By Birgitt Williams

A simple way of looking at organizations is to recognize that a group of people organizes to fulfill a particular purpose and to achieve a particular vision. They form the community to get the work done in the present (organizational effectiveness) and simultaneously to prepare for the results of success that include expansion and growth (growth effectiveness). Organizations have a challenge in reaping the greatest benefit from harnessing the potential of the individuals and of the collective whole while simultaneously successfully navigating organizational effectiveness and growth effectiveness. Part of this challenge is understanding how to lead and work within the unpredictability of the organic nature of organizations in a way that creates and sustains life nurturing rather than life depleting conditions. Traditionally, the organic nature of organizations is ignored; structure gets implemented, controls get put in place, there is little consciousness about the impact of this structure and these controls, and before long, there is too much structure and control resulting in loss of effectiveness in relation to the potential of what is there to work from. The conditions become too life depleting to sustain effectiveness and growth.

This article is brought to you by the HeartMath Institute, makers of the Freeze-Framer®. We highly recommend the Freeze-Framer as a tool to assist you in achieving individual health and balance for yourself and the individuals within your organization. Birgitt Williams and Ward Williams will be using the Freeze-Framer at both the summer and autumn academies as part of the learning experience, so you can see the tool in action if you are attending one of the workshops.

Experts say today’s stress is relentless and we need a new way to deal with it. It used to be that we had a little stress, but who didn’t? Times have changed, stress today is relentless and many Americans are reaching their limit. An estimated 1 million workers a day are absent because of stress, says the American Institute of Stress. HeartMath®, known worldwide for their extensive research on stress, says that they have decoded the underlying mechanics of stress and that most people are using the wrong approach. It’s all about rhythm - your heart’s rhythms that is.

Stress does its worst damage when we accumulate it. People try to de-stress the same way they try a crash diet to lose weight. It doesn’t last, and ultimately it doesn’t work. Bruce Cryer, President and CEO of HeartMath says, “The body responds to stress the same, whether a tornado just ripped through your neighborhood or you’re irritated about a new company policy. The life and death tornado scenario should be more damaging physiologically but in today’s society many people react to the small stuff, and their body experiences a stressful chain reaction equivalent to having lived through a horrific event.” Another problem, according to HeartMath, is that most people tend to ignore or become resigned and adapted to the little irritations and annoyances of daily life; they let stress accumulate and don’t notice how it impacts them until it’s too late.

Each September, Dalar International offers our Autumn Academy learning intensive. These workshops, when offered in a series, are intended for a deep and personally transformative and sustainable learning experience.

We, the creators of the Genuine Contact Program offer this learning intensive in our home as part of the opportunity for the deepest possible learning.

Workshop registration is filling up fast, so we encourage you to register now for all or part of this workshop series.

Launching Your Dreams is a book by Genuine Contact Professional Donna Price. Donna Price, M.S., M.S. is the President and Founder of Compass Rose Consulting, LLC; is a personal and business coach providing extraordinary services. Donna is a facilitator of the Genuine Contact™ Program focused on creating healthy and balanced workplaces. Donna is a partner of Best Year Yet®.

Many have a dream that they’ve wanted for a long time and just haven’t been able to get moving. Maybe it’s just been sitting on shelf, collecting dust. Being a dreamer is greatest when you live the dreams.

“Launching Your Dream” is based on Donna’s personal experience of realizing her dream to bicycle across the country. Using a very intentional process of visioning, resource development, strategic planning and the support of an ongoing mastermind group, Donna developed a cross country bike tour, obtained sponsorship of an international organization and then cycled coast to coast. Donna says: “daydreams are so much better when you are living them.”

If you would like to recommend a book for this section of the ezine, please contact Rachel Assuncao.

Maureen McCarthy and Zelle Nelson are pleased to offer their State of Grace Document workshop September 30 and October 1, 2006.

The workshop will be held at their home in the mountains in Flat Rock, North Carolina and is immediately following the Genuine Contact International Mentoring Circle in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For further information and registration details visit the State of Grace Document Website.

In every issue, we feature one drawing from our Genuine Contact™ program workshops by Reinhard Kuchenmueller, Visuelle Protokolle, Munich Germany. Reinhard did these drawings when he attended our workshops, drawing quickly and reflecting the learnings with an accuracy and an eye that delighted other participants. Reinhard is available to groups as a visual facilitator trained in the Genuine Contact™ Program. For more info about him and his work go to www.visuelle-protokolle.de. Click on the image for an enlarged version of the artwork.

14^th Annual Open Space on Open Space (OSonOS)
August 4-6, 2006 in Moscow, Russia. Contact Raffi Aftandelian for details and registration information.

German Speaking Genuine Contact Mentoring Circle
August 24-25, 2006 in Germany. Contact Myriam Mathys for details.

German Speaking Genuine Contact Trainers Meeting
August 26-27, 2006 in Germany. Contact Myriam Mathys for details.

Genuine Contact International Trainers Meeting
September 26-27, 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A 2-day conference for all certified trainers in the Genuine Contact Program. Visit our website for details.

Genuine Contact International Mentoring Circle
September 28-29, 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A 2-day conference for anyone who has participated in the Genuine Contact Program, has learned about Open Space Technology, or is interested in learning more about our holistic approach. Visit our website for details.

Annual Scandinavian Genuine Contact Trainers Mentoring Circle
October 27-28, 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Contact Ann Bowman for details.

Genuine Contact Mentoring Circle
November 15^th 2006 in Switzerland. Contact Marianne Gerber, SONETZ for details.

Would you like to see your event or conference listed here? If so, contact Rachel Assuncao at rassuncao@musango.ca with the details.