Buchanan+Street

Geocache out the back door. Make up your own metasaga stop to go with it. media type="file" key="07 I wish I was in Glasgow.m4a" width="120" height="50" Play this song and think about being in Glasgow with some friends.

__**Glasgow Royal Concert Hall**__ The group met at Glasgow's main meeting place, the concert hall and steps. Here young and old gather at the new vibrant heart of Glasgow.

= Now I am going to hand you over to Lesley and let you share her experience. Philip Wong's visual journey at the bottom of the page captures the story of a walk through the city. =
 * Metasaga Tales **


 * Event First Urban Metasaga **
 * When October, 2009 **
 * Where Buchanan St, Glasgow **
 * Who A group of independent coaches, mentors and consultants who were curious…….. **
 * Led by Kate Coutts and Lesley Wilson, Metasaga Guides **

We gathered for coffee and introductions in the café of Glasgow Concert Hall. The history and evolution of Metasaga along with the shape and process for our morning adventure was lightly shared.

And then we stepped out into the sunlight of an autumn morning with the whole of Buchanan St ahead of us to St Enoch Square and beyond to the once proud River Clyde.

We often take place for granted and yet it is where we live or work and impacts us in so many ways. Metasaga is about place so we took our bearings. We were standing on a high point at a junction between Sauchihall St and Buchanan St-both of which have been the centre of Glasgow for many people-both residents of the city and visitors alike.

We surveyed Glasgow with fresh eyes. The first story was shared by Lesley. It was about someone who she had worked with almost 30 years ago who had a vision for Glasgow and for the Concert Hall. Like most visions, you need clarity, engagement, resilience as well as the problem solving and project management skills needed to make it happen.

The Question she asked the group
 * // What is your vision for your work and your life? //**

We moved to half way down the Concert Hall steps and Kate drew our attention to the Glasgow Coat of Arms. Kate shared the little known fact in the group that the motto associated with the coat of  arms has been shortened to fit the changing city. We were told that the motto in full would be discovered on our last stop of the morning.

The question for the group to consider was We moved slowly to the bottom of the steps and gathered at the base of the statue of Donald Dewar. We learned something about the man who made a very significant contribution to the city and to Scotland. One of the group had known Donald personally and shared something of the man and his vision for Scotland. We read the wording on the base of the statue and recognized that Donald Dewar achieved a dream he had held for a long time.
 * // What is your motto? If you had a coat of arms what would it //**
 * // be and what would it represent? //**

A question triggered by this stop was **// What is your dream? What do you believe in strongly enough //**
 * // to fight for? //**

Already the group was slowing down. People were having conversations in small groups of 2 or 3. Someone was taking photographs-another was to see Glasgow through a different lens. It took almost 20minutes before we were together again at the top of  the steps down into Glasgow underground at Buchanan St subway. We considered the imagination, risk, innovation and engineering skills required to create this transport system which is as well used and loved today as it was the day it opened.

We laughed at the story of the upgrading of the subway system. When the upgraded subway re-opened with its shiny new trains and stations, commuters complained that it did not have the ‘smell’ of the old subway. After some research, the ‘smell’ was re-introduced. We also considered the outer world of what is on show and the hidden world which is underground. Finally, as we shared more subway experiences, we considered the many faces of Glasgow-not just one city but many cities.

Already eliciting questions from the group was easier as they experienced metasaga. Some questions emerging included:


 * // What is our openness to risk and opportunity? //**
 * // What do we have on display and what is hidden? //**
 * // How do we adapt as times change? //**

As we slowly emerged into the daylight, we agreed to meet on the steps of the Apple Store. This store is housed in a beautiful old building that has had several uses in its lifetime from bank to furniture store to the centre of a community of people who love Apple technology. It was introduced by Lesley ( a self confessed Apple lover) as a magical kingdom filled with goodies such as Mac Book Pro, Itouch, Iphones and software that is so intuitive it out ranks its rivals (in her opinion, anyway!!). Learning is fun with Apple technology because it makes it easy to try things and have early successes-you almost cannot get it wrong. You are drawn into the store as it sparkles through open doors giving you a hint of what lies beyond. You are greeted and helped to find what you need or encouraged just to explore. The only sign of what the building houses is the Apple brand above the door. The power of the brand is so strong that nothing more needs to be said. The group went into the store to find their own questions and experience the environment. They came back with some really powerful questions.


 * // If you couldn’t get it wrong, what would you do? //**
 * // What is my brand? What do I stand for? //**
 * // What limitations am I putting on myself because of the //**
 * // technology I use? What limitation am I putting on myself and //**
 * // my work by not embracing the latest developments in my //**
 * // field? //**
 * // How good am I at transforming what I offer to meet the //**
 * // changing needs of my client group? //**

We walked onto our next stop at Princes Square already aware that Metasaga was working its magic.

Princes Square is an upmarket shopping centre created with the determination of a small group of people against quite a lot of opposition. So again, vision and determination emerged as being critical-something to do with clarity of purpose and willingness to take risks and that challenge is important if you want to aspire to something beyond the mundane. But we entered Princes Square a very specific way-up an elevator to the second floor and our attention was drawn by Kate to the images of  famous Scots on the walls of the elevator along with their area of  contribution. This may have been medicine, law, engineering in its many forms. We noticed there were no women in the grouping of great Scots and wondered why.

And a question rose to the surface easily.


 * // What is my best contribution? //**
 * // What is the work I need to do? //**
 * // How does that fit with what I am doing now? //**
 * // What risks am I prepared to take for something that is really //**
 * // important? //**

Time was galloping on as we partly retraced our steps to St George’s Tron church which sits halfway down Buchanan St nestled in Nelson Mandela Square.This church has a long history and had its 250th anniversary in 2008.The church recently re-opened after a refurbishment both inside and out. I had passed the church many times over the years and not once been curious enough to look inside so why did I discover it for the metasaga. The answer is simple-the door was open (like the Apple Store) and tit welcomed people to come inside. When you enter you are drawn by the simplicity of the layout and the lightness of it. Glass allows light throughout the space and it has a quiet simplicity. You also notice that it is a haven of tranquility in the heart of a bustling city. Kate drew our attention to the Glasgow motto written in full on the glass wall separating the bookstore from the main area of the church. A concert was de to start so we were invited to have a coffee and enjoy the music. Some of us did.

Some questions floating to the surface were:


 * // Where do I go to find some space for quiet reflection? //**
 * // How do I let more light into my life and work? //**
 * // What is the importance of reflective practice to my work? //**
 * // What is the soundtrack of my life and work? //**
 * // Of all that I do, when does my energy and heart soar? //**

And so, our first urban metasaga ended-or did it? Most of those who participated have said what a powerful experience it was for them. It continued to resonate well after the event and still questions are popping into they minds. Already 2 of the group are working with me to design a metasaga for different groups of coaches and so the journey continues……

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Metasaga should contact Lesley Wilson at dreamcatcherglasgow@hotmail.com or on 07980 449135

A blog entry from a virtual metasaga participant [|Malcolm Bellamy's Lifelong Learning Blog]

=<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #000000; font-size: 28px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Metasaga: a new dimension in leadership =  I was sent an e-mail this morning “__Wikispaces __ – __[|The Best Educational Wikis of 2010] __”. These were the __[|Edublogs] __ Best Educational Wikis of 2010. The runner up was __[|Metasaga] __ Now this Wiki was a bit special in my opinion. This is not to take anything away from the winner which has obviously impressed people two years running. Metasaga is an amazing idea that links environment with metaphor and leadership. It allows people to explore their environment and to seek ideas from what they find. To quote the Wiki: “Metasaga is a journey through the culture, heritage and physical landscape. It allows leaders at all levels to engage in deep self- reflection by exploring their environment. It utilises a strengths-based, whole system approach to evaluate how they operate as leaders and the performance of the organisation they lead. It makes leaders at all levels reframe their thinking using metaphor, narrative, tradition and artefacts found in their own physical environment.” I explored the Wiki and found something that had a personal recollection for me… this was __ Buchanan Street Glasgow __described as the first urban metasaga. I first went to Glasgow on a summer holiday about twenty-five years ago. I stayed in university rooms in the West End of the city and explored an urban environment that I just fell in love with. I can remember walking down Buchanan Street and looking at the strange mix of ancient and modern architecture. I had not thought to seek ideas from what I saw that made me think about my ideals, my vision, my hopes. Here was a walk down the same old road. This time it was a group of school leaders. There were guides who knew something of the history and stories of the place. In the Wiki you can read a narrative and then see some wonderful photographs that one of the participants, Phil Wong, took. I felt as if I was there and I could see the scenes and imagine what I might have thought as the questions were put to me…. <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What is your vision for your work and your life? <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What is your motto? If you had a coat of arms what would it be and what would it represent? <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What is your dream? What do you believe in strongly enough to fight for? <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I think that the metasaga is such a great idea if you are thinking of having some leadership training. I would strongly recommend that you investigate the Wiki and then take a walk with your colleagues and let them explore their ideas and express their dreams and beliefs. Maybe you can add to the metasagas on the Wiki.. I look forward to reading them.


 * My Own Buchanan Street experience...**

I am a visual person, and wanted to share my images from this wonderful metasaga. The titles are my own, with homage to the journey metaphor. You can make up your own journey as you look at the images, sense what they make you feel and hear the sounds. Enjoy.

The Journey

Standing Tall

The Sign

The Mask

Temptation

Guidance

Values

Distortion

Old and New Learning Keep Your Shirt On The Alley

Time Stands Still Integration Stand Proud

With love, Phil Wong