The Boss
Whispering Institute began in 2009 with its first boss whispering training at
the Tolovana Inn in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Now, four years later, at the same location, I had the privilege of
gathering with 20+ trained boss whisperers, many of whom attended the first
training in 2009, to discuss the future of the Institute. Attendees came from the U.S. the U.K.,
Australia, and Canada.
The purpose
of the symposium was to provide a forum for sharing ideas, best practices,
and areas of concern, and for charting the Institute’s future. The symposium was well-facilitated by a team
of professional facilitators. We were seated
in a horseshoe format so everyone could see and hear everyone else. We began by establishing and agreeing to a
set of ground rules and guidelines—honesty, fun, respect, punctuality, etc.—which
were nicely followed throughout the symposium.
During introductions,
we were all asked to share “our highest hopes” for the symposium. One person’s response was to “stay curious.” Another attendee hoped that the beginnings of many long
term relationships would be formed. My
favorite response was by a woman who I came to admire greatly for a
variety of reasons. She said that she was
planning to work on her ability to replace judgment with empathy and was hoping
that she would improve in this area during the symposium. I don’t
recall what I said, but it was probably something about remembering to listen
more than I talked. Good news! I think I was successful.
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