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Hi Birgitt, <br>
<br>
I like this topic a lot. Thanks for opening it here for discussion,
and civil discourse.<br>
<br>
One paradox in leadership might be "the paradox of leading as
following."<br>
<br>
I continue to learn more about this. My current beliefs on the topic
go something like this: <br>
<br>
There is a symbiosis relationship between so-called followers, and
so-called leaders. Any genuine authorization leaders actually have
actually comes from others, not from the organization.
Formally-authorized leaders might get some kind of authorized
standing from "the organization." So-called position. The problem of
course is that formal authority- 'position'- is not enough. Leaders
need peer-to-peer authorization from others before they can exercise
it. This so-called "informal authorization" is also known as "street
credibility" or "respect." Also known sometimes as "influence." <br>
<br>
When someone with informal authorization is speaking, they are
probably speaking for the group as a whole.<br>
<br>
When formally and informally authorized leaders lead without
following, then by definition, they are not acting on behalf of the
group. When they speak, then by definition, they are not speaking
for the group-as-a-whole. They are actually powerless, since power
is the exercise of authority, and they have no effective
authorization. <br>
<br>
They therefore cannot exercise.<br>
<br>
They are ignoring, or are currently ignorant of, this paradox of
leader as follower. <br>
<br>
I wonder what you-- and everyone else-- is thinking about this
idea. I invite your thoughts on the matter.<br>
<br>
Daniel<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/10/16 9:21 AM, Birgitt Williams
via OSList wrote:<br>
</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Dear Friends
and Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Facilitators,
change agents, consultants, coaches, moderators and
trainers, in my experience, struggle with their role and
power as leaders. Years ago, I learned a lot from the late
Angeles Arrien about the power of leadership: the power of
position, the power of influence, the power of
communication. In our roles especially as outsiders to an
organization and to the lives of the people involved, we
have all three of these powers. I have been active in my
pursuit of understanding leadership since I was fifteen and
catapulted into leadership positions that I may or may not
have been ready for, despite what the adults around me might
have believed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In recent
years, one of the leadership competencies that has grown and
expanded in me is the ability to embrace paradox, to
simultaneously hold two seemingly opposing views or
emotions, with both being valid for me. For example, I can
recognize in myself to be in extreme gratitude for something
simultaneous to feeling extreme anger…containing both
emotions simultaneously, not sequentially. I have come to
understand how important this is as a leadership competency,
and I write about it on this list as I feel it is a most
valuable competency for facilitators of OST. I remember way
back when Harrison teaching about OST assisting the people
in a system working with both chaos and order. I was
fascinated by this topic. And yet, today, I admit that as I
learned about chaos and order, I seemed to have an internal
picture of one, then the other, then the other, kind of like
a teeter totter with possibly some kind of balance point at
the fulcrum. As I expanded my capacity to handle paradox, I
was able to genuinely grasp chaos and order both existing
simultaneously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In
understanding and working with OST, I think it is important
to embrace paradox and to expand our personal capacity to
handle paradox in even very stress filled situations. For
example, a paradox that we end up contending with is that
everything is open space, and Open Space Technology is a
tool. What is the benefit of grasping this paradox, you
might ask? If I approach OST as a tool from the simultaneous
perspective of ‘everything is open space’, I am going to
influence different outcomes than if I approach working with
OST only as a tool. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">I wrote
about embracing paradox recently, so you can see I am
feeling deep interest in this topic at the moment <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/the-power-of-limits"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/the-power-of-limits">http://www.dalarinternational.com/the-power-of-limits</a></a>.
What are your thoughts about ourselves as leaders? What are
your thoughts about the importance of expanding personal
leadership competency with embracing paradox? Or maybe, in
working with OST you are currently developing other
leadership competencies? I am interested to see if anyone
has interest in showing up to this topic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">With
blessings,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Birgitt<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Birgitt
Williams<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">President
& Senior Consultant of Dalar International Consultancy,
Inc. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt">http://www.dalarinternational.com</span></a><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Co-founder
of the Extraordinary Leadership Network </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com">http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com</a></span></a><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Co-founder
of the Genuine Contact™program and author of The Genuine
Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.genuinecontactway.com/"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.genuinecontactway.com">http://www.genuinecontactway.com</a></span></a><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Co-owner of
the Genuine Contact Co-owners Group Ltd. </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.genuinecontact.net/"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.genuinecontact.net">http://www.genuinecontact.net</a></span></a><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Supporting
leadership development for leading in a culture
requiring agility and flexibility in a performance
environment of constant change.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Leadership
development at your own pace? Become a member of the
Extraordinary Leadership Network </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com">http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com</a></span></a><span
style="font-size:10.0pt"> to participate in an online
leadership development program designed to increase your
leadership skills and capacity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">PO Box
19373, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">phone:
1-919-522-7750<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<br>
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<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Daniel Mezick<br>
Culture Strategist. Author. Keynoter.<br>
(203) 915 7248.
<a href="http://www.DanielMezick.com/"> Bio.</a>
<a href="http://www.NewTechUSA.net/blog/">Blog.</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/DanielMezick">Twitter.</a>
<br>
Book: <a href="http://theculturegame.com/">The Culture Game.</a>
<br>
Book: <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/OpenSpace-Agility-Handbook-Daniel-Mezick/dp/0984875336">The
OpenSpace Agility Handbook.</a>
<br>
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