Author: Tenneson Woolf

There are moments of succinctness that are exquisite to me. Slow cooked over years to become beautifully blended. Distillations that are the essence.

Today I saw some of this on the Open Space Listserve, offered by Harrison Owen. He offered it as his version of story. What was, is, and with invitation to come.

“From 50 years of thinking and looking, two conclusions and some follow-ons. I don’t know that they are “true” but they account for my experience.

1) All systems are open. All systems, human and otherwise are open to each other, interconnected, interdependent and always moving.
2) All systems are self –organizing. The open, interconnected systems interact and co-evolve, each system making demands and offering gifts to all other systems. The result is a living community which dies, in whole or in part, when it runs out of time/space in which to grow.
3) Opening space provides the essential condition for continuing life. When space is opened for human communities, life can be renewed. This is an ongoing and natural process. And we have learned to initiate the process intentionally – which is what happens with Open Space Technology.
4) To this point, our efforts have been limited to “better meetings” and a little bit beyond. Next act is enhancing the naturally occurring opening of space, the Tahrir Squares of this world… and much, much more. That’s the quest, I think – and the invitation.

Way to go Harrison!

In graduate school twenty years ago, as final evaluation of a readings class, my professor, Bonner Ritchie told me that I was a master of juxtaposition. I didn’t know what that meant.  I just remember feeling excited that Bonner would call me a master at anything. He was someone I respected a lot. He was somewhat legendary in the program of which I was a part.

For that class, I had chosen several books to read. With Bonner’s invitation, they could be about anything. I read a couple of novels. I read Meg Wheatley’s Leadership and the New Science — that is when I first came to know her and her writings. There were six books as I remember. The paper that I wrote at the end of the class (as well as the presentation I offered to my classmates) shared some of what I learned in those books and the thoughts they stirred around leadership. The beauty of Bonner was that the learning could apply to life, to community, or whatever we wanted. He didn’t want summaries — oh, how fresh I remember that being. He wanted what interested us. Bonner was a master at welcoming critical thinking anywhere. I realize I miss him as I write this.

That kind of sharing, that kind of linking, juxtaposing of ideas, I realize is what I do a lot of now. It is a lot of what I do in facilitating groups. Connecting ideas. Connecting questions. Looking for what emerges. Looking for the insights that none from the group came with yet that became available because of being in association with each other.

These days, this way of working and thinking has even more meaning to me, in part because of my perspective from a quantum world view. To give attention to something is to create it. To observe creates physical form. To observe, tunes the channel so to speak, so as to make visible a world that already exists. Naming the links — this contributes to an evolution of consciousness, I feel. Seeing a bigger picture and naming connections helps evolve an ability to see in broader levels of wholeness. Not just for one, but for many.

I’ll just pause with that, aware that there is much in that world view.

But there is something further about this pattern of notice – juxtapose – name. It has only occurred to me in the last few days. From a systems view, I have come to believe in the traditions that emphasize a consciousness of the whole. It is true for me in groups. It is true for me as I think of a broader consciousness in the world. I think of it as “the wholeness of the world.” I know it it names many things from many traditions. I further have come to believe that the wholeness of the world wants to be in communication with us. Or, is in communication with us. The kicker here is that that communication comes through symbols. The very symbols we see and notice just as I was learning in that graduate readings class with Bonner. Not the summary. Just the symbols that have energy. To then link those — as stories, images, reference points — to a domain of learning (for me about leadership, change, dialogue) provides the essential doorways needed to practice accessing that wholeness of the world. It is like receiving coded messages from a consciousness that wants to speak, evolve, and be in relation with us.

I offered a pop-culture metaphor with my friend Roq last week. It was from the movie Transformers. One of the autobots communicates with the boy he is protecting by playing lyrics from songs. It can’t speak directly. It can only offer the symbols of song.

There is much to be excited about. In working with organizations and teams, to give attention to the world views from which we are so busily engaged — yes, this is important and essential. To think that we can shift worlds by shifting our attention — yup, very cool. To think that we have numerously more, networked channels of communication and dimensions of consciousness — yup, that too is very enlivening.

Twenty years ago, I was following my nose. Learning as well as I could. Connecting ideas. Asking questions. As instinct. With support from people like Bonner. Today, that learning and practice carries forward with significance that I would not have imagined as I’m able to open myself further to world views that incorporate the sciences of our times. Thanks Bonner. And others. Good to be part of what feels like an evolution of consciousness, and an accelerated one at that.

I am grateful for the last ten days. Very unique. Firsts. Things that in the past I would not have let myself do or would not have had the freedom to do. A bit of writing about it now as I approach the Salt Lake City airport via Seattle.

Part one was a road trip with my good friend Roq. I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he met me. We stayed a night with new friends, Julie and Doug Smith. Then on to Little Gold,  Yukon where Roq was stationed for a summer work assignment. Our trip was to road-trip from there down through the Yukon (with stops in Dawson City and an overnight in Whitehorse). Then down through British Columbia (with stops near Muncho Lake and in Quesnel) before reaching Vancouver.

Our trip was to return Roq to Bowen Island. It was to meet again as friends. To paddle, so to speak, into some of our current learning and questions with each other. To laugh. A lot. To be really goofy. And really serious.

There are many reasons that this trip is holding my attention. As I think of hosting conversations, one that becomes clear is that we had no agenda. A direction, yes. But no hard and fixed agenda for our conversation. And not really for the physical journey we took. We got in the car. We drove. We talked. We meandered in and out of topics. The beauty of meandering was spectacular for me. A chance to release concerns about time and to do so in the company of good friend. And of course, in the spaciousness of five days, perhaps even moreso, in our relationship to spaciousness, we covered all that I would have hoped for. Such a treat to release into what Roq and I began to reference as the kairos of time more than the kronos of time.

What happens when we meet as human beings to explore with one another? What happens when we trust that the things we give our attention to will serve as helpful doorways into the whole of what we might want to cover? What if our work was just simply wholing, as Roq referenced it in out travels? What if meandering, and noticing what holds our attention, were spot on for core learning and creation strategy in organizations?

Part two was a back-packing trip near the Esmerelda Peaks in Washington State. This was my first back-packing trip. I was quite stunned to think of how much weight each of us would be carrying. And wondering if I would be able to make it. My camping instincts are reasonably good, but I don’t have the back-packing experience. Fortunately, I had the good help of my partner Teresa, her kids Patrick and Kate, and our Oregon friends Jeff, Jill, and their two kids.

Beyond learning how jello-like my legs could feel, what a fantastic experience for me to again, wander into a different relation with time. No email. No computer. The first time that I’ve gone without email for four days in probably the last ten years.

Again, of all the things that hold my attention from this trip, one is that of feeling healthy in my body. Yes. Four days of hiking. Enough to stretch. Enough to feel tired. Enough to build a bit of muscle and cardio. All good. But perhaps even moreso, feeling myself in relation to a big, beautiful, gorgeous expanse of land, trees, mountains, peaks, creeks. I see all of this as living system with a healthy, undeniable wholeness in it. It reminded me of something my friend Toke once shared — I am nature. To strip down some of the human created systems to feel the identity and rhythm of self as nature — what a treat.

Again, with appreciation for this experience, what becomes possible when we give primary attention in organizations to a wholeness and health? What happens when we welcome a timing that has very natural rhythm to it, one that feels more apparent in nature? What energy becomes released to clear the way for the important work many of us crave?

Many more questions. But enough for now. How important and well it feels in this moment to remember an unplugged quality and the wholeness experience of these two journeys. And how lovely to feel a freedom and clarity and partnership of offering in human systems.

My colleagues at the Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community, particularly John Kesler and Jane Holt, have been hosting some significant state-wide work on civility. It is intended to create a more healthy pattern of dialogue at all levels of community and government. It has the backing of several key state and municipal leaders.

A while back I joined one of the evenings of community engagement. A couple of mayors in the Salt Lake Valley spoke to endorse the process. It was a simple format to learn more deeply with one another by sharing story and response to these two questions: 1) Why does civility matter to you? 2) Where have you seen civility at it’s best?

Lovely small groups convened. I love feeling the power of dialogue as the simple exchange helps make more clarity a more broad and rich intelligence. The group I participated in was hosted by another SLCEC colleague, Steve Prather. As I participated, I noticed and harvested the following five principles and practices to improve civility:

1. Kindness multiplies (kindness attracts kindness).
2. Brilliance is essential (in these times of intractable challenges and irrepressible dreams). Civility supports this.
3. Give primary attention and time to what you care about (and do so by frequently asking what is possible).
4. Ground yourself (incivility is a pattern and can sweep your feet out if you aren’t grounded). Yes, many of us live between worlds.
5. Remain unquestionably committed to purpose. It is the center, the energetic hearth if you will. What my friend, Toke Moeller calls, “the invisible leader.”

I also harvested in this photo some of what I heard from the 6-8 small groups reporting to the whole group.

Rich learning. Much appreciation with and for these local colleagues.