One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about the internet is the wealth of information available from professional societies I would never have heard of elsewhere and the conferences they host. Via Noise Between Stations I found this interesting article, “No More Conference,” suggesting some improvements to conferences in general.
But, like it or not, we’re moving into a new model of leadership and interaction. It is one based on what I call a Wisdom Web. We’re currently living in an age of information overload. If I want to continue to be a hierarchical leader, I’m fooling myself to believe I can contain and control all the information and decision-making that is required to run a business today. I need to know when to lead and when to step back and encourage others to lead. And the only way for me to do this is to better know myself and where my strengths and passions lie, and then to ask the pertinent questions to better know and understand others. My knowledge is no longer contained in my head, but in the web of people I connect with as well. That’s true power.
Following through the article there are some suggestions on improving conferences that cite two intriguing sites. Open Space Technology ( www.openspaceworld.org ) and The World Café ( www.theworldcafe.com ). To this list I might add Socrate’s Cafe and the Society for Philosophic Inquiry ( www.philosopher.org )
