 |
In
the Wake of the Tsunami
News & Reflections from Brian Bacon
Instead of scuba diving off Phuket
when the tsunami hit the coast of Thailand,
as he was scheduled to be, Brian was at his
home in Bangkok because he had decided to
host a traditional Christmas dinner for his
Thai friends. He arrived on the island a few
hours after the disaster and has been intensely
involved with relief efforts ever since, providing
support for surviving families of his friends
and also assisting the Swedish Government's
efforts. Three of Brian's close friends are
yet to be found or identified. From the midst
of the tragedy, Brian reflects on the worldwide
response and the opportunity it suggests.
"Can we sustain this newfound outpouring of
our global humanity? Or, will it be like the
tsunami itself, there one minute and gone
the next?" |
.........................................................................................................................
 |
Finding
Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time
Margaret Wheatley
introduces her new book through a reflection,
a story, and a poem.
One
Book, Two Stories
"This book tells two stories, each meant to
serve as a guide for finding our way to a
more hopeful future. The first story describes
and applies the new paradigm of living systems....
The second story is of a different kind. The
articles...illustrate how the first story
fared and evolved as I took these ideas out
into a world that was changing rapidly, but
not in the right direction."
The
Island of Thera:
New Story in an Ancient Culture
"The certainty of cycles, the triumph of order
over chaos, the diversity born from life's
creativity, the innate artistry of each of
us, the enduring beauty of the human spirit
— these are what I write about. From
Minoan times till now, the story hasn't changed.
But it is important that we reclaim it and
retell it before we are swept away by eruptions
of our own making."
Poem:
"Ancient Thera, New Teacher"
|
 |
Karen
Stephenson's Quantum Theory of Trust
by Art Kleiner
Art Kleiner tells the
story and follows the research of a pioneering
social scientist who claims that companies
can analyze, engineer, and elevate their own
human networks.
"Professor Stephenson doesn't suggest replacing
hierarchies with networks. Rather, she sees
organizations as a sort of double-helix system,
with hierarchy and networks perpetually influencing
each other, ideally co-evolving over time
to become more effective." |
.........................................................................................................................
 |
Realize
Your Will to Meaning:
Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work
by Alex N. Pattakos
"Only the search for meaning,
Dr. Frankl would say, holds the potential
to bring the kind of authentic enrichment
and fulfillment that most people desire from
their work and in their everyday lives. And
it is the ability to realize our will
to meaning — our authentic commitment
to meaningful values and goals that only we
can actualize and fulfill — that guides
us in the quest to tap into this distinctly
human potential."
|
 |
The
Return of King Arthur and the Fundamental
Pattern of Collective Leadership
by Diana Durham
"I have come to see that this prophecy of
return, and the yearning for great leadership
which it touches in us, is really the longing
for our own leadership potential and for the
potential of what we can be together." |
 |
Warming
Up: Preparing for Improvisational Play
by Steve Clorfeine
"We are continually bringing ourselves
back to the basic awareness of parts of the
body, the body as a whole, the spaces around
the parts and the space around the whole.
Each moment of awareness is complete in itself." |
.........................................................................................................................
Stories
& News
 |
Serendipity
by Lyn Hartley
Though we often report on how the Authentic
Leadership gathering "gives birth to the
new," it is not often that we encounter
an example as literal as this one. Less
than three weeks after a fateful day in
Halifax last June, David Peter Stroh and
Marilyn Paul found themselves to be parents
of new baby boy. Meet Jonathan!
|
.........................................................................................................................
Shambhala Insights
 |
Settling
in the Midst of Change:
The Gentle Process of Meditation
by Judith Lief
"I felt a deep relief, as though I had finally
come home after a very long journey. At the
same time, I realized that I was painfully
estranged from myself, as though I had lost
track of who I was or where I belonged. It
was clear to me that there was more to meditation
than meets the eye." |
.........................................................................................................................
|
Program Updates
June 24-July
1. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Summer Program discount
deadline is January 21. Register
now and save C$430/US$350 off the full program fee.
June 22-23. Halifax, Nova
Scotia.
Global Village Square.
In both ancient and more recent cultures, the village
square serves as a marketplace for the exchange
of goods and ideas. It is also a social space for
connection, music, dialogue, and friendship. We
invite you to join us as we create a global village
square in Halifax, Nova Scotia, before the Core
Program. We will come together as a multi-generational
gathering of peers who are being called to respond
to some of the pressing challenges of our time.
Our current work may be in business, community development,
conflict resolution, activism, or policy-making.
We may be in the midst of an intensely demanding
situation rife with conflict, fear, and/or resistance.
Or we may be in more of a supporting role, holding
situations and people so that the needed transformation
can take place. We may also be "on the rim," as
concerned witnesses looking for productive ways
to express our caring and make our contribution.
Using open space methods, we will engage a number
of pioneering projects from different parts of the
world, while exploring own leadership questions
and challenges. For
more information...
January 21, 8:30 am-4:30
pm. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Envision Halifax Leadership
Exchange. Connect to what's happening, what's
new, what's on the edge & what's possible. Engage
with people across generations, across sectors &
from across the Halifax region who are passionate
about community. Find new allies and meet people
you don't usually see, hear stories you don't often
hear. Experience innovative ways of enlivening our
communities and organizations. Come to share, come
to learn, come to create the future we want to see.
For
more information....
October 19-23. Cortes Island,
British Columbia.
Personal Leadership, Timeless
Wisdom. Co-sponsored by Hollyhock and the
Shambhala Institute. Presented by Geoff Crinean,
Arawana Hayashi, and Ella McQuinn. Through presentations,
dialogue, mindfulness meditation, movement, and
experiential exercises you will listen deeply to
yourself, to others, and to what is emerging in
your field of endeavor. You will learn how to generate
a climate of possibility, even in the midst of change
and uncertainty, and you will gain new insights
in your current leadership questions and challenges.
For
more information...
Other News
June 20-24. St. Francis Xavier
University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Rethinking Development: Local
Pathways to Global Well-Being. The Centre
for Bhutan Studies, GPI Atlantic, the Coady International
Institute at St. Francis Xavier University, Shambhala
International, and other partners are co-hosting
this international conference, which will profile
global exemplary models in four areas- environmental
conservation, sustainable and equitable economic
development, cultural promotion, and good governance.
These are the four pillars of Bhutan's Gross National
Happiness development strategy, which recognizes
that improvements in well-being must accompany any
economic development strategy. Presenters include
Maurice Strong, Ray Anderson, Mathis Wackernagel,
Marilyn Waring, John Helliwell, Ela Bhatt, Jigmi
Thinley, John Taylor Gatto & Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
For
more information...
|
|
|
|
|
|
| .............................................................................................................................................................................. |
|
|
To subscribe to Fieldnotes:
go to http://www.shambhalainstitute.org/world/contact.html
Why Fieldnotes? This newsletter
arose from the inspiration to make visible what is otherwise invisible
— the rich field of connection, dialogue, and activity that
is arising around the Institute's Authentic Leadership programs.
This field now extends far beyond the programs themselves, in both
time and place. This newsletter also provides a forum for people
who are pioneering the emerging field of what could be called "authentic"
or "transformative" leadership. It is published periodically, September
through April.
We'd like to hear from you. The editorial
team invites your feedback, letters, and submissions. We are especially
interested to hear how you have been applying your learning and
insights in your own field of work. The submission deadline for
each issue is the 15th of the previous month. We reserve the right
to edit for clarity and space. Please include your daytime contact
information. We
look forward to hearing from you.
Fieldnotes Team: Susan Szpakowski, Lyn Hartley, Masud Sheikh,
Dinah Wakeford & Barbara Zielinski.
Appreciations. Many thanks to our volunteer
editors, and to Barbara Bash for her beautiful masthead calligraphy.
Fieldnotes is a publication of the Shambhala
Institute for Authentic Leadership, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect
those of the Shambhala Institute.
|
|
