Open space is not something to be sold or not sold. It is a means (open space as a verb) and a container (open space as a noun) through which organizations can attend to their transformation. I have learned in life that no one or no organization can ever be convinced that transformation is critical to their well being, to life. And I don't try to convince. When an individual or organization is ready for transformation, or has transformed and is waiting for itself to catch up with itself, he/she/it will know and be ready and in the case of the organization will look at Open Space and say "yes". Not a matter of selling, as much a matter of introducing Open Space to someone who may not have had the chance to know about it. And the best way of introducing is to keep telling the stories wherever we are, as often as anyone is willing to listen to them (okay, okay--I'm not invited to many cocktail parties any more :-)).
As in the life of the individual, so in the life of the organization--we often struggle against our transformation not so much because we are afraid of failure as that we are so afraid of our success, success beyond our wildest expectations. We are afraid of our light as individuals. We are afraid of the success that we can be as organizations. Else--why would we have set so many barriers in place to achieving that state of success. And life has a funny way of designing itself. Out of our fear, we stay in the toxicity of the way we choose to conduct individual life, or organizational life until we hit a huge wall, crash, and then turn to the light when we've exhausted other options and ourselves. On this winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, I wish you all a wonderful celebration of the dark and the light. Happy New Year! Love Birgitt Warmest regards, Birgitt Birgitt Bolton of Dalar Associates www.openspacetechnology.com 55 Ravina Cres., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada L9G 2E8 phone: 905-648-5775 fax: 905-648-2262