LOGBOOK
In our last newsletter we omitted important information citing the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits as the sponsor of the Leadership Summit which featured Margaret Wheatley as the keynote. We apologize to our colleagues for not giving them full acknowledgement for their work and we recognize and applaud their role in building the capacity of nonprofits. We invite you to visit their website. Opportunities like this one make us pause and recognize that the pace of our work creates places of unintended oversight that have consequences. Some we know, some we may never know. We appreciate that this was brought to our attention so that we could make a correction, be accountable, and get back in alignment with our values. Carol & Deb
P.S. New groups are starting soon for executive directors. A few spots are available. Contact us if you are interested.
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RESUPPLY
Have 5 minutes?
Did You Know 4.0,
This is
another official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. If you have never seen it or have not seen the updated version, it is worth the 5-minutes it takes to watch. This
completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the
changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.For more information, or to join
the conversation, please visit The Economist and Shift Happens
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Scouting?
For more information,
to engage us in a dialogue about what surprises you, and/or to schedule a 30-minute, sample, coaching-session for more balance, click here to email us.
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 Reading the waters
"Be
willing to be surprised" Margaret Wheatley reminds us. She tells us to notice
things we weren't looking for, things we didn't know would be important, things
we couldn't predict. Her words
echo in my ear as I turn the corner on my morning walk and gasp at sunlight
seeming to stream out from brilliant red and orange leaves; trees ablaze in
their full selves. I am stunned
and filled with their beauty. How
often am I open to surprise? More
often I think I know what is going to happen. As leaders we plan events, design agendas, and schedule our
days, but it is this willingness to be surprised that begs to be welcomed, for
this is where the world beckons us and points in new directions. Ironically, I have found that my
ordinary practices open me to this willingness: walking my dirt road each
morning, meditating, and doing Julia Cameron's Morning Pages. After a few days of writing five pages
each morning, I am startled when poems start falling out, unbidden (our 9/24/09
newsletter describes Morning Pages).
What happens when you are willing to be surprised? What becomes possible when we accept
the gifts that are presented?
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Steering the Course
SHIFTING THE BALANCE. Often our professional lives require our attention to be diffused in so many directions that our personal and professional goals get put to the side. Paddling the Rapids is offering facilitated groups of between 4 and 6 participants and will focus on what it is that you want to shift. Over the course of five two-hour sessions, participants will identify and commit to taking action on several goals that are critically important to them but are continuously are overlooked. Sessions 1-4 will be focused on setting intentions, identifying the values we want to honor, and identifying a goal(s) that will move us in the desired direction. Tools for action planning, accountability, and support will be key components. Collaboration and peer consultations will be included as appropriate.
The first four meetings will occur every other week for two hours. The fifth and final session will be scheduled a month later for check-in, peer support, accountability, and tune-ups. Is there something that you have been wanting to move forward in your life?
Three opportunities:
1. Teleconference group
2. In-person Portland Group
3. In-person Augusta Group
This group is open to anyone in any role that is interested and will start after 4 individuals have registered. We will collaborate on setting dates that work for everyone. The cost is $250. Contact Carol with your interest and questions.
Check out our website for testimonials as well as a list of participating organizations.
Curious about what is being launched? Join our free conference call today.
October 8, 4-4:45PM, 1-518-825-1300, code 271884#
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Guidebook
" It's
really nice to gather with like-minded people - those who honor both grounded
and groundless - ness! No matter what the diversity of background and
cultural history we bring to this time, it became evident shortly after our
initial meeting time that our lives parallel and intersect one another's in a
figurative, yearning sense. This opportunity to consider literature
relevant to the pace and ponderances of our current experiences - both personal
and professional - affirm the richness and necessity of drawing folks into
community. It's been said that when two or more are gathered,
possibilities for transformation happen. Thanks for making this happen!"
- book group participant, after discussing Margaret Wheatley's Finding Our Way.
You are invited to the Paddling the Rapids Book Group. Groups are open to anyone interested in the title we are discussing. Join your colleagues in a lively facilitated discuss about the following books: - The Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life by Robert Fritz
- Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization by Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey
- Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work by David Rock
now for a book group discussion! Discussions are happening in Portland, Bangor, and through teleconference.
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Navigation Tool
Stressed out? Chew some gum. Have a package of chewing gum available at your next meeting and be prepared to be surprised. A new study has discovered that chewing gum helps to relieve anxiety, improve alertness, and reduce stress. Who knew? I wonder what would happen if our schools would change its policy on this matter. Just so you know, the source of this information is Wm Wrigley Jr. Company. Hummm?! However, it is worth a try. A different study found that chewing gum targeted memory. How? They don't know for sure but suspect increased oxygen to the brain and the release of insulin is involved. The average American chews 300 a sticks of gum a year. I wonder who is chewing mine? Storyteller Joe Hayes tells one of his most beloved stories, "The Gum Chewing Rattler," (YouTube runs 5:43). Ever wonder how gum was made? Check out this YouTube video "How bubble gum is made," running 4:46. |
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