Past Dialogues—2002

How can we enter into business or personal relationships in ways that minimize the prospects for conflict down the road? If we find ourselves in a conflict, how can we engage and best resolve it? With Angeles Arrien, anthropologist, educator, author, The Four Fold Way; and Stewart Levine, attorney, author, Getting to Resolution.

October 22, 2002: A New Politics

How do we restore our political system to one which serves the people, one that functions with integrity and is deserving of the public trust? How do we rekindle the spirit of democracy and overcome the widespread cynicism and resignation that prevails today? Conversation starters: Dr. Paul Ray (www.culturalcreatives.org ), social researcher and co-author, Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World, author, "The New Political Compass;" and California State Senator John Vasconcellos, representing Silicon Valley, author of "The New Politics of Trust."

September 24, 2002: Sustainable Business and Sustainable Consumption: Partnership for the Better Future

Since consumer decisions drive companies, sustainability is a two-way street. BOTH parts of the cycle need to be committed. Conversation starters: Gil Friend, founder, president and CEO, Natural Logic, Inc., a systems ecologist and business strategist with nearly 30 years experience in business development and environmental innovation; and Ed Gurowitz, founder and principal of Bespoke Solutions, a consultant on strategy implementation and leadership to Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

September 12, 2002 (Special Event at USF): The Challenge of the Values-Driven Company Being Publicly-Traded

This evening will focus on the challenges of becoming a publicly-held company - a subject that epitomizes the conundrum of money versus values (somewhat timely, don't you think?) and a root cause of some of the Wall Street scandals. The conversation starters will be Greg Steltenpohl, Founder of Odwalla, Inc. which went public then was sold to Coca Cola; Mimi Hancock, Senior Partner of Heidrick & Struggles Executive Search and a former investment banker, John Renesch, former NASD principal and CEO of two broker-dealer firms, and Mike Pogue, Chairman of the San Francisco chapter of the Angel Investors Network. USF President Fr. Stephen Privett will be welcoming us.

August 27, 2002: Right Calling: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Work

How do people discover their calling, the work that "lights them up" and feels so satisfying? Why are so many people working at jobs they don't like, resigned to "getting by"? Join in the dialogue with these guests whose work is about helping people find their "right calling." Conversation starters: Dick Gray, Founder, Presidio World College, offering degrees in Sustainable Management and Sustainable, Ethical Enterprise Design; Elizabeth Carrington,  Leadership Coach, Founder,  Marin Coaches Alliance, member of the Board of Directors, International Coach Federation; and David Bennett, Founder, Parachute Associates (based on the work of Richard Bolles, author, What Color is Your Parachute?).

July 23, 2002: Books, Business and Consciousness

Are the crop of business books of the past decade which feature spiritual principles and values making any real difference? Are they having any impact on the way businesses are being managed? Are they influencing managers and CEOs or merely soothing the souls of people who work? Join these representatives of two of the most progressive business book publishers in the world for this evening gathering and engage in the exploration of these questions. Conversation starters: Steve Piersanti, publisher and founder, Berrett-Koehler Publishers (www.bkpub.com/) and Susan Williams, senior editor, Jossey-Bass' Business and Management Series, works with Warren Bennis on the Warren Bennis Signature Series (www.josseybass.com).

June 25, 2002: Consecrating Our Work Lives

How do Spirit and work co-exist? Can't we acknowledge God in our work without confusing it with religion, which carries so much "baggage"? Join us for an evening of inquiry into this subject one that invites deeper conversations as more and more people find work to be "spirit-less." This evening's program will also include some sacred ritual. Conversation starters: Tolly Burkan, author, Extreme Spirituality: Radical Journeys for the Inward Bound; Lauren van der Lauren, success strategist (sm); and Ric Giardina, consultant, founder, Spirit Employed, author, Your Authentic Self: Be Yourself at Work.

May 28, 2002: Community Building

The workplace has become one of our primary communities, given that we spend more hours working than doing anything else (other than sleeping). How do we contribute to the workplace becoming true communities where spirit, fellowship, connectedness and trust prevails? How can we expect to have a positive future for the world when so many of our organizations are dysfunctional and lack community? Join us for a group inquiry into these questions, a conversation primed by three guests: Joe Kresse, director, Foundation for Global Community; Kaz Gozdz, consultant, editor, Community Building: Renewing Spirit & Learning in Business; and Georgia Berland, international consultant for cooperative community change.

May 8, 2002 (Special Event at USF): Spirit Matters at Work

How does spirit show up in business? How do we stay in our spirituality while working in a system that frequently challenges us to stay in our hearts? Conversation starters: Michael Lerner, rabbi, publisher, Tikkun magazine, author, Spirit Matters; Whitney Roberson, Episcopal priest, originator of the Spirituality and Work discussion groups; and Matthew Fox, founder, University of Creation Spirituality, author, The Reinvention of Work, and Episcopal priest.

April 23, 2002: Sexual Dynamics at Work

Money, sex and power are the three major motivators of humankind; much has been written and discussed about power and money. But the big taboo " sex " is rarely discussed in a business context. How does sex compliment spirituality and how can perverted attempts to dominate through sex be avoided? This event promises to be a candid and provoking dialogue on a subject that is rarely the subject of deeper conversations in the context of business and work. Conversation starters: Joy Peterson, 25-year veteran psychotherapist and executive coach; Kathleen Pratt, lawyer who represented sex workers in a high-profile San Francisco trial; and Veronica Monet, sex worker, courtesan, and professional speaker (www.veronicamonet.com).

March 26, 2002: Social Ventures: Business with a Conscience

How does one start a business with priorities that go beyond merely making a profit? What kind of people start these enterprises? Meet members of the Social Venture Network (www.svn.org) " a membership organization dedicated to socially responsible business practices. Opening comments by: Cherie Arnold, CEO, Visionary Ventures, former CEO, Whole Life, Inc.; and Chris Gallagher, former SVN President.

February 26, 2002: Surrendering to Win

Mystics and philosophers tell us the advantages of surrendering to a higher order, higher power, God and Universe....yet most of us insist on making feeble attempts to remain in control....Why is this? How can we get things done while remaining in a surrendered state " one which many still people think of as a weakened one? Opening comments by: Andre Delbecq, former dean of Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, founder, SCU's Institute for Spirituality of Organizational Leadership (business.scu.edu/spirituality_leadership), and Dean of Fellows of the Academy of Management; and Stuart Perrin, New York-based spiritual teacher, gallery-owner and importer, and author, A Deeper Surrender: Notes on a Spiritual Life.

January 22, 2002: Sustainable Living and Working

What does sustainable living and working look like? How can companies become truly sustainable? Does it start with our personal lifestyle " living as if our lives were worth sustaining? Guests: John Adams, member, Saybrook Institute faculty, author, Thinking Today as if Tomorrow Mattered, editor, Transforming Work, and pioneer in the movement to transform business; Elizabeth Bloom, holistic medical practitioner, founder of health centers in U.S. and U.K., and John Renesch, columnist, commentator, business futurist, author, Getting to the Better Future (www.Renesch.com).