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Leaders’ Forum '98:
Excitement, apprehension, elation, fear, fulfillment. I went through them all and more at Leaders' Forum '98 (LF98). It all started with getting a mail message from Wayne Strider advertising Leaders’ Forum. I remembered getting the notice the previous year and being uninterested then, but this year was different. I was ready to build on my learnings from PSL. I hadn’t been able to go to Change Shop, but wanted more learning. The lure of Mt. Crested Butte, seeing Wayne and Eileen again, and having a chance to refresh what I learned from PSL added up to a commitment to go.
I received the enrollment package which described LF in a bit more detail, asked for a brief biography, and asked what kind of sessions I wanted to see offered at LF, as well as what kind of sessions I wanted to lead. This is when apprehension set in. What? Me lead a session? I thought I was going to learn more about leadership, not teach others about it. After a brief bit of rethinking I realized that leading sessions was part of leadership, and I do consider myself a leader (why else would I be going to such a workshop) so it shouldn’t be too bad.
Elation hit me about a day before I left for Colorado. I was really going back to such a beautiful setting. There had been dozens of e-mail messages between participants as our addresses had been shared earlier. It was obvious that there was a real mix of people, some who were very involved in Myers-Briggs, Satir Change models, Change Shop etc., and others like me who could barely remember their type preferences. It was still a bit intimidating, I felt like a lightweight. But just knowing that I would be back in a "safe" place like I knew Eileen and Wayne could create, combined with the location had me flying high. Then the airline was 4 hours late and I arrived after dinner and the opening session had already started. Whoops!!! Fortunately everyone made me feel welcome, and helped me catch up with the details I had missed. The bulk of the first evening was primarily comprised of administrative details (where do we meet, how do I find extra flip charts, etc.) followed by a schedule creation exercise. Everyone volunteered to lead sessions (and a few excursions) and then we signed up for sessions.
There were sessions scheduled every day at 8:30, 10:45, and 7:30 p.m. There were also a few sessions at 2:00 p.m. and a few excursions. This layout of the schedule was perfect because there was enough time available for everyone to lead at least one session, some led more than one. There was time in the middle of the day to recover from the abundance of information available in the morning, and we all got to get together again in the evening for more.
The sessions were many and varied. "When you choose change, or it chooses you," "Plain Vanilla, a tasting session and discussion of metaphors," "Neurolinguistic Programming," "Critical Thinking," "Your 5 freedoms," "Violence in the schools," Myers Briggs 4th function, Parts Party, Humanity/Spirituality at work, Diffusion of Innovation, Blended Family (home and work), Leading Change, Life Change, Professional Writing, Centering, Satir Tools, Poetry Reading, and Temperature Reading. The first official session started on Monday morning. Things took off from there and by the end of the day my brain hurt from all of the information. Each successive day built on the previous day, either directly or indirectly. The sessions never seemed to end on time, a symptom of how involved everyone was, but the length felt right
Some of the sessions were well planned in advance, they included handouts, or even props. The vanilla tasting consisted of us tasting 5 different vanillas from fake, to high end. Other sessions were led as round table discussions, often the leader of these sessions had a framework, and the participants contributed a wealth of information. . During the first few sessions people often opened with a statement about being nervous or scared. This resonated with me. I had scheduled my session later in the week because I was a bit intimidated, especially by some of the topics. Hearing that others were uncomfortable gave me some courage, and as it turned out I didn’t really need to worry. It went off very well, as did all of the sessions I attended.
We didn’t only attend sessions, we also had a chance to nourish ourselves in a beautiful environment. I was lucky enough to get in some good hiking during the week. I went on 4 hikes during the forum, and one the day after. Other people participated in more or less strenuous activities. (Hiking at 9500 feet can be a strain). Some people went picnicking, others went 4-wheeling and fishing, yet others just went window shopping in town. Everyone seemed to enjoy the setting as well as the workshop itself.
I have touched on excitement and apprehension, elation and fear. The fulfillment part started each morning with the camaraderie which developed almost overnight on Sunday. People felt at ease talking about their fears, family problems, emotional issues, work situations, personal growth opportunities and everything else. The immediate bonding between the participants was uncanny, and everyone noticed it. Somehow we all clicked. There were some very emotional moments when people related stories from their childhood, divorces, and other personal events, but the tone was always respectful and helpful. Fulfillment built each day with attending the sessions and learning all there was to learn, and being able to talk with people who were frank, open but supportive. Work and personal situations became more clear for me.
The fulfillment continued on after the workshop was over. Most everyone left on Friday afternoon. A few left on Saturday morning and I was the only one left in Mount Crested Butte on Sunday. Somehow even though everyone had left, I didn’t feel alone there. I was able to continue digesting all of the information before returning home.
Returning to work was actually the hardest part of the whole thing. I had to return to a whole host of problems demanding my immediate attention. I was trying to figure out how to apply what I had learned without coming back a "changed man." Similar to my experience with PSL really. And the outcome is the same. As a friend from PSL said to me one day, "Little bombs keep going off in my head," more ways to apply what I learned.
Interestingly enough about 2 weeks after I returned from Leaders’ Forum and was still immersed in change theory, communication models, relationship analysis etc. I had to attend a 3 day Leadership class. It involved a three hundred sixty degree feedback instrument. The feedback I got was very good and fit right in with what I had learned at LF98. The class itself felt mediocre and insufficient by contrast.
When I think back to the reasons LF98 was better, it is because LF98 built on PSL. In some ways it was better than PSL (though it depended on PSL). Although not as intense and scripted, it allowed us to reflect on PSL, to discuss, dissect, and make the experience of PSL more known and thought through. LF98 was also presented from the viewpoints of all of the participants. They all had their own way of sharing information, making points clear, bringing their issues to the fore for all to witness. It was truly a group of leaders coming together to teach and learn from each other. And that we did, with GUSTO. 
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