[Oe List ...] Witness: New year and an opportunity to reflect

[Lawrence Philbrook]

Dear Colleagues

I sent a note 3 days ago it is attached just in case. some have already 
answered and do not need to do so again.

Jim Wiegel converted it into a survey monkey so I can tabulate the data 
more easily


https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ReflectontheJourney

  * The first two pages of question invite you to share briefly about
    your journey as I have shared about mine
  * The third page are the questions if you want to skip ahead


Thank you for you sharing

With respect, Larry

Lawrence Philbrook, Certified ToP Facilitator
CPF
Director Institute of Cultural Affairs Taiwan
www.icatw.com <http://www.icatw.com>
Tel:8862 2871 3150  Skype: icalarry

In about 10 days begins the year of the horse.  For me it will be the 
beginning of my 60^th  year in the Chinese calendar, I am beginning my 
second cycle of the Chinese Calendar in January 2015 so I have a year to 
get ready.

I joined the ICA/order first when I was 10 and again when I was 16.  The 
three things that drew me to it the second time were:

·Living a life of service to the world
·Conscious intention to understand my self /others and to work toward 
living a life of self evolving discipline
·Developing or finding and practicing methodologies, models, and tools 
that can used and shared to promote a more human existence in 
communities or organizations.

I often check myself to see if I am maintaining service as a priority 
and have changed my path to feel more aligned.  For many years I focused 
on the third, "developing and practicing methodologies", with the second 
coming in only as insisted on by my colleagues.

Twenty years ago, colleagues suggested I go to a Vippasana retreat in 
Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India -- near our old project in Vaviharsh. This 
retreat was followed very quickly by my first experience with M. Scott 
Peck's community building process which is a deeply reflective 
structure.  I experienced a reconnection with spirit and a reconnection 
with my vocation.

Everything changed, it was like putting back on my glasses after several 
years of working without them. I did not realize what I missed until I 
had it.  What had been missing was my ability/willingness to reflect 
with others on my interior or spirit and that of the group.  This has 
led me to twenty wonderful years working with colleagues at what I have 
considered a much more profound level striving in each encounter to hold 
the space for dialogue and deeper exploration based on the wisdom of 
each member (including listening to my own voice).

In the past few years I have been working with several exciting 
communities exploring leadership development and organizational change: 
Appreciative Inquiry, Strength Based leadership, Theory U are examples, 
constantly striving to combine this with our work in participatory 
process, contradictional thinking and image change.  I feel I'm on the 
edge of a breakthrough that won't quite come.

This is a breakthrough to re-integrating individual reflective 
disciplines with community/organizational transformation while 
developing operational structures.

I worked with Evelyn Philbrook, Dick and Gail West to develop a series 
of questions to ask people so they can contribute to our thinking of 
what is needed, here is our first draft:

            1.Fast-changing world:  Where do you experience the greatest 
need for transformation?

            2.Already happened:  What event/change has happened recently 
that you are pleased about? What are you most grateful for which has 
brought you to this point and which you see being called for in the future?

3.Leading the change:  What new do you see is needed now in the arena of 
leadership -- challenges and opportunities?

            4.Inventing from the future:  What do you sense is coming 
that demands change now?

             5.World and your current organization: If you were 
all-powerful what are the first changes you would make?

             6.Not yet recognized:  What other question(s) should we be 
asking?

Let me urge you to send me your current answers to these questions and 
others I should have asked.  Who else would be good to get involved in 
this conversation?

With respect, Larry

-- 
Lawrence Philbrook, Certified ToP Facilitator
Director,  Institute of Cultural Affairs Taiwan
www.icatw.com
Tel: 8862-2871-3150 Fax: 8862-2871-2870
Skype: icalarry

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