Wow, Suzanne, beautiful story! Thanks a lot for sharing it, and thank you Gerardo and our Access Queen too!
Going fast to celebrate father's day with my children (didn't know about it :-)! Suzanne, as your dad said, "Sue, you’re going to be really good at this; you’re made to do this kind of work." Best wishes! Eleder Aurtenetxe BM31_BILBAO www.burumapak.blogspot.com Twitter: @Eleder_BM 2010/6/20 Suzanne Daigle <sdaig...@gmail.com> > Hello to my dear Open Space family, > > This is a story about a daughter, a father and Open Space. Something > happened in Berlin in May, but the story started a long time ago and > with buckets of gratitude, I want to gift it to all of you, my Open > Space family, hoping what happened to me also happens to you. > > While at the WOSonOS in Berlin, I happily spotted the Open Space > Technology Guide in Italian on the Access Queen Auction table. I was > determined to bid and win this valuable book with the intent of giving > it to my dad, an Italian aficionado who is now fluent in Italian after > more than a decade of learning the language, traveling to Italy to > visit many Etruscan ruins and an avid reader of Italian newspapers on > the internet. He is 80 years old. I overbid the young Michael Pannwitz > a few times; he graciously stopped bidding when he saw how much I > wanted it. As I was collecting my prize, I had the good fortune of > running into Gerardo De Luzenberger, who had translated this wonderful > guide. I asked him if he would inscribe it for my father which he > did, in Italian. I would have to wait until I returned to Florida to > know what he wrote. My intention then was for dad to read Gerardo’s > note and perhaps scan a few pages in the book, which hopefully might > give him a better understanding of Open Space. Lord knows he had heard > me talk about it often enough, like a smitten teenager with a new > boyfriend. > > I have struggled to explain OS to dad (and many others) in terms that > he could relate to. As a retired radiologist and student of life in > everything from science, to ancient history, art and music , Dad has > always been someone more focused on data, facts, and accuracy than on > the workings of people dynamics, collaboration, and large system > transformation which he sometimes described as politics with too many > controlling leaders – probably lots of truth to his assessments. > Throughout my life, dad and I had had more than our share of talking > “at” each other rather than “with” each other in the ways of many > daughters who want to be like their dads yet fail to realize that it's > more about being yourself and living the best of who YOU are. That > said, our debates are similar to those everywhere with facts and > wanting to prove something blocking us from the essence of what's > important.. > > Well things are different now between us because of Open Space. Yes > we still talk about facts but we also talk about the "other stuff" > too. We share in ways we have never shared before, with an easiness > and joy of just being together. He tells me stories of his youth, of > his life, dozens and dozens of them, some I've heard, many I have > not.. We laugh and we share with mom listening on quietly as > entertained by the stories as I am. What's also really different now > is how interested he is in the details and essence of the work I am > doing. Still sometimes hard for me to explain it to him but I'm > getting better at it. > > The ITALIAN Open Space guide was a big breakthrough and I still smile > at what happened. Well dad read the ENTIRE book from COVER to COVER. > He was glowing in his assessment of how easy it had been to read, > describing the excellence of the translation which according to him, > captured the essence and feel of the English language in which it had > been conceived now written in the new language that he loves. Was I > ever surprised but should I have been? > > And then here’s where the fun begins. Boy did I get grilled! All of > a sudden he was interrogating me about the Open Spaces I had been > involved in this past year, asking if they had fully met the criteria > outlined by this chap Harrison Owen, a guy he evidently admired as he > glowingly described his common sense and “tell it like it is” style > which is also dad's style. Of course dad was referring to the Open > Space event that have: a real issue of concern, high levels of > complexity, diversity, voluntary self-selection and a decision time of > yesterday. He asked me about my “topic themes” , the groups and who > they were, and about the book of proceedings and reports. Admittedly, > many of my early ventures in Open Space were timid and did not fully > conform but at least I was plunging in. My mom, who was eavesdropping > on our telephone conversation that day, tried to mediate what became > heated and passionate discussions between us. In the end, probably > the best compliment a daughter can get from her dad is to hear him > say: Sue you’re going to be really good at this; you’re made to do > this kind of work. And then the conversation opened up in a whole new > direction with us animatedly talking about all the situations and > possibilities of where Open Space can make a huge difference in the > world, the stuff he cares about and the stuff I care about. The list > was endless. > > Now as I come out of our second annual Open Space with my NuFocus > family having spent 2.5 intense days together looking at our > international future and possibilities I see the same powerful > breakthroughs between the guys and the girls that make up our > company. The layers peel off, gently at first when we started a few > years ago and then so very fast as we revel in being together, > exploring our future and just being ourselves. Open Space is a > precious gift. I see it as the invitation to take that first big bold > step of courage as it was for us: to bravely be who we are, to notice > ourselves and others and then just get on with our beautiful life. > Magic in so many ways! > > So Gerardo, thank you translating the OS guide and for your personal > note to my dad and Harrison well, Happy Father’s Day. Who knows maybe > you and dad will one day enjoy a martini together, which is something > else you have in common besides being “straight talkers”. Happy > Father's day to all the OS dads out there as I wish you all the same > beautiful journey of love with your kids as I have with my dad (and my > mom) in this last chapter of their lives. > > Yes, much has changed in my life since I met Open Space and what I > realize now, more and more, is that this simple STORY is the STORY of > many, people in all kinds of situations, people with passion who want > to make a difference. Simple stories because of the predictable > patterns that unfold and that allow us to release the unique > leadership that's inside of each of us. These individual insights of > us as leaders are the true building blocks of community and a > collective. It all starts with the "simple" stories of who we are. > > Much love to all on this Father's Day, > Suzanne > > > > -- > Suzanne Daigle > NuFocus Strategic Group > 7159 Victoria Circle > University Park, FL 34201 > FL 941-359-8877; > CT 203-722-2009 > www.nufocusgroup.com > s.dai...@nufocusgroup.com > > * > * > ========================================================== > 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
