We have been burrowing, taking on the role of groundhog. The interviews have been winding down and that was our signal to pause. Needing time for reflection and recharging.
To take in the beautiful stories some of you have shared, we reflect on them, their meaning, the storyteller, and how we may weave them together to share our observations on how open space shows up in many places.
Also, we have been groundhogging to conserve energy for other things.
One “big thing” was the Future of Work 24 hours that we sponsored (April is a co-founder with our friend Line Morkback). Yes, the container was open space and, yes, it was for 24 hours in a row. There was so much energy generated from the event last time that close to 60 people volunteered to help with this year’s event. It was the right time, the right place, and the right people to hold the space for a worldwide gathering.
Reflecting on the conversations from that event, a few come to our mind. As a community, we dialogued about self-managing teams. This permeated throughout the 24 hours as we explored further on what does it mean for teams at work, our volunteer teams, and how it influences our building of community.
Another conversation that was explored many times was what comes first: the needs of self or the needs of community. By meeting the needs of the community, one can surprisingly work on self. We invite you to discover more about this conference of hope and read more of April’s reflections.
We walked away thinking about how we like to contribute. We prefer to be thought planters. We are happy to prepare the soil, find the seeds, plant them and see what takes root. But there is more to it than that. It’s weeding out the doubt and fear that can choke the seeds of new ideas. Holding space for others to do this planting and seeding with us is how we prefer to work.
Do you prefer to seed and weed together?
How do you invite other people’s thoughts?
How can you help them plant those seeds?
Do you plant to sustain yourself or a community?
Can you see how the soil is rich when others are present?
We do. We often find ourselves learning in the presence of others. This shows the power of gathering. We invite you to encourage others to help you prepare the space.
Journeying in mobility,
April & Mark
P.S. We would love to see you at our upcoming training on Holding Space with Empathy & Mobility (June 15 - 24) where you will uncover the secrets to infusing Open Space into your facilitation, training, coaching, and consulting.