LOGBOOK
In January I reflect on the past year - what went well, what didn't, what I learned and the shifts I want to make. I then invite goals to bubble up. But what I love most is naming the coming year. This states my intention for the year and engages my love of metaphor. I have named 2010 "Cultivating Space". I will bring all my gardening skills into my personal and professional life - visioning, planting, thinning, aggressive weeding, consistent tending and harvesting. Here's to what inspires and delights you in the coming year.
Deb
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RESUPPLY
Parker Palmer, on
Between What Is, 3.5 minutes
Parker Palmer on "the tragic gap," by which he means the distance between what is, and what we know to be possible.
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Scouting?
For more information,
to engage us in a dialogue about using structural tension, and/or to schedule a 30-minute, sample, coaching-session,
click here to email us.
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Message
Please note - there has been a date change
Pecha Kucha in Portland(reported in our last newsletter) will now be
Thursday, February 25,
SPACE alternative arts venue
538 Congress St., Portland
Doors open at 6:30 pm
Presentations begin at 7:20 pm. This promises to be exciting.
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 Reading the waters
Structural tension, as used by author and artist Robert Fritz describes the natural pull that occurs when we have a vision and also know our current circumstances. It is a dynamic of the creative process. Think of it like a stretched rubber band. The rubber band pulls toward resolution of the tension. When there is no tension on the band, it remains limp, without energy. This is neither good nor bad. It just is. The principle of tension is found throughout nature. It is an energetic, not a metaphor. Click here for a short video of Robert Fritz demonstrating this concept. So, what does this have to do with goal setting, direction, and momentum? Everything! Having vision without naming the current reality can move us into dead-ends. Staying focused on our current reality can keep us stuck, mired in daily demands. It is the discrepancy between what you want and what exists that makes room to conceive of thrilling strategic actions. The energetics of the tension serves us, creating positive momentum, and pulling us toward our preferred future.
If you can name the tension, you can name the vision and current realtities that are at play. What resolution do you want to manifest this year? |
Steering the Course
Our free conference calls are a great way to connect with Deb and Carol to learn more about what is being offered by Paddling the Rapids.
When? Information calls are scheduled for:
- Tuesday, January 26th, 4-4:45 PM
- Wednesday, February 3rd, 8:30-9:15 AM
- Thursday, February 11th, 4:40-5:15 PM
- Tuesday, February 16th, noon-12:45 PM
- Friday, February 26th, 8:30-9:15 AM
Call 1-518-825-1300 and use code 271884#
We will be sharing upcoming events, groups, and learning opportunities. Please join in and let us know what you want for your professional growth and that of your board members and staff. What can we do for you?
Coming up:
STRENGTHENING YOUR SKILLS AS A BOARD CHAIR: Board chair consultation groups. Board chairs are volunteers with significant responsibility for the oversight, stewardship, and planning for the sustainability of their nonprofit. Meet with other board chairs in a facilitated and confidential forum to expand your knowledge about your role, build a toolkit of resources to maximize your effectiveness, and discuss issues of relevance. Each session will use a combination of best practice presentation, discussion, peer consultations and case study inquiry. Sign up now and take your board leadership to the next level. 4 sessions, 2-hours per session, meets monthly. Forward this newsletter to your board chair.
Cost: $250 - a $150 deposit will reserve a place for you.
Portland: 5-7PM; Wednesdays, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2 Bangor: 4-6PM, Tuesdays, April 13, May 11, June 1, June 29
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. It is easy to get out of balance. We are offering facilitated groups (4-6 participants) to focus on shifting into better balance. Over the course of five two-hour sessions, participants will identify and commit to taking actions that are critically important to them, but are continuously overlooked. Sessions 1-4 will be focused on setting intentions, identifying values, and designing actions that will move us in the desired direction. Tools for planning, accountability, and support will be key components. Collaboration and peer consultations will be included where useful. 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? Are you looking to re-adjust for more balance? This group is open to anyone in any role who is interested; it will start after 4 individuals have registered. We will collaborate on setting dates that work for everyone. Fee: $250. Location: teleconference, Augusta, and Portland. Contact Carol with your interest/questions or to register. PADDLING THE RAPIDS FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS IN THE LEWISTON AREA, a new group is forming. It's format and design will reflect the expressed needs of the participants. |
Guidebook
Join your colleagues in a lively facilitated discuss about the book, Immunity to Change, by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Discussions take place in Portland and Bangor, February 2nd and 16th, from 4-6PM and by teleconference on February 11th and 24th, from 4-6PM. $50 for two facilitated discussions. Sign up now for a book group discussion! Add to your booklist: Your Life as Art by Robert Fritz. From www.robertfritz.com - This book is about creating your life as the artist creates a painting, a composer writes a symphony, or the poet writes a poem. Robert Fritz further develops his special insights that he introduced in his best selling book The Path of Least Resistance. In Your Life as Art, Fritz shows the relationship among the mechanics, the orientation and the depth of the human spirit within the creative process, and how your life itself can be made like a work of art. Your Life as Art breaks new ground, shakes up the status quo, and, at once, is common sense and revolutionary insight that can change the way you understand the dynamics of your life-building process. A 5-week, online course based on this book uses a combination of reading, audio, and video; guiding you through a step-by-step approach that provides you with exercises, techniques, information, ideas, and methods for your life-building process. Carol is participating now. Ask her how its going. |
Navigation Tool
We find this backwards planning tool helpful when mapping a
task, goal, or vision. It can be
used with a group or by an individual. The goal can be a large organizational
vision or it can be a personal goal that is defined. Each box on the chart
needs to be tended to. This is
what creates the structural tension and defines actions that will lead to
resolution (achieving your stated goal).
The template is not static.
It should be refined as the process moves forward. Each action you take will effect the
current reality and inform the next strategic actions. We are going to use it when we do our
2010 plan for Paddling the Rapids next week. Let us know how you are using it.
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