POET — COACH — GROUP PROCESS FACILITATOR
An image too good to pass up, sent from friends Ann Linnea and Christina Baldwin with the following message:
New Country (Monica Pohlmann) — I love that Monica and I share a nationality. I love her artful words on growth, learning, and what we leave behind.
Light Hearted (Diana Durham) — Our hearts as the framers of light. Beautiful
From Blossoms (Li Young Lee) — Sweet. Particularly for those of us who like to pick peaches.
A Beautiful Rhythm It Is (Toke Moeller) — Action together to make better what is not good enough any more…
Simply Listen (Toke Moeller) — I love the invitation to hear what is in our hearts.
The Turtle (Mary Oliver) — Doing what we are born to do…
This weekend I was in a design call for an upcoming Leadership Symposium for a health care system. One of my colleagues, Toke Moeller offered the questions below as a a general framing for an agenda. I have learned there is an art to asking powerful questions and that the questions are a tool to focus a group in its learning and exploring. Eric Vogt, Juanita Brown, and David Isaacs have an excellent article on this topic. What I like about these questions in particular is they come from core assumptions, core process assumptions, about how a system, in this case a health care system, can be in transformative thinking. I’ve noted some of those core assumptions that I see below the questions.
How will we together create our short and long term solutions to care for our future health care system in Ontario?
What am I will to let go of and what am I inspired to contribute to be part of co leading a healthy health care system in Ontario?
What is a wise overall approach and practices that we all are willing to work within, practice and support for us to find the next level of our health care system in Ontario?
Together create — intractable problems and outrageous dreams require social technologies that support working together
Short and long term solutions — the work that we do must be grounded in solutions to real needs and purposes
Care for a system — transformation requires tending not just to the demands of the moment, but to the capacity of a system to support itself, including the relationships
Willing to let go — letting go is a choice; innovation requries some choosing to let go
Inspired to contribute — wisdom comes from many realms; innovative solutions are born from offerings and contributions
Co-leading — the best that we know on solutions that last is that they come from shared ownership and creation
Practice and support — innovative solutions don’t come tested; they come with challenges that require a commitment to practice, a willingness to make mistakes, and an agreement to support each other in levels of unknowing
Wicked article on Greed and Scarcity from Yes Magazine. By Bernard Lietaer. Hard not to be interested in an article on “biggest issues” humanity faces with the doorway of economic systems.
Excellent paper from Toke Moeller and Interchange on applications of the Art of Hosting
Other excellent resources from Interchange
Open Space Technology — Articles and Videos
Life on an AoH Host Team — A helpful description by Teresa Posakony on what it is like to be on a hosting team. Includes some on structure / flow, how to participate, teaching / learning, and working with participant hosting teams.
Guidelines for Calling an Art of Hosting — A few simple steps and rough timelines for people considering calling an AoH.
Arts
Proletariat Theatre — I met Rob Luckau, Company Director, through the Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community. I loved his commitment to building community, theatre being one medium for doing such.
“It is the mission of Proletariat Theatre to provide substantial theatre opportunity, education and experience to people of all communities and socioeconomic backgrounds. We will provide and support quality theatre education and experiences in a helping, learning environment. We value the talent in all individuals and their willingness to learn. We are committed to the development of the artist, actor, writer, techie and director in everyone.”
Articles
The Work of Leadership (Ronald A. Heifetz, Donald L. Laurie) — I love the subtitle: “Leaders do not need to know all the answers. They do need to ask the right questions.” I also like the way this article describes complex problems, “adaptive challenges.” These are not challenges to do more of the same. They are challenges “when our deeply held beliefs are challenged, when the values that made us successful become less relevant…” It also speaks to me to the need to address change from the level of identity. Less from “technical job description.” More from “adaptive learning innovators.”
The Art of Powerful Questions (Eric E. Vogt, Juanita Brown, David Isaacs)
Invitations — For several Art of Hosting Trainings
Tips for Hosting Large Open Space Meetings
Video
Conversation as a Radical Act — Juanita Brown
The Global Mindshift — I like the conciseness of description on the requirement for connection, for global community to be in global challenges.
Harvesting (Chris Corrigan, 3 minutes) — From Tampa Bay Art of Hosting, that Chris and I co-hosted with others in May 2008.
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Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."
Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.
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In My Nature is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."
This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes) quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.
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Most Mornings is a collection of 37 poems. I loved writing them. From the introduction: "This collection of poems comes from some of my sense-making that so often happens in the morning, nurtured by overnight sleep. The poems sample practices. They sample learnings. They sample insights and discoveries. They sample dilemmas and concerns."
This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes) quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.
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