Exploring, Learning, Growing and Loving Life

In the life long journey of being human we need to share what we are learning to further each other's journey. Here I share my musings, learnings and convictions.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Art of Dialogic Leadership by William Isaacs

Quotes from “The Art of Dialogic Leadership”, by William Isaacs, The Systems Thinker
Listening: “To listen together is to learn to be a part of a larger whole—the voice and meaning emerging not only from me, but from all of us.”

Respecting: “An atmosphere of respect encourages people to look for the sense in what others are saying and thinking. To respect is to listen for the coherence in others’ views, even when we find what they are saying unacceptable.”

Suspending: “Suspension means that we neither suppress what we think nor advocate it with unilateral conviction. … We simply acknowledge and observe our thoughts and feelings as they arise without
feeling compelled to act on them.”

Voicing: “Speaking our voice has to do with revealing what is true for each of us, regardless of all the other influences that might be brought to bear on us.”

We live in a world where the answers to our challenges increasingly are not obvious. Thinking better together requires that we slow down our conversations in order to let different perspectives be respectfully voiced and thoughtfully considered. Only then might our listening lead to learning.

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