>
Diana<br>
<br>
<br>
Diana Larsen<br>
www.futureworksconsulting.com<br>
Chair, Agile Alliance Board of Directors www.agilealliance.org<br>
co-author: "Agile Retrospectives" http://tinyurl.com/3dr5v3<br>
Ask me about: "Secrets of Agile Teamwork: Beyond Technical Skills"
<br>
workshop<br>
Dec 11-13, Portland OR<br>
<br>
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