This weekend I enjoyed a phone call with pal and colleague, Kevin Hiebert. Kevin and I met five or six year ago and have been connected ever since. He’s a fellow Edmonton guy, which means we can even talk hockey together. Kevin invited some thinking about the framework, Two Loops, and about living systems in general. He and I are part of a team hosting this event — May 31 – June 2, 2017 in Portland, Oregon.
I love calls like this one with Kevin where we are not obligating ourselves to a particular outcome. We are just thinking together. Wondering out loud together. Sharing insights, questions, and stories together. Sure, they apply to the upcoming event. But Kevin and I are pretty skilled at letting the conversation get bigger first, and drawing insight from that bigger place, and then being able to shape that into something very usable and portable. It’s good to work ourselves with the qualities of a living and breathing system.
Living systems is what inspired us Saturday, which then lead me into a few more distinctions that are part of this teaching in the Art of Hosting community of practitioners. Distinctions like this show difference, not either-or rigidity. They invite nuance and seeing experience from a different lens. I’m looking forward to continuing this learning and teaching — with implications for everything from “what to do on Tuesday morning” to “that is a different way of seeing the world.”
Come join us! Transforming The Way We Way We Gather and Lead. There are a few spots.