On one of the other hands, I have often enough followed my nose into sheer poverty, eating almonds and lemon juice for dinner, only to be saved by somebody's willingness to hire me into a desk job. There seems to be a capacity for entrepreneurship required of open space nose followers. I have not seen nor raised this topic on this list until now.
Michael Phillips coined a great term in his old book Honest Business. "Trade-skill" is that capacity which some people develop when they are growing up - people have newspaper routes, or work in the family trade, or do babysitting - it's the capacity to think in an intuitively businesslike way. Michael said there are two kinds of people - those who have tradeskill and those who don't. If you don't have tradeskill you can run a business, but you need to partner with someone who has tradeskill. In my case my open space practice dried up around 2002, six years after my first paying gig. I facilitate for free in my educational community, but I long to return to the days of opening space for clients. Or better, to develop funded community work. I'm interested in people's experience of running a facilitation business. What else lies beneath the entrepreneur's practice of following your nose? with gratitude Jeff San Francisco > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Harrison > Owen > Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 5:12 PM > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Subject: Re: funding community work? > > Peggy - I think we need to create the "The Royal Order of Nose followers." I > doubt we have many recruits, but those that choose to join will be > exceptional. Otherwise known as, "The Right People." > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Drive > Potomac, Maryland 20854 > Phone 301-365-2093 > Skype hhowen > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org > Personal website www.ho-image.com > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the > archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Peggy > Holman > Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 3:27 PM > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Subject: Re: funding community work? > > Harrison, > > Yes to following one's nose. It led me to you and Open Space and on to who > I am and what I am doing now. > > As my work has moved increasingly in the direction of, essentially > self-sponsoring the projects I do, the question of finances has never been > fully met in a satisfying way for me. I assume that it is perfect as it > is...and I am now experimenting with what happens by asking the questions > about it out loud. > > open-heartedly, > Peggy > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Harrison Owen" > To: > Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 5:26 AM > Subject: Re: [OSLIST] funding community work? > > >> Doubtless I have led a blessed and charmed life, at least some might think >> so and I know so. But the truth of the matter is that funding for my work >> has never been something I worried about, at least not much. In one way or >> another things just got taken care of, although not always in the time >> frame >> or amount that I hoped for or expected. Starting in the late '70's when I >> left my last honest job (where I actually got a pay check) I simply >> followed >> my nose. If there was a plan I don't have a clue what it was, although in >> retrospect everything seems to make a certain amount of sense. And my nose >> took me to lots of interesting nooks and cranies, most of which looked >> nothing like a job or a paycheck. My facination with organizational >> culture, >> myth (story) and ritual was viewed as odd to say the least, and when I >> ventured into the strange new world of transformation in organizations the >> common judgement, I think, was that I was just weird. As for Open Space >> Technology that, as you all know, was a matter of two martinis. Talk about >> the cost of doing business:-) Regardless, I just kept following my nose. >> And >> to date, I have never missed a meal. On occasion friends and colleagues >> would ask what it was that I thought I was doing -- and truthfully I >> couldn't really say. The closest I ever came to getting "it" into words >> went >> something like this. It was my hope to somehow contribute to the business >> of >> making human life human. >> >> Is there a lesson here? Maybe. One thing that pops out is that I never >> made >> any effort to define "community" -- or maybe more accurately my definition >> was about as broad as it could get -- human life, or all of humanity. >> Everything was connected even if I couldn't see it at the time. I have >> worked in Barrios and Board rooms and as far as I could see it was all the >> same. People being people trying to get on in the world. Some did well, >> some >> not so well, but doing well never seemed to have much to do with their >> station in life. Corporate presidents could appear as paupers, and beggers >> as kings. What I learned in one place always had application in another, >> and >> when I connected deeply with some individual that connection always led to >> deeper connections with others. Does this make any sense? I don't know, >> but >> it has been fun. >> >> Harrison >> >> Harrison Owen >> 7808 River Falls Drive >> Potomac, Maryland 20854 >> Phone 301-365-2093 >> Skype hhowen >> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com >> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org >> Personal website www.ho-image.com >> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the >> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Peggy >> Holman >> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:59 PM >> To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >> Subject: Re: funding community work? >> >> Yes, to underpin Doug's question below, I find that more and more I am >> working from a place of deep calling. That call doesn't take me into the >> lucrative business world to fund the work of my heart. I have jumped in >> with both feet between the cracks, not even with non-profits, but in >> calling >> >> gatherings beyond the divides of organizational boundaries. It isn't >> financially sustainable. Hence the question of how to attract the funds >> for >> >> work that, according to its participants is of service to their field, but >> requires far more time and energy than is reflected in the compensation. >> (In >> >> fact, I jokingly say that in my experience, compensation is inversely >> proportional to the complexity of the work. I find corporate work, with >> so >> much established infrastructure, some of which is actually useful, much >> easier than the work of reaching out to bring together the ecosystem of a >> subject area, such as journalism, story, philanthropy, etc. >> >> in inquiry, >> Peggy >> >> ________________________________ >> Peggy Holman >> The Open Circle Company >> 15347 SE 49th Place >> Bellevue, WA 98006 >> (425) 746-6274 >> >> www.opencirclecompany.com >> >> >> For the new edition of The Change Handbook, go to: >> www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook >> >> "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get >> burnt, >> >> is to become >> the fire". >> -- Drew Dellinger >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "douglas germann" >> To: >> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:50 PM >> Subject: Re: [OSLIST] funding community work? >> >> >>> Harrison, Kerry and Raffi-- >>> >>> Thanks for your replies. They are great strategies and do answer the >>> question. They have suggested then a refinement of the question: >>> >>> If we want to work exclusively or primarily in community work, what are >>> the sources of funding which are working for you today? >>> >>> :- Doug. >>> >>> * >>> * >>> ========================================================== >>> osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >>> ------------------------------ >>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, >>> view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: >>> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >>> >>> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: >>> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist >> >> * >> * >> ========================================================== >> osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >> ------------------------------ >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, >> view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: >> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >> >> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: >> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist >> >> * >> * >> ========================================================== >> osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >> ------------------------------ >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, >> view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: >> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >> >> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: >> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist _________________________________________________________________ Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com/connect.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_Wave2_newways_112007 * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
