Dear LeaderShape Session 1 2007 Team - I was on my other blog and realized that it has been years (literally) since we all communicated. I've heard intermittent messages from you individually but nothing collectively. How's life? What's changed? What's getting better? What's mystifying you these days?
Would love to hear from you and catch up on your lives. The Session 1 2007 Team was one of the best ever and it would be sad to lose contact with each other.
I've not done another LeaderShape since January of 2008 which was when I led the Qatar session. It was such a good experience that I hung it up after the session.
I love Qatar and I'm crazy over our students. They come from all over the world and give a new face to "diversity awareness." In our part of the world, diversity isn't an option to engage - it is our every day reality!
Best always,
Denny
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Denny is pushing the envelop
LeaderShape colleagues - I'm sorry our remote reading program didn't work out quite as effectively as we might have wanted. However, it was great to try. With school starting up, having the time to dedicate to it now is probably impossible for most of us.
In the meantime, I have a bit of news. When we were together in June, I had no clue what would hit me at the end of the month and as the summer unfolded. I was called in late June and asked if I would consider another position. I had thought that I'd stay with Miami to complete my career but, when I heard of the new possibility, I couldn't help myself. The irony of this was that Carla (with her great perceptiveness and candor) asked me on one of our walks at Allerton, "Denny, what's next for you? I really think you should take all of these ideas of yours and put them to work on a bigger scale." I never imagined that something was working in my soul at that very moment...
Last Monday, August 13, I accepted a new position in Doha, Qatar, with the Qatar Foundation. The position works primarily with the Education City campus. Yes, Education City is the umbrella organization with which Carnegie Mellon's branch campus is affiliated - the one for which my daughter, Darbi, now works. It's unbelievable that this opportunity came down the road for me. I look back at the last six years and probably longer to realize that the desire and preparation to do this were inside me all along - just waiting to emerge. Letting myself explore new ideas shaped who I am and placed me in the path of this extraordinary opportunity to engage with others in profound and transformative change.
I've been blogging for a long time and my latest entries on Pursing Leadership by Denny are about the Qatar Foundation decision. Rather than duplicate the information and reflections just check it out on the other blog. Please browse Darbi's blog entries as well, which are linked off my profile.
I want to thank each of you again for our experience this June. I'm convinced that we were placed together for very important and purposeful reasons. You helped prepare me for the decisions that have unfolded since then.
My best to you always, Denny
In the meantime, I have a bit of news. When we were together in June, I had no clue what would hit me at the end of the month and as the summer unfolded. I was called in late June and asked if I would consider another position. I had thought that I'd stay with Miami to complete my career but, when I heard of the new possibility, I couldn't help myself. The irony of this was that Carla (with her great perceptiveness and candor) asked me on one of our walks at Allerton, "Denny, what's next for you? I really think you should take all of these ideas of yours and put them to work on a bigger scale." I never imagined that something was working in my soul at that very moment...
Last Monday, August 13, I accepted a new position in Doha, Qatar, with the Qatar Foundation. The position works primarily with the Education City campus. Yes, Education City is the umbrella organization with which Carnegie Mellon's branch campus is affiliated - the one for which my daughter, Darbi, now works. It's unbelievable that this opportunity came down the road for me. I look back at the last six years and probably longer to realize that the desire and preparation to do this were inside me all along - just waiting to emerge. Letting myself explore new ideas shaped who I am and placed me in the path of this extraordinary opportunity to engage with others in profound and transformative change.
I've been blogging for a long time and my latest entries on Pursing Leadership by Denny are about the Qatar Foundation decision. Rather than duplicate the information and reflections just check it out on the other blog. Please browse Darbi's blog entries as well, which are linked off my profile.
I want to thank each of you again for our experience this June. I'm convinced that we were placed together for very important and purposeful reasons. You helped prepare me for the decisions that have unfolded since then.
My best to you always, Denny
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Being real and totally present
I've been away for a couple of weeks of vacation - had a fabulous time with family, seeing friends, and doing lots of fun activities.
I very much appreciated Shailen's comments about the importance of acknowledging and embracing our ego needs rather than trying to stuff them down. I'm not sure I'm properly characterizing his insights but what I took away is that student affairs folks work so hard at humility that we sometimes hold ourselves back. I definitely see this in colleagues and myself. What Virtuoso Teams and Shailen propose is that we should perhaps relish the ego-investment that good people will have in their work and then work to make sure that the egos contribute to the task and to the innovative strivings of the team while not allowing them to become destructive. I like this image very much. Of course, it's a little harder to live than to describe but I would love to master this in my own relationships. I think I achieve it in many situations but in others I definitely think I could do better.
Besides showing appreciation to Shailen, I'm wondering where we want to go with the reading group. It seems that we may all be struggling a bit with finding the motivation or time to post. I know we had such a great time together and I'd like to see us continue our work. It's a little hard replicating Allerton. Maybe electronic communication isn't going to make it for us. Thoughts?
I very much appreciated Shailen's comments about the importance of acknowledging and embracing our ego needs rather than trying to stuff them down. I'm not sure I'm properly characterizing his insights but what I took away is that student affairs folks work so hard at humility that we sometimes hold ourselves back. I definitely see this in colleagues and myself. What Virtuoso Teams and Shailen propose is that we should perhaps relish the ego-investment that good people will have in their work and then work to make sure that the egos contribute to the task and to the innovative strivings of the team while not allowing them to become destructive. I like this image very much. Of course, it's a little harder to live than to describe but I would love to master this in my own relationships. I think I achieve it in many situations but in others I definitely think I could do better.
Besides showing appreciation to Shailen, I'm wondering where we want to go with the reading group. It seems that we may all be struggling a bit with finding the motivation or time to post. I know we had such a great time together and I'd like to see us continue our work. It's a little hard replicating Allerton. Maybe electronic communication isn't going to make it for us. Thoughts?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
brb...
I apologize for my absence recently and in the near future. I just returned from a training in Chicago and am heading off to vacation. I'll be back Wed. night and promise to contribute later next week!
Happy fourth!
Happy fourth!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Denny--that's a great question. I dont know that I have experience with having to stifle egos (I've had experience with dealing with egos, but not necessarily managing a team with big individual egos)
The way I look at it, is that I believe the teams described by the book are looking to create the collective "we" without stifiling the individual "I". I think too often we are told to stifle the individual "I" that we all have...we're told that we should put aside our selfish interests for the selfless good of the team. I agree with that to an extent, but i think these teams were good at embracing individual's selfish desires, and using them, manipulating them to better the team as a whole.
additionally, i think one piece of this that we havent necessarily discussed, is that all the virtuoso teams listed in the text had a virtuoso leader of sorts...someone with a large ego, who was able to set the tone for the group as a whole.
i think we're nurtured against the "take no prisoners--get the job done" attitude, but sometimes, if managed well, it has it's merit.
thoughts?
The way I look at it, is that I believe the teams described by the book are looking to create the collective "we" without stifiling the individual "I". I think too often we are told to stifle the individual "I" that we all have...we're told that we should put aside our selfish interests for the selfless good of the team. I agree with that to an extent, but i think these teams were good at embracing individual's selfish desires, and using them, manipulating them to better the team as a whole.
additionally, i think one piece of this that we havent necessarily discussed, is that all the virtuoso teams listed in the text had a virtuoso leader of sorts...someone with a large ego, who was able to set the tone for the group as a whole.
i think we're nurtured against the "take no prisoners--get the job done" attitude, but sometimes, if managed well, it has it's merit.
thoughts?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Still struggling with the I and we...
I've read up through Chapter 7. It's interesting how each of the examples reinforces or dig deeper into the major points that Boynton and Fischer introduce in Chapter 1. Not surprisingly, I resonated with the "West Side Story" and Miles Davis chapters the most.
I continue to struggle with how to blend the "I" portion of virtuosic ability with the necessity to work toward a "we." I've been in teams where clearly there was extraordinary talent and potential. However, the ego was so strong and the assumption of rightness so strong, that it just couldn't work. I have felt a deep sense of loss and failure when I encountered these times. The talent is so great and could make such a difference. However, my desire to establish some modicum of civility and collaboration ultimately meant that we parted ways and the goal was unfulfilled. I don't know whether I should see these moments as failure to achieve the virtuoso team or simply a time when talent wasn't enough without the willingness to pursue mutual work with others.
Don't jump in to rationalize or sooth my conscientious too quickly. What experience have you had with this? How and when were the strong egos able to make it work and how and when were they not?
I continue to struggle with how to blend the "I" portion of virtuosic ability with the necessity to work toward a "we." I've been in teams where clearly there was extraordinary talent and potential. However, the ego was so strong and the assumption of rightness so strong, that it just couldn't work. I have felt a deep sense of loss and failure when I encountered these times. The talent is so great and could make such a difference. However, my desire to establish some modicum of civility and collaboration ultimately meant that we parted ways and the goal was unfulfilled. I don't know whether I should see these moments as failure to achieve the virtuoso team or simply a time when talent wasn't enough without the willingness to pursue mutual work with others.
Don't jump in to rationalize or sooth my conscientious too quickly. What experience have you had with this? How and when were the strong egos able to make it work and how and when were they not?
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