Hello All, And thank you all for great contributions to this discussion. Even though I am not exactly young (anymore) I qualify as "junior" as far as OST is concerned. I am actually in the process of starting an entrepreneurial venture which incorporates the use of OST. Unlike Thomas, I have not chosen to start blank but to take an indirect approach. I hope I do not get stuck like some of his consultant colleagues š¤. My initial strategy is to start doing consulting work in Project Management which is one of my core competencies and what I am known for in my network. Having a network, even small (mine is not particularly big) is key to any consulting work. And OST consultancy is no exception. So for a young entrepreneur with no network the first focus should be to build one. My aim is to incorporate 3 aspects in my work : 1) Project Management in the classical sense, 2) Introducing new types of organisational structures and tools centered around collaboration and self management and 3) work on the less tangible aspects of organisational life (trust, well being, emergent mindset, ...). As I said, I am qualified for 1). For 2) I am competent but need to hone my skill and 3) is something I am currently developing. My strategy is to start doing work in project management to a) develop my network further b) pay the bills ; while in parallel continue developing my capacity in the other aspects. I also hope that once I am working within an organisation I'll be able to understand that organisation's transformative need and propose a solution. I assume that being already known will be an advantage.. So what's the link with OST? Well for one it is one of the methods / tools that I will use. More importantly, and it is what transpires from the comments from Birgitt, Thomas and Peggy, the spirit of OST is a common thread in my approach. I am not here to tell clients how to run their project or build their organisation but rather to facilitate a process where they can build that themselves. The beauty of that is the sustainability / regeneration aspect that Birgitt mentioned. Once the organisation has acquired this mindset and the tools that go with it, they can carry on on their own. OST is one of the tools but it is not just a tool. As everybody on this listserv knows, it is also a trigger to open peoples' mind to other ways of working and relating to one another. You might say that this is a terrible business model because once the organisation is autonomous, it does not need a consultant any longer. But of course that would be contrary to the very spirit of OST which is about sharing and as Thomas mentioned it brings its own rewards somehow. I believe that a business model centered around bringing value to clients (rather than money to the consultant) is the best business model you can have. My consulting journey is just beginning (I have signed my first client just last Friday!š) so all I can share so far is hopes and dreams. But just like others have shared many times, my first experience with OST in Bilbao last year was life changing and pivotal to help me tune into what I believe is the right posture to embark into my consulting career ; towards, indeed, a good and fulfilling life. Cheers for now, JF
Jean-FranƧois -- [image: Logo] <http://synergique.eu/> *Jean FranƧois Gouin, PhD, PMP * Directeur Projet | Project Director *p:* +33609640427 *e:* [email protected] www.synergique.eu [image: linkedin icon] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/synergique-project-solutions/about/> On Sun, Apr 16, 2023 at 7:43āÆPM Peggy Holman via OSList <[email protected]> wrote: > Oh Thomas, so beautifully, thoughtfully offered. > > I find many parallels to my own journey. Now that I think about it, I know > a number of people who left stable employment to start their own business > when they ran into Open Space. It is part of my story too. Having a partner > with another source of income made the ups and downs of finding work easier > to navigate. > > The core of my practice is Open Space, not just the process but as a > philosophy and life practice. At its heart is the invitation to take > responsibility for what you love as an act of service. I fell in love with > Open Space because in my first experience with it, I saw something I didnāt > know was possible: the needs of individuals and the system can both be met. > I used to think one or the other had to be sacrificed. Now I know that when > both are met it is because the spaciousness has enabled something novel to > emerge. > > Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and Circle process/dialogue are important > companions that inform the way I work. AI, because I found that when people > share their stories, they discover what is most deeply personal is also > universal and they connect. AI influenced me in learning to craft > questions, notably calling questions for Open Space gatherings, that focus > on imagining possibilities. And Circle because it shifts our form of > discourse from debate to dialogue - from advocacy to inquiry. When we are > in inquiry with each other, our differences are instrumental in discovering > breakthroughs. In Open Space, dialogue naturally shows up. Circles remind > me that we all make contributions to the whole. > > Like Thomas, I partner with others as co-creators when the task is > complex. In fact, I prefer working with others, particularly when they come > from a different world view. I find it better equips us to be of service to > clients. Actually, diversity is one other element that is core to how I > work. Given our purpose, what is the diversity of a system? How can we grow > partnerships that reflect that diversity to do the work? (I love a rubric > from Marv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff: invite the people who ARE IN. With > Authority, Resources, Expertise, Information, and Need. And then I consider > what demographics are relevant to a situation through a lens from the > Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. They call them fault lines: > gender, geography, generation, race, class, and sexual orientation. They > also have two āfissures" that I think are currently full blown fault lines: > religion and political orientation. Recently, Iāve also added able-ness to > the demographic lenses to consider.) > > Finally, I have let what calls to me ā what resonates with my sense of > purpose ā lead. Calling led me to journalism following a shooting at a > Jewish Community Center in 1999. (I thought to myself: The stories that we > tell ourselves shape the way we see the world. And that shapes our actions. > Journalists are cultural storytellers. How might what I know be of service? > It makes me so sad that the epidemic of gun violence has only gotten worse > since then.) > > Back to my consulting journey...In the beginning, I took work to pay the > bills so that I could volunteer my time for the work I do with journalism. > Over time, working with journalism became my central focus. That, and > writing about what I was learning about change and disruption in social > systems, like organizations and communities. > > Perhaps that is what I can add to Thomasā wonderful reflection on the path > of walking in Open Space: what it has been like to have both a group > process focus and a content focus - journalism. I have wondered sometimes > if having that dual focus and generally keeping them separate has made me > less effective with them both. Would I have been more effective choosing > one or the other? I would describe my split callings as > 1) a focus on practices that liberate human spirit so that people discover > they belong by being their unique selves and > 2) reimagining journalism for strong, inclusive communities and > democracies. > > For the first, it has often led me to writing ā The Change Handbook, > Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity. In fact, I donāt > think Iāve mentioned on the list a recent article: Emergent Design for > Generative Change > <https://peggyholman.medium.com/emergent-design-for-generative-change-78571485daaa>, > published in the Organization Development Review. The writing has been my > way to figure out what I have learned and share it. > > My journalism work has involved bringing an Open Space philosophy to a > culture that puts high value on facts, too often without sufficient context > to give them meaning. The Open Space-centered gatherings Journalism That > Matters <https://journalismthatmatters.org/events/> has done over the > years has helped foster a branch of journalism that gets called āengaged > journalism.ā It hasnāt made it to how national news is done but it has > attracted a number of practitioners working locally, mostly, but not > entirely in the U.S. An interesting finding on that: when journalists start > engaging with community, their storytelling becomes more constructive. And > for journalists who start from doing more constructive journalism, largely > influenced by an organization called Solutions Journalism Network, they > become better at listening and engaging with community. It is a virtuous > cycle that is becoming more explicitly understood of late. In fact, > Journalism That Matters is co-hosting a gathering in August, Open Space at > its center, that is bringing the networks of engaged journalists and > solutions-oriented journalists and others together to discover the deeper > patterns in their work and share them with an intent of accelerating the > adoption of inclusive, constructive, collaborative, and engaged ways of > doing journalism. > > Anyway, at the heart of what I have learned is, for me, the essence of > Open Space: taking responsibility for what I love. > > If nothing else, it makes for a good, fulfilling life. > > Peggy > > > > > > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > [email protected] > Twitter: @peggyholman > > Bellevue, WA 98006 > 206-948-0432 > www.peggyholman.com > www.journalismthatmatters.org > > Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval > into Opportunity <http://www.engagingemergence.com> > > > "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get > burnt, is to become > the fire". > -- Drew Dellinger > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Apr 15, 2023, at 9:23 AM, Thomas Herrmann via OSList < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Hi KĆ”ri and thanks for your clarification (also Marc š) > I agree with Birgitt that its often possible to find a ābiggerā or deeper > purpose. Anyhow I still quite often work with organizations to get going on > a specific issue or opportunity. > I started my own business 23 years ago from being in love with Open Space > Technology and feeling a passion to let more people have a taste and maybe > choose to continue using it. I had a quite big network and this beautiful > process to offer the world. I thought it would be āa piece of cakeā but it > took about a year of working full time as a freelancer to start to have a > stable incomeā¦ Through the years I had some downs but mostly I have been > able to make a good living from it. > > I was so extremely lucky that I got support from the organization I chose > to leave, it was downsizing and those who chose to leave got some support > to find new waysā¦ I could keep my salary for 6 months and I also had money > to attend different trainings ā with Harrison and also to go through most > of the Genuine Contact program! On top of that I had another 6 months with > support from the Employment Agence ā for new startupsā¦! It was of course > really helpful to be able to focus 100% to get going. Well that āluckā is > not there for everyone and not having other income or having to spend part > of your time doing other work makes a bit harder I guess. I am grateful for > this opportunity I got and took! > > If I think of some of the success factors I can see these for me are: > > - I started āblankā ā didnāt do other consulting work, so my focus was > very clear from the beginning. I have met other consultants who have a lot > of other methods and tools and keep getting assignments from their old > business that they want to leave. Some of them seem to be stuck. > - I found a holistic way of working all through all interactions with > my clients, when I learnt the components of the Genuine Contact program, > especially Whole Person Process Facilitation was for me a perfect match to > OST. Since then I work from the same approach all through my assignments. > Iāve facilitated in circle ever since and kept on learning until now and > onwards. > - The focus on solid pre-work and follow ups I find lead to good > āresultsā and also costs more time/money. This has kept growing which > in my > view has many benefits to the client by being better prepared and > attending > to the follow up better. For me it has been about opening space for > them to > reflect on where they want to go respectively afterwards on what > happened > and how they want to move on. Several exposures to co-creative ways of > working, sometimes inhouse trainings supporting them to continue on this > path. > - I started giving trainings already a couple of years after having > āmetā OST and GC. Some people warned me as they perceived that I train > competitors. It is very clear to me that by spreading knowledge about OST > more work came my way and keeps on coming. > - I connected to the OST, GC, AoH (Art of Hosting) communities among > others. Including attending/arranging learning exchanges and learning on > the lists like this. > - I have been trying to be generous in different ways. > - I have done my best to get well paid for the high quality I deliver. > Several of my collegues were āimpressedā that I charged as much as I do. It > is partly connected to the time I put into supporting my clients before and > after an OST. Some of these collegues sadly went out of business not being > able to have enough income. > - I love my work, I love people, I love myself š > - Iāve kept on learning and growing personally through many different > paths for my own development. I am my most important ātoolā. > - I run my own company, cooperate with others who have their own > company ā this has worked fine for me. > - I have taken help with financials, book keeping etc that I donāt > enjoy. > - My focus is more on being of service and doing the work I love than > getting rich > - I attend to my own health and balance > - Iāve shared stories on different forums such as social media > - I know how to facilitate as well online as in-person > - It is also helpful that my wife has a steady income from employment, > Mia is a teacher, thank you <3 > > > Some learnings > > - Sometimes I spent much time planning new ways to cooperate with > others. I think it has sometimes not been so fruitful when it comes to > business. If its about getting more business (doing the work I love) it may > be better to find a project and do it. I think its much easier if itās a > person who has same values and good knowledge about the ways I want to work > with clients. > - Itās not so easy to offer open trainings, but it gives good exposure > and spreads the word and comes back to me ā and its fun and very rewarding > in many ways, to give trainings. > - I walk my talk. I donāt come into organizations and give lectures > about how I work. I offer them an experience of a well facilitated circle. > - Iāve consistently worked from the same approach ā opening space for > co-creation using different methods. I searched until I found what methods > that suited me, then focused on that and still being curious of ānewā ways. > - Being part of the Genuine Contact Organization gives me many > opportunities to practice and apply what I āteachā. Iāve taken many > opportunities volunteering to facilitate different processes. Much of that > I have taken out to my client work. > > > What worked for you? > > I wish we can support each other to share our gifts in the world, they are > greatly needed. I have a strong belief that every time we open space in a > well facilitated circle (using whatever āmethodā ā the world becomes a > better place. > > With love > Thomas Herrmann > > *FrĆ„n:* Marc C. Trudeau <[email protected]> > *Skickat:* den 11 april 2023 15:14 > *Till:* KĆ”ri Gunnarsson <[email protected]> > *Kopia:* Thomas Herrmann <[email protected]>; OSList (email > to post) <[email protected]> > *Ćmne:* Re: [OSList] Selling Open Space > > Carrier >>> Career ;-) > > > On Apr 11, 2023, at 8:50 AM, KĆ”ri Gunnarsson via OSList < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > Open Space Thecnology as a carrier? > Advise and experience > > > ... This is how I would have written it on a paper in an opening circle > > I think it clarifies what I am meaning with this theme > > > > On Tue, 11 Apr 2023, 10:54 Thomas Herrmann, < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Hi KĆ”ri, I donāt understand the question. stories on how OST ā¦ āas > engagement for a junior individual has value for their professional lifeā > Can you explain a bit more so I might understand better? > All the best > THomas > > *FrĆ„n:* KĆ”ri Gunnarsson via OSList <[email protected]> > *Skickat:* den 11 april 2023 12:02 > *Till:* OS list <[email protected]> > *Ćmne:* [OSList] Selling Open Space > > I remember many discussion groups at various ononos events where a young > new face had ambition and wanted to explore if this field can work as the > sole foundation for their professional life. But the stories of success in > that regard is from people who already have a good professional network in > place in one or another field and promoted themselves to management > consultancy in that field where they had an opportunity to bring the > wonders and promises of Open Space Thecnology to their industry and > sometimes also provide the same service to other industries through the > general management connection. I have not conducted any research into the > professional development of Open Space Thecnology Hoasts, Coaches and > Facilitators, these are antidotal at best. > > I am looking now for stories on how Open Space Thecnology as engagement > for a junior individual has value for their professional life. This is my > topic invitation in this thread. I would also love to engage in a > conversation on this topic from different angles. > > Kari > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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