January 11, 2012

Celebration of Dad’s life

Yesterday, family and friends gathered at the Barwon Heads Resort to celebrate the life of my dad – Grahame Brown. Their were people from all walks of life. Some were their to support family members and other’s were there to grieve their own loss of a wonderful friend, father, teacher, brother, uncle and husband.

We all learned something new about Dad’s life. We all took another step in the grieving process … it was a beautiful day and dad would have been lost for words.

I wrote this song 4 years ago, soon after dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. It felt right to play it at the close of the ceremony … my kids (without prompting or planning) sang the final chorus along with me which helped to get through it. It also feels the right time to share the song with the world.
Song for Dad by YesAndSpace

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January 9, 2012

Grahame Harold Brown

Tomorrow is my dad’s “Celebration of Life” – a gathering of family and friends to remember the life of Grahame Brown.

Love you Dad …

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December 24, 2011

Gone SUP’ing

Our town had it’s annual Christmas Party last night and it was apparent there are 2 types of people. For 1 group of people, Christmas and the summer holidays means work … and lots of it! For the other group it’s the opposite … time off and a chance to unwind and hang out with family and friends. I belong to the latter group.

So, I’ll be shutting my little office between now and January 9. If you do want too get a message to me, best to email me – geoff@tangentconsulting.com.au

Have a relaxing Christmas … hug your friends and family because they are everything

Geoff

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December 15, 2011

Leading from within community

There is lot’s happening in my local community and that’s where my energy has been directed lately. It feels like there has been an explosion of local, community issues. Wonderful ideas have also emerged and I have noticed a great deal of leadership from within our community – I have been working at the edges in whatever way I can.

Tomorrow night it’s my turn to play a lead role. I am co-hosting a conversation that is centred on a question of Need – “What does our school community need from the Parent Club in 2012?” The other question I like is this one – “What is the need that Parent Club can uniquely meet?”. Beyond the questions, we have invited this conversation to take place at the newly opened local pub. There will be no butchers paper or post it notes or marker pens. I am hoping it will feel like a conversation amoung friends. Whoever come are the right people and whatever happens …

Hosting these conversations whilst inside the content, with my own points of view, will be challenging. I am sure to learn a lot … Just like I did a couple of months ago when I was a participant at a government lead workshop. That experience lead to this post called ‘When facilitation is insulting‘.

GeoffBrown | Being Present, Facilitation, Leadership | Comments (0)

December 14, 2011

A lifetime ago

I am on the road for a few days and my journey brings me back to the Latrobe Valley in Victoria. I rode my bike from Traralgon up to Tyers this afternoon and I was struggling to remember the events and people from this chapter of my life. But then I smelled that smell … the unmistakable odour of the local Maryvale Australian Paper Mill (APM). Once I smelled this, the memories came flooding back and I tweeted this …

Serendipity strikes again … I realized it was 20 years to the day that Kirsten and I moved everything we owned to a house in the hills of Tyers. We lived together as friends and house-buddies for 2 years. We were both finding our feet as Occupational Therapists in our first jobs. Me working at the hospital and Kirsten in a vocational rehabilitation setting. For some of the time, we lived quite separate lives. During some periods we hung out together a lot, riding our bikes and exploring the mountains to our north. Like good friends do, we supported each other through the hard times. Occasionally, we would lie on the road out front at night and watch the stars … and just talk. Our house was on Fitzgibbons Road …

Next door to us lived a great couple and their tribe of kids. He was (and still is) a tall, gently spoken, bearded Canadian. He looked every bit a logger, and he still is. His wife, had the sharpest wit of anyone we had ever met. She called a spade-a-spade and her brutally honest observations were famous. She was also my wise counsel at times and would point out things in life that I couldn’t see through the lens of youth.

Kirsten and I became very close to our neighbors and were stoked when we were invited to their wedding. We would often drink beer with them and play with their kids. At the time their 2 youngest children (both girls) were only 6 and 8 years of age. Kirsten was extremely fond of the girls, particularly the eldest of the 2. I remember Kirsten saying how maternal she felt around them and I had a running joke of calling her Mother Hen. It’s 20 years on and I have my own family. When riding through Tyers, it felt like yesterday. Time moves on in strange ways doesn’t it!?

The tradgety of this story is that Kirsten passed away 12 years ago. The mental illness that suddenly struck shocked everyone who knew her. The news of her death brought together people from every chapter of her life, including our neighbours from Tyers, all holding questions. Kirsten touched many people in her short life

So today, as I rode with the wind in my hair down Fitzgibbons Road, my mind was swirling with memories and all of them happy ones. I noticed lights were next door and I had a strong feeling that they still lived there. I decided to knock on their door and say hi.

At the door was a young woman talking on the phone and she instantly recognized me, as I did her. It was the eldest of their 2 girls … and on the phone was her mum. We swapped stories from 20 years before, shared email addresses and showed photos of our life as it is now. It’s a cliche, but it was a real trip down memory lane.

Today made me realize the importance of a sense-of-place and connection. Relationships are everything and the experiences we share with others last forever and they shape who we are. Stories from our past can feel like yesterday and, at the same time, feel like a distant memory. Kirsten … today’s visit down memory lane is for you.

GeoffBrown | Just observations | Comments (0)

December 9, 2011

Sitting with Dad

My dad is dying. His health and vitality has diminished rapidly in recent weeks. We all knew this time would come, but nothing can really prepare you for the final part of the journey.

Dad has been living with cancer for the past 10 years. He has had some fit and active years in this time and he has experienced the birth of new life in the form of 5 grandchildren. He has bravely fought liver cancer for over 4 years – it takes most people within 2. My mum’s strength and love has played a huge part in his longevity.

Me and dad really connected today. And although we didn’t speak many words, our physical touch and presence said everything we wanted to say. We both cried … and as dad pointed out to me, “there’s not much to smile about right now!”.

We are all confronting our own fears through this journey as well. I can’t even imagine what this is like for mum and I’m sure it’s different for my sister and again for my boys. I’ve been struck by my own feeling of mortality and vulnerability. I feel like every step and every breath is somehow different today. As I sit here writing in my parent’s house, I somehow feel like a stranger … a stranger to the schedule of medications, hospital visits and the rhythm of my parent’s routine. Then, in the same breath, I feel at home like the boy who once lived under their roof.

During one of our moments together today Dad said, “I don’t fear death son … it’s this pain and discomfort that’s getting to me!” Being with dad when he is suffering is all I can do. Today I read to him and at times he laughed. I nearly stopped reading when he appeared to be asleep, but he murmured, “Keep going”. I rubbed his aching back and his restless legs.

My dad will live on inside me after he is gone. He will surface in my dreams and in my conscious thoughts. I’ll be reminded of him when I least expect it. I’ll see him in my own reactions to events and his wisdom and teachings will continue to guide me.

Just lately, I’ve been writing about the vulnerability we feel – on stage, during an argument with a loved one, when watching our kids taking risks. Today, with dad, I learned a whole lot more about sitting with fear and paying attention to that which makes us vulnerable.

Hugh’s Big Love cartoon …

GeoffBrown | Being Present | Comments (0)

December 1, 2011

2 worlds of design come together

I travel quite a bit. Mostly day trips with the occasional 3 to 4 day stretch away from the home office. Sound familiar? When traveling (and facilitating) I go lightweight – it’s an operating principle at the core of my practice.

Now that I have worked out how to sync stuff across my MacBook, iPad & iPhone, I only travel with the phone and pad. The larger, heavier and more valuable MacBook stays safe at home. The options available to protect the phone and pad are staggering and many products do the job. But, how many are truly beautiful? I have discovered 2 products worth a look … and both reveal my old fashioned design tendencies. I also get loads of questions from others about this stuff … so now I can simply point them to this post.

The Book Book for iPhone

A first glance it looks like a very small, leather bound book from 2 centuries ago. It even feels of another age.

This little case is actually a ‘lightweight’ wallet and iPhone case all-in-one. So, when traveling I only have 1 thing to remember … 1 thing in my pocket … 1 less thing to leave behind!

The magic for the traveller is the fusion of 2 things into one. Book book also provides great protection and it’s dead easy to get the phone in/out. The only downer is the inability to quickly capture photos in the moment … the phone has to slide out slightly to expose the lens. Otherwise, I love the look and feel of it and if you limit the number of cards/cash it remains ‘pocketable’.

Dodo Case for the Pad

Like Book book, the Dodocase looks and feels like a handmade book from last century.

This case is a beautiful fusion of designs. It was this story of the Dodo Case that sold me though.

As for the applications to support syncing across devices and filing away information/links, here’s a rapid summary:

Dropbox – I know save everything to Dropbox from my Mac and an auto backup all the contents to my separate hard drive (just in case they disappear). Dropbox has an App for both the phone and pad.

Evernote – Everything I do happens in Evernote. Every job has an Evernote note (see image) Everything I choose to keep gets tagged in Evernote. It is now my goto application in the cloud. And I use an App called Awesome Note as the user interface (see image).

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iCloud – Great for syncing photos across devices and for calendar and contacts (although I did lose a few contacts a few weeks ago?). I steer clear of iCloud for Mail and still prefer Dropbox for document storage and syncing.

Instapaper – From just about any browser or iOS App, saving a webpage to Instapaper is a single click “Read Later” process. About once a week I spend time reading through the stuff I have saved – the stuff I want to keep gets saved back to Evernote and shared with you via Twitter.

Google Reader – All of my favourite websites and blogs come to me via Google Reader. The single best thing about the iPad is my ability to read these feeds in a magazine layout using an App called Flipboard.

GeoffBrown | Just observations | Comments (0)

November 30, 2011

Vulnerability and Applying Improv

I have written about Vulnerability before, in the context of change and mental models. In this post titled Our Mindset, Mental Models and the Human Condition, I pointed to a great TEDx talk be Brene Brown on Vulnerability. I invite you to watch it if you haven’t already.

Recently I attended the Story Conference in Melbourne – hosted by the wonderful Andrew Rixon. At the conference I was fortunate enough to have my story played back me by Melbourne Playback Theatre. My story fitted the theme of taking Creative Methods to our work and I revealed my inner fears about the first few times I brought improv methods to group facilitation. My story was about being vulnerable, leaning into my own fears and confronting my assumptions.

Last night at the Queenscliff Music Festival I had a realisation (or a re-realisation!). I noticed that the performers who stood out (the ones with that little magic), allowed some human frailty to creep in. They probably had a set-list of songs, but they wandered from any kind of script. When the audience made an offer, they accepted it. In their conversation with the audience they revealed their human side and didn’t try to cover things up when they forgot the words. My wife described them as being authentic, rather than polished and professional. I think these rare performers have grown comfortable with revealing their own story and their own vulnerabilities – even when it’s in the moment on stage!

As an audience at a music festival, we respond to a musician’s authenticity in the same way we respond to the ‘humanness’ we sense when an Improv Troupe co-creates a story without a script. When most people imagine themselves on stage improvising without a script, they say things like, “I could never do that! The thought of that is terrifying!” But, as we know, with a little practice, anyone is capable of improvising.

My friend Chris Corrigan recently wrote something that could be applied to any practitioner – facilitator, leader, performer, whoever …

“Action comes from accepting offers. When an offer comes to you you can accept it or block it. Blocking it kills the action. Accepting it moves it forward. When we are working in complexity, waiting for the failsafe plan leads to inaction because there are more blocks than acceptances. In contrast diving into a safe fail mindset means committing to action and refining it as you go.”

When you are in the spotlight, Accepting Offers takes courage and it might make you feel vulnerable – and open to criticism. Don’t worry though, people watching you might just glimpse the authentic-you. Accepting Offers, vulnerability and authenticity are intwined and create fertile ground for empathy and connection between minds.

GeoffBrown | Being Present, Facilitation, Sustainability | Comments (0)

November 14, 2011

From an individual problem to a group solution

Last week’s karate session was a master-class in more than just physical movement and coordination. What started out as a drill in Kihon (Japanese for the basics), soon became a true test of mental toughness, physical exertion and the power of the group. Our group also demonstrated the classic Improv principle … Make each other look good! The scene is set …

Our Sempai started with a hundred-count for a basic set of alternating punches. Left mid-punch, right upper-punch and then right lower-punch – and all 3 punches done in under 2 second so it’s fast! After each punch, everyone says out loud “Kia!” So the pattern of Sempai’s counting and our Kia’s creates a rythmic and flowing pattern with the whole clas involved.

Sempai then invited each of us, starting with the highest belts, to seamlessly continue the counting (in Japanese) and punching for the rest of us to follow. So when Sempai got to 100, the next in line started back at “ich” (one), without missing a beat. Sounds easy … well it wasn’t. Here’s what I observed from the second row of the Dojo.

Our brown belt (let’s call him Woody) tripped at first hurdle the first time, then the next and over and over again. He just couldn’t continue the Sempai’s counting and timing of the punches. He became profusely apologetic to the rest of us as we all began to tire physically with the repetition of the task. By now we were over 1000 punches into the task, and as we fatigued, our Sempai became attuned to our faltering techniques. Even the Kihon pattern of punches required complete concentration and constant self correction.

There came a moment when, without prompting, sometime after Woody’s 10th failed attempt, that the group came to his aid. From the back rows our “Kia”‘s(!) became more in time, louder and more purposeful. As Sempai’s count of 100 approached, the collective group became focused on helping Woody, whilst at the same time focusing on our own techniques. Our loud and timely Kia’s created the best conditions for Woody to find the timing of his count. Without discussion, we all knew what was needed. Woody finally did it. When it came to the next in line, a green belt, he too faltered. But the group was in sync and it wasn’t long before he nailed it … and so it continued until we got through to the end.

Everyone was buzzing at the end of the class and not because of the physical achievement (although the repetition of Kihon was a great lesson in humility). I think it was the group effort in coming together to help the individual who was counting. That magical moment when we realized our collective voice (Kia!) had the power to pull an individual through tough times. For me, this is a living example of the improv principle known as … Make each other look good! Always!

Imagine if in our workplaces and communities, when struggling and failing publicly, we knew we could rely on those around us to support us and do everything in their power to make us ‘look good’?

I wonder when I can apply this next in life? When could you?

GeoffBrown | Being Present, Just observations | Comments (0)

November 13, 2011

Reflection piece #1 on this week’s BIG gig

Last week I had the priveledge of working in Sydney with a very large room full of people who are passionate about their work. Mostly, they are change-agents in the environmental sustainability space. Some were from health and others from policy. They came from government, private industry and NGO’s. 150 people in all.

This gathering was called the ‘Behaviour Change for Sustainability – National Congress‘ and was hosted by the 3 Pillars Network. Next year it will be staged in Melbourne and my vote for the conference name would be something like … ‘Beyond Behaviour Change: Finding the new edges in our work’.

This week’s event was at the traditional-end of the conference spectrum. Speaking truthfully, I felt there was an overdose on presenters and opportunities for the group to go deep into questions were a bit limited. However, most of the presenters were really good and they kept to time. The facilitated activities were designed to nest between presenters and topics. Group processes like ’150 Tweets’ and ‘Jumpstart Stories’ helped to build energy (when the group needed it) and they added another dimension to the learning experience.

This event marks the first time I have worked with a team of social media scribes. Their role was to tweet everything they saw/heard and have conversations with participants. Their presence and activities did not distract from the main focus. Mostly, they were invisible and I’ll writing a more detailed post on this aspect of the gathering very soon.

One of the most tweeted moments was this video on flocking Starlings called Murmuration. Matthew Parnell and I designed a quick presentation on Living Systems and Complexity and this video (after a game of Sun & Moon) kicked off our efforts … it’s like magic!

GeoffBrown | Facilitation, How Stuff Spreads & Changes | Comments (4)