I looked hard at your name, Mark, and didn't recognize it. But I have heard your story, and even told a very abbreviated version from time to time! Thanks! And thanks Harrison for making that connection. Michael
On Tue, Jan 8, 2019 at 15:55 Thomas Herrmann via OSList < oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: > Great read! > Now I will sleep well. > Opening Space tomorrow, warms my 💔 > We rock > Appreciatively > Thomas > > Skickat från min iPhone > > 8 jan. 2019 kl. 23:47 skrev Harrison Owen via OSList < > oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>: > > For reasons known only to the CyberGods I somehow missed Mark’s offering. > But I didn’t miss what followed… Mark’s language is (0n occasion) off > putting. But having known him for a long time, his heart is definitely in > the right place (even if it isn’t YOUR place). J > > > > When I first meet Mark (25 years ago?) he had the exalted title of > Superintendant of Roads (I think) in a Colorado County -- Pueblo. I don’t > know what that totally involved – but one thing was the snow plowing > operations on some of the nastiest parts of the American Rockies. Serious > business with marginal room for error lest you go over the edge. Each Fall, > the plow operators would be gathered for a “education” session on “better > plowing.” Experts would hold forth, and the drivers, presumably, got > smarter. Then came Mark. He turned the gathering over to the real experts > (the drivers) – and it was all in Open Space. Came up with a catchy title: > Roads Scholars! Then it seemed that the Governor of Colorado needed to work > with all “his” County Execs. Mark was called upon for the job. He ended up > as a County Executive … which is a political job equal to President in many > (smaller) countries. Frankly, I have always stood in awe of Mark – opening > space in the middle of a political morass. He’s good – but definitely odd. > I’m pleased to call him my friend. > > > > ho > > > > *From:* OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org > <oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org>] *On Behalf Of *Marai Kiele via > OSList > *Sent:* Tuesday, January 8, 2019 4:32 PM > *To:* ost list international > *Cc:* Marai Kiele; Mark Carmel > *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Report From The Field > > > > Dear Mark, > > > > I appreciate your flow of energy and appreciation, both for OST and > Harrison! > > I am fascinated, hearing about the „at that time“ largest educational > transformation group and I honour you as someone who has walked the trails > of OST before me. > > > > At the same time, I notice my resentment in regard to this part of your > sharing: > > > > "beware of the evil spirits that seek the status quo at all > costs“ and "fortify oneself against the forces that WILL seek to > undermine change". > > > > I actually don’t live within a paradigm of something like „evil spirits“, > and I find myself quite „resistant" to changing that world-view. I also > don’t believe in setting myself up „against“ anything, but instead I > believe in focusing on what is wanted. For me, this would include honouring > those with a different perspective on what I desire (which might be change > or transformation in regard to a specific subject). > > > > I have heard the term, „the client is resistant“ both in therapy and > consulting contexts, and I notice great discomfort within me towards this > kind of label. > > > > Not mostly, but also from my personal experience of someone giving me that > „batch of honour". Someone who didn’t understand my perspective and how I > was actually serving a group with my intervention. It has now happened to > me several times that someone said to me (sometimes years later): „NOW I > get you! I thought you were just annoying/resistant, but you were right / > actually ahead of us with your perspective“. > > > > And.. there are times when I am not at all ahead, but truly resistant to > change. For example because of different priorities. > > > > I will never forget the disbelief of the person at the iPhone help desk of > my mobile phone provider: > > > > I called to ask how to activate my new iPhone 6. Which had been sitting in > my desk for OVER A YEAR unused, after I had received the new model. He > couldn’t believe that I hadn’t activated it right away. I imagine he might > have shared that story during his coffee break with colleagues and all of > them shaking their heads or laughing about that strange client. > > I just hadn't wanted to let go of my iPhone 3s (until I really had to > because I couldn’t get software updates anymore). Back then, I so preferred > its design. I mostly used it to make calls, not for the internet, and it > fit so nicely into my hand and the back pocket of my jeans… Clearly a > criteria that many tech savvy people will not find as important at I did! > > > > So the „moral“ of my story: What might be the things that other people > value which we don’t understand, when we judge them as „resistant“? > > > > I very much appreciate how that perspective is embodied in this short > video, narrated by Charles Eisenstein: > > > > What is it like to be you? > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uStmnodUpOo > > > > Also, isn’t OST based on invitation? And if there is something like > „resistance to following an invitation“, is it a true invitation in the > first place? > > > > (Kudos to Dan Mezick and Mark Sheffield and their book on > Inviting Leadership) > > > > With respect, > > Marai > > > > > > > > Am 08.01.2019 um 02:41 schrieb Mark Carmel via OSList < > oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>: > > > > Greetings Fellow OST Practitioners! > > > > It is an honor to join you once again. I met the great Harrison Owen in > the early 1990's and began immediately facilitating Open Space. I hope > some of you remember me. Guided by Harrison's mentor-ship I set the world > record with a 700 person group in 1993, the largest at the time for an > educational transformation. > > > > To my fellow followers of His Honor, Harrison "The GREAT" Owen, THE > Inventor of the Magic and Miracle of OPEN SPACE, (or the Receiver, from the > Great Inventor...) I honor you for carrying on His Legacy. > > > > May I suggest to ALL, that when the Space is Opened to the Spirit of > Change, you are playing with the fire of the crucible right there, > fomenting the ferver that IS the crux of CHAOS, and thus bringing out the > very, very Good in people, and also, sometimes, the bad. In all your > preparations, beware of the evil spirits that seek the status quo at all > costs, sometimes, literally. Change dies hard, as it is said, and in > America, we now live in Retaliation Nation, where change, may be, and is, > often, met with resistance. > > > > To fortify oneself against the forces that WILL seek to undermine change > (and not in an open way, quite the contrary), and undermine the change > agents championing change, one tidbit of hopefully useful observation is > warranted: Make SURE Leadership is SOLID! > > > > It is such a joy to see O.S.T. alive and well. We ALL have Harrison to > thank for His Gift of the Spirit of Human Understanding, Peace, and > Reconciliation. Thank YOU, dear Father Harrison Owen!! > > > > Cheers! Long May OST Live!! > > > > O - Open Invitation > > S - System Innovation > > T - Transformation Communication > > > > Peace!! > > > > Mark Carmel > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org -- -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 312-280-7838 (mobile) http://MichaelHerman.com http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
_______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org