First Wednesday Conversation 2014

Posted on Wednesday, January 1st, 2014

Greetings and thanks.

Happy New Year to everyone!

2013 was a special year for me, in which I experienced a physical healing process and now find myself in robust health and spirits. I was always in robust spirits! It was a year of profound learning on multiple levels, of inner work, and of great joy as a grandfather (2.5 years) and husband (36 years). I’m happy and well engaged. And, on the grand scale, I feel like I’m making progress.

This afternoon I shared with my community in Olympia the First Wednesday Conversation schedule for the coming year (which is provided at the end of this essay, and will be a page on my website as soon as I sort some Adobe issues). I felt deeply satisfied when, over about a two week period, I sat at my computer and put together the 2014 schedule. First, July 2014 will mark 7 years of this Conversation in Olympia, which I consider a personal practice. Second, I’m pleased to focus on an area of personal study (Authentic Leadership – Mindfulness – Shambhala Warriorship). Third, I’m glad to share and feature a wonderful book, “The Little Book of Practice” by Susan Szpakowski.  Fourth, I’m also happy that these conversations will lead some to the ALIA Summer Leadership Intensive in June in Tacoma.

The First Wednesday Conversation is an opportunity for a different kind of conversation, deeply influenced by the Art of Hosting and Peter Block’s Six Conversations. We start with a check-in so every voice is heard. We welcome late arrivers. We help each other stay in a generative space, avoiding problem-solving and advice-giving. We value great questions, are comfortable with uncertainty, and wonder at complexity. We end on time, and I have from my car or the bus seen folks still engaged in conversation 15 minutes after we ended. We appreciate each other, and don’t hesitate to challenge or dissent. We are compassionate listeners. If you are in the Olympia (WA) area, please join us, every First Wednesday. Send me an email and I will add you to the list.

Here is the 2014 First Wednesday Conversation schedule:

2014 Intention

Learn and practice the principles of Authentic Leadership In Action (ALIA) and the underlying Shambhala wisdom tradition.

 References

 “The Little Book of Practice” (by Susan Szpakowski)

 “Shambhala – The Sacred Path of the Warrior” (by Chogyam Trungpa)

 Supplemented by ALIA Field Notes.

 Location

The conversations will take place either at Traditions Fair Trade café or the Olympia Senior Center, both in downtown Olympia. The location will be given in each month’s invitation.

 January

 “As we prepare to do our work, we connect with the physical ground, or place.”

 ALIA. Arriving: Place. Little Book of Practice, pp. 5-19.

 February

 “Framing is a primary leadership act.”

 Arriving: Framing and Attention.  Little Book of Practice, pp. 21-33.

 March

“We have to feel it – in our bones, in our hearts, in our minds.”

Arriving: Alignment. Little Book of Practice, pp. 35-43.

Dekaaz practice

April

“As leaders, it is critical that we develop our capacity to suspend at least some of our limiting filters and assumptions…”

Embarking: Just Noticing, Simply Asking. Little Book of Practice, pp. 47-53.

May

“All of this requires a certain kind of training and rigorous effort.”

Embarking: Relationships That Hold. Little Book of Practice, pp. 55-65.

June

“The best-intentioned plans, strategies, and efforts” of mice and men…

Embarking: Designing for Emergence. Little Book of Practice, pp. 67-79.

July

The July 2014 conversation is about poetry – poetry that is meaningful to us, helpful in our work, powerful in transformational possibilities, inspirational for our leadership practice. Bring a poem to share, preferably several copies so others can follow along as you read your poem.

August

“We recognize that a small action well timed has the potential to change the game.”

Endless Journey: Strategic Action. Little Book of Practice, pp. 85-91.

September

“A bigger mind leads to a bigger view, which gives rise to unusual solutions.”

Endless Journey: Thinking Bigger. Little Book of Practice, pp. 93-99.

October

“Warriorship happens in small moments.”

Endless Journey: Warriorship. Little Book of Practice, pp. 101-107.

November

“Then we discover unconditional joy…”

Endless Journey: Celebration. Little Book of Practice, pp. 109-112.

December

“Fundamentally, in spite of all those responsibilities, you begin to feel that it is a worthwhile situation to be a human being, to be alive, not afraid of death.”

Chapter 6: The Dawn of the Great Eastern Sun. Shambhala – The Sacred Path of the Warrior, pp. 44-50.