Wow, Suzanne, beautiful story!<br><br>Thanks a lot for sharing it, and thank you Gerardo and our Access Queen too!<br><br>Going fast to celebrate father's day with my children (didn't know about it :-)!<br><br>Suzanne, as your dad said, "Sue, you’re going to be really good at this; you’re made to do this kind of work."<br>
<br>Best wishes!<br><br>Eleder Aurtenetxe<br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">BM31_BILBAO<br><a href="http://www.burumapak.blogspot.com">www.burumapak.blogspot.com</a><br>Twitter: @Eleder_BM<br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote">
2010/6/20 Suzanne Daigle <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sdaigle4@gmail.com">sdaigle4@gmail.com</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hello to my dear Open Space family,<br>
<br>
This is a story about a daughter, a father and Open Space. Something<br>
happened in Berlin in May, but the story started a long time ago and<br>
with buckets of gratitude, I want to gift it to all of you, my Open<br>
Space family, hoping what happened to me also happens to you.<br>
<br>
While at the WOSonOS in Berlin, I happily spotted the Open Space<br>
Technology Guide in Italian on the Access Queen Auction table. I was<br>
determined to bid and win this valuable book with the intent of giving<br>
it to my dad, an Italian aficionado who is now fluent in Italian after<br>
more than a decade of learning the language, traveling to Italy to<br>
visit many Etruscan ruins and an avid reader of Italian newspapers on<br>
the internet. He is 80 years old. I overbid the young Michael Pannwitz<br>
a few times; he graciously stopped bidding when he saw how much I<br>
wanted it. As I was collecting my prize, I had the good fortune of<br>
running into Gerardo De Luzenberger, who had translated this wonderful<br>
guide. I asked him if he would inscribe it for my father which he<br>
did, in Italian. I would have to wait until I returned to Florida to<br>
know what he wrote. My intention then was for dad to read Gerardo’s<br>
note and perhaps scan a few pages in the book, which hopefully might<br>
give him a better understanding of Open Space. Lord knows he had heard<br>
me talk about it often enough, like a smitten teenager with a new<br>
boyfriend.<br>
<br>
I have struggled to explain OS to dad (and many others) in terms that<br>
he could relate to. As a retired radiologist and student of life in<br>
everything from science, to ancient history, art and music , Dad has<br>
always been someone more focused on data, facts, and accuracy than on<br>
the workings of people dynamics, collaboration, and large system<br>
transformation which he sometimes described as politics with too many<br>
controlling leaders – probably lots of truth to his assessments.<br>
Throughout my life, dad and I had had more than our share of talking<br>
“at” each other rather than “with” each other in the ways of many<br>
daughters who want to be like their dads yet fail to realize that it's<br>
more about being yourself and living the best of who YOU are. That<br>
said, our debates are similar to those everywhere with facts and<br>
wanting to prove something blocking us from the essence of what's<br>
important..<br>
<br>
Well things are different now between us because of Open Space. Yes<br>
we still talk about facts but we also talk about the "other stuff"<br>
too. We share in ways we have never shared before, with an easiness<br>
and joy of just being together. He tells me stories of his youth, of<br>
his life, dozens and dozens of them, some I've heard, many I have<br>
not.. We laugh and we share with mom listening on quietly as<br>
entertained by the stories as I am. What's also really different now<br>
is how interested he is in the details and essence of the work I am<br>
doing. Still sometimes hard for me to explain it to him but I'm<br>
getting better at it.<br>
<br>
The ITALIAN Open Space guide was a big breakthrough and I still smile<br>
at what happened. Well dad read the ENTIRE book from COVER to COVER.<br>
He was glowing in his assessment of how easy it had been to read,<br>
describing the excellence of the translation which according to him,<br>
captured the essence and feel of the English language in which it had<br>
been conceived now written in the new language that he loves. Was I<br>
ever surprised but should I have been?<br>
<br>
And then here’s where the fun begins. Boy did I get grilled! All of<br>
a sudden he was interrogating me about the Open Spaces I had been<br>
involved in this past year, asking if they had fully met the criteria<br>
outlined by this chap Harrison Owen, a guy he evidently admired as he<br>
glowingly described his common sense and “tell it like it is” style<br>
which is also dad's style. Of course dad was referring to the Open<br>
Space event that have: a real issue of concern, high levels of<br>
complexity, diversity, voluntary self-selection and a decision time of<br>
yesterday. He asked me about my “topic themes” , the groups and who<br>
they were, and about the book of proceedings and reports. Admittedly,<br>
many of my early ventures in Open Space were timid and did not fully<br>
conform but at least I was plunging in. My mom, who was eavesdropping<br>
on our telephone conversation that day, tried to mediate what became<br>
heated and passionate discussions between us. In the end, probably<br>
the best compliment a daughter can get from her dad is to hear him<br>
say: Sue you’re going to be really good at this; you’re made to do<br>
this kind of work. And then the conversation opened up in a whole new<br>
direction with us animatedly talking about all the situations and<br>
possibilities of where Open Space can make a huge difference in the<br>
world, the stuff he cares about and the stuff I care about. The list<br>
was endless.<br>
<br>
Now as I come out of our second annual Open Space with my NuFocus<br>
family having spent 2.5 intense days together looking at our<br>
international future and possibilities I see the same powerful<br>
breakthroughs between the guys and the girls that make up our<br>
company. The layers peel off, gently at first when we started a few<br>
years ago and then so very fast as we revel in being together,<br>
exploring our future and just being ourselves. Open Space is a<br>
precious gift. I see it as the invitation to take that first big bold<br>
step of courage as it was for us: to bravely be who we are, to notice<br>
ourselves and others and then just get on with our beautiful life.<br>
Magic in so many ways!<br>
<br>
So Gerardo, thank you translating the OS guide and for your personal<br>
note to my dad and Harrison well, Happy Father’s Day. Who knows maybe<br>
you and dad will one day enjoy a martini together, which is something<br>
else you have in common besides being “straight talkers”. Happy<br>
Father's day to all the OS dads out there as I wish you all the same<br>
beautiful journey of love with your kids as I have with my dad (and my<br>
mom) in this last chapter of their lives.<br>
<br>
Yes, much has changed in my life since I met Open Space and what I<br>
realize now, more and more, is that this simple STORY is the STORY of<br>
many, people in all kinds of situations, people with passion who want<br>
to make a difference. Simple stories because of the predictable<br>
patterns that unfold and that allow us to release the unique<br>
leadership that's inside of each of us. These individual insights of<br>
us as leaders are the true building blocks of community and a<br>
collective. It all starts with the "simple" stories of who we are.<br>
<br>
Much love to all on this Father's Day,<br>
Suzanne<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Suzanne Daigle<br>
NuFocus Strategic Group<br>
7159 Victoria Circle<br>
University Park, FL 34201<br>
FL 941-359-8877;<br>
CT 203-722-2009<br>
<a href="http://www.nufocusgroup.com" target="_blank">www.nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
<a href="mailto:s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com">s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
<br>
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