Historic+House

The assignment began as a request to work with a small group of  leaders in education across Scotland to explore and gather the learning that was emerging as a result of a study visit to the US earlier in the year. Specifically, a focus was to understand the impact of the visit at  individual, organization wide and sector levels. It should also seek to  add value to the design of future study visits and enhance leadership development for those participating. The project was designed around an appreciative approach gathering information through taped conversations with each participant. We  considered what happened in the lead up to the study visit, during it   and what had happened in the months since return from the trip. We  then gathered as a group for a day of conversations to make sense of   the learning. Towards the end of the day, we moved to considering the future development needs of each participant. To stimulate some different thinking, I designed a short metasaga through the grounds of the old house where the event was being held. It sat in parkland and there was an interesting history to the area, the house and grounds. We wrapped up well and headed for the front door, stepping out into the world. Built by a successful industrialist for his son on the event of his marriage in the early 20th century, the house was welcoming, manageable and elegant. A lot of care and attention had gone into the arts and crafts design and it had many modern conveniences for the time. It is a house that has changed hands several times and is now a  wedding and conference venue and it has adapted well. It was build as  a man’s legacy and gift to his son. To begin this metasaga some questions for the group were: // What is your legacy to your organization and/or the sector or what // // would you like it to be? // // What are you building towards? What is your plan? // // What do you lavish time and attention on // ? // How adaptable are you in the face of change // ? The conversations began slowly at first as we each reflected on our experiences of change or recent changes we had instituted. The questions built on some of the discussions we had been having earlier in the day. We walked around the house and onto the south facing terrace overlooking a well structured garden. On the terrace our eye was drawn a summerhouse from which there was opportunity to appreciate the house. Some questions were // What is the structure that supports you in your life and work? // // What do you focus your attention on? // // When did you last stand back and appreciate the opportunities and // // challenges from a different perspective? // Although the garden was past its best, we explored the possibilities each season offered. The // metaphor of the seasons // has similarities to the cycle of change. // Spring // -preparing the ground, sowing the seeds of change // Summer // -appreciating the blooms, maintaining the garden, some autumn planting // Autumn // -harvesting to gain benefit from all the effort, preparing the garden for the next year // Winter // -a fallow time in the garden, a time for renewal and a chance to take stock before planning the next year for the garden. Often some wonderful shows of colour appear and the first signs of the new year’s growth provide a lift to the spirit in the darkest days of winter. The walled garden was viewed through a locked gate. It was a sad, neglected sight made sadder by the fact that at one time this was a  very productive area and could be again with care and attention. The conversation that ensued raised some big issues for leaders in  organizations. // What do we do when staff cease to be productive? Do we let them lie // // fallow or do we seek to re-engage them? // // What can we do to support people at times when new growth seems // // Something that happened in the past? // // What are the assumptions that we, as leaders, make when staff do not // // perform as we would wish? If we were gardener,s what would options // // would be open to us? // These questions slowed the group down and they became more reflective as they considered their own responses and their own organizations responses. We walked on and came to a break in the hedge and stepped into a  very different place-almost a secret garden, hidden away, untidy and natural unlike the structured garden we had just left. We discovered a  woodland water feature and some stange, almost ugly, plants. Like children we were drawn deeper into the garden by our curiosity. We  stepped off the path and explored. As we did this, questions bubbled to the surface: // What is it that makes us curious? When did we last feel the curiosity as // // we did when we were children? // // What draws us away from the set path? // // How do we change as we move away from safe territory? // // What treasures might we discover if we were brave enough to step off // // the track? // I shared a phrase that resonates with me-// the joy of getting lost // because if we don’t deviate from the set path we are likely to miss something amazing. For many of the participants the study visit to the US had provided a taste of being unsettled, curious and more open and this had been a great feeling but do we need to create more of this sense of uncertainty or not knowing. In the secret garden, we came across a broken urn which triggered a  story that a friend shared with me. The story is set in Africa. An old lady walks several miles each day with a pot on each shoulder to the water hole where she fills the pots with water and she brings this back to her family. One of the pots is perfect and is full at the end of her journey whilst the other pot is cracked and water leaks out so that it is only half full when she gets back to the village. The pot is concerned. It says to the lady that it is leaking water and she may want to replace it with a new pot. She says she is happy with how things are. Over time, the loss of water continues and again the pot raises its concerns with her. The old lady reassures the pot saying ‘Have you noticed the green shoots that are growing all along the route from the watering hole? There is new growth and it is welcome’. This story began a conversation with some key questions: // What do we seed along the way in our leadership roles? // // Do we consciously seed ideas or do we trample new growth as it starts // // to develop? // The formal part of the metasaga concluded and the group dispersed in  one’s and two’s to reflect on the day we had spent together. We  agreed to meet up in half an hour for a closing conversation. As we shared what had been significant for each of us some further questions were highlighted from our walk in the garden. // What is it that I am seeking to create? // // How do I find the courage to know when to step away from the path? // // How can I increase my awareness of what impact my actions and // // behaviours make? // Participants then spent time journaling and reflecting on what next for them on their leadership journey.
 * Metasaga Tales **
 * Event Leadership and Learning in Education Metasaga **
 * When September, 2009 **
 * Where Country House in Central Scotland **
 * Who A small group of leaders in education on a learning journey **
 * Metasaga Guide Lesley Wilson, Dreamcatchers **
 * Stop 1-The House **
 * Stop 2-The Terrace **
 * Stop 3-The Walled Garden **
 * Stop 4-The Secret Garden **
 * Stop 5-The Cracked Pot **