Convention 2014 From Source by Jaworski and Leading from the Emerging Future by Sharmer and Kaufer

“What counts is not what leaders do and how they do it but their interior condition, the inner place from which they operate or the source from which all their actions originate.” Otto Sharmer Need for an inner shift from fixing or fighting the “old” to sensing an emerging future possibility.

CrisisCall Crisis reveals the dying of old social structures built on pre-modern, traditional and modern industrial forms of thinking and operating. Call is to a shift to a new form of presence and power that grows spontaneously from groups of people with a different quality of thinking, conversing and collective action which operates from a real future possibility.

Converging Trends Looking at the Systemic Factors Evolution of Mental Models and Leadership Development

1. Global civil society in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King 2. Action Science represented by Kurt Lewin and Edgar Schein 3. Mindfulness and awareness inherit in the essence of all the wisdom traditions

Symptoms Themes and Patterns Systemic Disconnects Mental Models

Attendance decline Younger generations not interested Irrelevance –daily issues Hypocrisy Funding the Church Conflict Religion vs. spirituality

Disconnect between self and cosmos: i.e. compromised stewardship Disconnect between self and others: i.e. compromised outreach Disconnect between self and Self: i.e. compromised piety

Stewardship: infinite growth, undeveloped and/or irresponsible use of resources Outreach: fixing or programming vs. meeting real needs Piety: religious programming vs. spiritual transformation

Systemic structures designed NOT to learn Unaware of external forces Social, financial, and spiritual capital flowing inward vs. outward Allow special interest groups/issues to rig system to disadvantage of the whole

current New/More is better, efficient Problem solving Networks and negotiation with stakeholders to be #1 Security, justice, respect, equality, development Open, attentive, adaptive Tuned in to adaptive and emerging changes Aligned with well being of others and the whole needed

“State Centric” – hierarchy and control “Free Market” – markets and competition “Social Market” – networks and negotiation “Co-creative” – seeing and acting from the whole

Stage 1 – Self centric leaders: ego, position Stage 2 – Achieving leaders: conform to & enforce established rules Stage 3 – Servant Leaders: serve & develop others Stage 4 – Renewing Leaders: breakthrough thinking, creating future

From me to we Better relating to others Better relating to the whole Better relating to self Explore edges of system Emerging mental models/consciousness Explore edges of self Open mind Open heart Open will

Stage 4 (Renewing) Leadership is Collective Leadership Renewing Leadership Practices need to be Cultivated Renewing Leadership Principles are based on Theory U

What is needed in renewing leadership today is the ability to hold and evolve our collective attention at the same rate at which reality around us keeps changing. We need to develop new collective leadership mechanisms that allow a diverse constellation of players to connect, co-sense, and co-create. This calls for deepening levels of awareness and avoiding the blind spots which keep us from seeing the future possibilities.

We cannot transform systems unless we transform the quality of attention people apply to their actions individually and collectively. Quality of results produced by any system depends on the quality of awareness from which people in a system operate. Form follows consciousness.

Preparation – inner transformation, contemplation Igniting passion – commit to pursue inquiry on the edges Observing and Immersing – seeing with fresh eyes Letting go – mental models, mindsets, world views Indwelling and Illumination – surrendering to the Self (identity in God) and Work (Vocation/Mission) Crystallizing and Prototyping Testing and Verifying – usable programs/ initiatives

Absensing holding onmanipulating De-sensingDeluding entrenching will abusing Denying Stuck in skin Aborting blinding Stuck in one truth disembody DownloadingDestroying

Energy follows attention – shift from what we are trying to avoid to what we want to create Follow movements of the U Go to edges of the self – suspend judgment, empathize, let go, let come “Eye of the needle” – Who is my Self? What is my Work? Transform 3 enemies: VOJ, VOC, VOF Start by attending to the “cracks”, openings, challenges, disruptions

Hold space for transforming fields of conversation: from debate to dialogue to collective creativity Strengthen sources of presencing to avoid destructive dynamics of absensing

Focus on critical mass of leaders with capacity for change (convene the system) Refining and reaffirming core values, purpose, identity Focus on 2 or 3 shifts which are needed Magnify positive attitudes, behaviors and practices that already exist Provide growth and development opportunities throughout the congregation Build a learning community – each person teaches what they learn and learn from others

Co-initiationImplement solutions Foundation Learning by Workshopsdoing Learning JourneysCommon immersionCommitment Innovation Retreat

Stewardship is a state of being where people see the whole and their role in it and accept responsibility for their role and the whole.

Listening to others on the edge with open minds, hearts and wills Gathering diverse stakeholders inside and outside the congregation to create new possibilities Commitment to action

Spiritual practices to connect to our true Self Listening for our true Work/Vocation Loving what we do and doing what we love Surrendering to God’s will for our lives and congregations