Michael Herman's Blog (2003-2016)
Inviting Agility in Challenging Environments
Opening Space in San Diego this week. I did a large-ish department’s annual meeting last year and that is being repeated in OS this year, finished this morning. Wonderful to sit in the circle and talk “practice” with 30 or 40 people who’ve now done this twice and are keen to soak it into the …
Recent calls for “substance”, or more commonly criticisms of its absence, in Barack Obama’s speeches remind me of so many questions I’ve heard over the years about “How does open space technology lead to action?” When 100 or 200 people create a working agenda of 50 or 70 cricital issues, take personal responsibility for leading …
Corinne Nelson asked recently about how she and her husband might run their two-person business operations in an open space way. I rather enjoyed penning this answer… I would say that it’s definitely possible to run and grow your business in open space, even with just the two of you. And, I’ll suggest that it …
Some of us are talking now about the invitation to a Chicago Summer 2007 conference that would be the extension of our Giving Conference in 2004 and Omidyar Member conferences in 2005 and 2006. In writing the invitation, I suggested we focus on what it is we’re interested in, and who we *would* invite, rather …
the festival i’ve been writing about comes right after my wedding and honeymoon. as i get back to work, doing and teaching inviting leadership, i can’t even remember the names of some of these practices that i’ve been working on and writing about for… how many years now? as one guy said to me, “now …
Raffi Aftandelian and friends are translating on of my recent articles into Russian, for a collection. Not surprisingly, translating what we’ve called the “four practices of open space” and “inviting leadership” has been rather challenging. This from a proposed translator’s note seemed to have some merit on its own… …there is a certain poetry in …
…or maybe less. Still tinkering with language for expressing the essence of what Chris and I have been calling the Four Practices of Open Space, or Four Practices of Inviting Leadership. Here’s where I’m settling out today: 1. Embracing Heart… is about opening to the heart of issues, the passion in people, and the depth …
…thinking about the somatic, felt sensations that seem to be associated with the various practicings and not practicings raised in the last couple of posts… appreciating has the sensation of vastness, and depth inviting has the sensation of opening, and focus support has the sensation of holding, and movement making good has the sensation of …
Back in Chicago now, after staying on Bowen Island a few extra days after the Practice Retreat to walk in the forest, eat some good soups at the Snug, and work with Chris Corrigan on the story of Inviting Leadership, the latter of which we’ve now distilled to… Appreciating… the Positive Core in people, organizations …
I’ve been sharing the story of the essential practices of Open Space Technology with a variety of people in recent months, from facilitators and managers, to physicsts and software technologists. I’m pleased to say that the response has been surprisingly positive. In April, Chris Corrigan and I will be leading a Practice Retreat to share …
Continue reading “Open Space Technology: Practice Retreat
April 18-20, 2006″
I’ve written previously about the four essential practices of Open Space Technology: Opening Heart Inviting Attention Supporting Connection Grounding the Energy When I first applied this view to my work, after 10 years of opening space, I found they made everything easier. I could do opening heart, during set-up. Then I could invite attention to …
wendy farmer-oneil mentioned InvitingOrganization and the Four Practices, yesterday on the phone, and wondered if we shouldn’t name a fifth practice and dimension, a center space that is some sort of stillness. my answer… yes. and, but, not like that. i’ve suggested four seasons, quadrants, practices. and yes, there is stillness, reflection, settling in the …
Former World Bank executive and master storyteller Stephen Denning joins Chautauqua in November to discuss his book, The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. In his hands-on guide, Denning explains how you can learn to tell the right story at the right time. Whoever you are in the organization CEO, middle management, or someone on the front …
Continue reading “Chautauqua: Leader’s Guide to Storytelling”
BlawgThink2005 ended with a conversation with NetCentrics’ Jeffrey Phillips about a new product they are bringing to market now. IdeaBank is a central, web-based database for ideas, large and small, so willing to accept new ideas that it even has it’s own email address. Once ideas are entered there, the system lays out a series …
Chris posted this from Pema Chodron, which I like so much that I’m reposting the whole of it. In terms of Open Space Practices, Chris links it to the Offering/Holding Practice. You’ll see that Pema also makes reference to open-hearted. “Here is an everyday example of shenpa. Somebody says a mean word to you and …
Continue reading “Opening and Offering, in Spite of Everything”
Matt Homann and Dennis Kennedy have put together a great group of speakers AND had the — what should we call it, courage? vision? wisdom? — to let them say their piece and then sit down in self-organizing work groups, for some active conversation with conference attendees. BlawgThink2005 is a two-day event offering three tracks …
Finally getting back to work on SmallChangeNews, merging all of those postings into this blog, merging the practices, too. Along the way, I consider that a short break would do me good… go next door, have a little workout in the pool. Blissful isolation. Then I notice how much of my work I will take …
Chris Corrigan has posted this from biologist Varela, via leadership guru Jaworski, in the latter’s book called Synchronicity: “When we are in touch with our ‘open nature,’ our emptiness, we exert an enormous attraction to other human beings. There is great magnetism in that state of being which has been called by Trungpa ‘authentic presence.” …
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork Social Edge is a program of the Skoll Foundation that was inspired by Jeff Skoll’s commitment to connecting people with shared passions. The site launched in June 2003 with the mission to: 1. Connect social entrepreneurs, their partners and allies to discuss cutting-edge issues shaping the field 2. …
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork My stint as a full-time volunteer here in London is winding down. I’m looking forward to getting back to work on SmallChange, starting with this updated explanation and orientation. I hope this is clearer for the serving and grounding work I’ve been doing these last five months: SmallChange …