PEGASUS CONFERENCE CORNER
Special Team Discounts
Register by March 31 to Save $600

LEARNING LINKS
Sitting Meditation: A Radical Form of Inquiry
by Michael Chender

The simple but profound "capacity to listen," which is at the heart of dialogue, is difficult to achieve on an ongoing basis. We are conditioned to be reactive, to defend ourselves, to put on a polite face and not give an inch on the inside. These habits are very hard to let go of.

Try sitting still for 10 minutes and being aware of what's going on around you without getting caught up in particular thoughts about it. You may notice an internal conversation; moment-to-moment you are planning, consoling yourself, chastising yourself, or just chattering aimlessly. We constantly explain the unfolding of experience to ourselves, making sure that everything fits in terms we are comfortable with—deciding with lightning speed what we should accept as supportive, what we should reject as threatening, and what we can safely ignore. This subconscious "gossip" colors virtually all of our perceptions and actions, but we are seldom quiet enough to see it.

Unless we can cut through this layer of anxious manipulation of experience, it is hard to develop stable insight or genuine lasting change. Sitting meditation is a practice of cultivating the habit of letting go. The point is not to become without thoughts, but to cultivate a clear understanding of the arbitrariness of our own views and the habitual inevitability of their arising.

Practiced regularly, this type of awareness allows us to find the delight, rather than the struggle, in ambiguity. Our sense of humor, common sense, and gentleness toward ourselves and others increase, as does our capacity to see, hear, and act. In this way, sitting meditation seems a natural complement and support to the tools of social and organizational change based on dialogue and systems thinking.

Read the complete article on which this summary is based, or see LEVERAGE, No. 41 (May 2000)

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PEGASUS CONFERENCE CORNER
15th Annual Pegasus Conference
Embracing Interdependence: Effective and Responsible Action in Our Organizations and the World
San Francisco, California, November 14–16, 2005

Special Team Discounts
By popular demand, we are once again offering a special team program (at no additional charge) to intact teams attending. This unique program builds on the conference content and experience and enables your organization to maximize your investment by starting to implement new ideas even before you get back to the office.

Beginning with an orientation session on Sunday evening, November 13, teams are paired with senior business leaders and consultants to create a conference learning plan and establish post-conference goals. Then, throughout the event, you will reconvene as a group with the coaches to check your progress, re-evaluate your learning plan, and share your insights. Finally, on Wednesday, at the end of the conference, you meet and design a practical take-home plan for implementing your new skills and next steps.

Teams who have participated in the past have raved about the opportunity to take the conceptual underpinnings of the conference and put them into practice immediately.

Significant team discounts are available for groups of 4 or more. Call Carrie Ruchin at 1-781-398-9700 for details! Not only do you get the added value of participating in this unique team-building experience, you get a discounted price on your registrations.

Register by March 31 to Save $600
Register now through March 31 for only $995 (a $600 savings!). Also, get a special subscription price for The Systems Thinker Newsletter—only $89 for a one-year subscription when you register (regularly $109). Register on our web site, or call 1-800-272-0945. For teams, take advantage of additional discounts by calling Carrie at 1-781-398-9700.

FROM THE FIELD
Building Green Can Keep You in the Black

Organizations have increasingly begun to embrace "green construction"—the phrase coined for reducing a building's use of land, energy, water, and other resources. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which leads the green standards movement, companies have been joining its ranks at a rate of 150 per month.

What is fueling the trend toward conservation? Not necessarily a desire to be good stewards of the environment, say many green-building experts. Rather, businesses and developers are discovering that it's good for the bottom line. By some estimates, commercial and residential buildings consume 40 percent of the country's energy—twice as much as cars and trucks. Eco-friendly buildings not only save companies money in utility and water bills by using fewer resources, but their increased natural light and reduced use of toxic building materials enhance workers' productivity and satisfaction.

Around the U.S., companies are taking advantage of these findings. In Pittsburgh, PNC Financial Services Group's new headquarters along the Monongahela River not only implements many energy conservation measures, it offers 90 percent of employees outside views. In Torrance, California, Toyota's new facility earned a USGBC–gold rating for its solar panels, water conservation efforts, and refueling station for hydrogen-powered cars. In New York City, Bank of America's 52-story headquarters is currently being constructed primarily with recycled or recyclable materials.

Although building green does have higher upfront costs, companies such as these have made a long-term commitment to their location and have the patience to wait for the savings down the road. Sure, their effort may still focus on financial performance and return on investment, but it clearly benefits employees and the environment, too.
—KS

Source: Chris Warren, "New Environment: More Office Buildings Are Going Green—And That's Good News for Workers," Southwest Airlines Spirit, February 2005