<div>Dear Nick,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks for your help with the letter and everything else. Great news that you are going to meet John Berkow and have been invited onto the steering committee.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>All the best,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Michele<br><br> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 12/17/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Harrison Owen</b> <<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.net</a>> wrote:</span>
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<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Craig</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I am a little curious about what you mean by "invisible leadership." I suppose if you understand leadership to be the equivalent of a position on the organization chart then by definition anybody who doesn't show up on the Org Chart is "invisible." But from where I sit, leadership and a position on the chart are only happenstantially correlated. Leadership for me is always a function or role that any of us can play, and most of us do play at one point or another. More to the point, it is always visible, although perhaps rather surprising when somebody we might never expect shows up (becomes visible).
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<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For me leadership manifests anytime passion and responsibility come together creating what I call a "Nexus of Caring." Somebody really cares about something and is prepared to take responsibility for what they care about. That tends to get other people's attention, particularly if they care about the same thing. Of course, it can turn out that the whole thing is just a "flash in the pan" lots of light and smoke, but no real substance, and not much will happen. On the other hand, if there is something authentic going on The Nexus of Caring will expand. Functionally, a Nexus of Caring is analogous to (same as?) a Strange Attractor and the effect in the self organizing world of human systems is to create the seed bed for new organization.
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<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We see this operating every time we Open Space. Somebody stands up and says "This is my issue for which I take personal responsibility." If others care to join we then have a nascent organization which may last only for the time of the discussion period or it could be a whole new business and last for years. And of course, the operative power is not the magic of Open Space (That was two martinis
</span></font><font face="Wingdings" color="red"><span style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings">J</span></font><font face="Arial" color="red"><span style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">) but the fundamental force of self-organization at work. In short what happens in Open Space is what happens the world over. Nothing new, nothing strange business as usual. I think that all organizations, even very old and big ones, had their start with a Nexus of Caring. Someone, somewhere, sometime stood up and said, I care and I care to take responsibility for what I care about. That's Leadership, I think.
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<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison</span></font></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison Owen</span></font></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit:
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</span></b> OSLIST [mailto:<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU" target="_blank">
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a>] <b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>Craig Gilliam<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</span></b> </span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
Saturday, December 15, 2007</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">9:38 AM
</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</span></b> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU" target="_blank">
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</span></b> Craig</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Several questions about leadership (invisible) on issues of social change. I always gain insight as I hear from you.</span>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I am still thinking through the concept of self-organizing systems and invisible leadership. I am amazed at its implications and continue to expand my understanding or more precisely, its understanding and impact on me. A discussion we had sometime back was very helpful to me. Now, I bring it back to the table--
</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Last night, I watched the movie, <i><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Amazing Grace</span></i>the story of a system reflecting upon itself, on social change. What is the role of leadership in social change or justice issues? How does
<i><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">invisible leadership</span></i> apply in such context? Was, and if so, how was William Wilberforce an invisible leader? I am asking this in an open manner trying to get a handle on it through this experience.
</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">My first thoughts are that the leader is the surfer of the current or wave, but before surfing, he/she (or the system) must acknowledge its there and decide when to get on the surf board and ride, and when to simply watch and wait. But what about speaking? Does it help create the wave, simply acknowledge it, or what?
</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This also carries over into the issue of environment, etc. . . or any issue. </span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Thanks,</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Craig</span></font></p>
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