Practicing Fearlessness in Times of Fear

with Jerry Granelli, Chris Grant, & Margaret Wheatley

Ancient teachings define fearlessness as a noble act of generosity, one of the true gifts we can offer to others. How can we lead fearlessly in this age of increasing uncertainty and turbulence? How can we create harmonious work environments even as fear and anxiety pervade our communities and organizations? How can we ourselves open to the world and act courageously even as those around us close down and withdraw?

This module is a shared exploration of fearlessness, not as an abstract concept but as a very practical way to do our work. Using many modes of inquiry — lectures, reflection, movement, music, playfulness, dialogue — we will discover our own capacity for fearlessness. We will learn about the tradition of spiritual warriorship — those who have always stepped forward to offer compassionate service in dark times. We will explore our own touchstones for fearlessness — when we have experienced it in ourselves, our role models, and the stories of our families and ancestors. We will reflect on moving beyond hope and fear to the space of clear action. And we will discover whether we are prepared to proclaim our own spiritual warriorship as we define our work going forward.

Printable (PDF) module description

Jerry Granelli, jazz drummer, composer, bandleader, and teacher, began his musical career in San Francisco in the 1960s, as a member of Vince Guaraldi's group, and then later as the rhythm-section mate of Charlie Haden. Over the years he has frequently worked with Mose Allison, and has been regarded as the star pupil of legendary drum master Joe Morello. Jerry spent much of the 1970s and early '80s teaching in various innovative and prestigious music programs, such as Seattle's Cornish Institute and Boulder's Naropa University.

In the mid-1980s he returned to active recording and performing, first in a trio with Ralph Towner and Gary Peacock, and then with the group Quartet. He now leads his own quartet, Berlin-based UFB. His recordings include Another Place, A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing, News from the Street, and Broken Circle. Jerry presently teaches at the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin, and also lives and performs in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Chris Grant is a Hungarian-Jamaican South Londoner who considers his trade to be the building of bridges. At an early age, he developed a fascination for the way that groups function. For him, learning how to read and influence groups felt like a natural part of growing up. Thirty years later, Chris is applying that passion and those skills in a very broad range of activities, spanning leadership development, executive coaching, group process design and facilitation, change management, strategy development, and mediation.

For five years, Chris chaired the Board of the successful £1.1 billion UK Chip & PIN Programme, run by the banking and retail industries to introduce more secure card payments technologies. Other recent and current projects include designing and facilitating the UK Sports Summits for the BBC and the National Sports Councils; acting as lead consultant on two major culture change programmes, one within a government agency, and the other in the banking industry; hosting the first World Cities Forum - a conversation on the building of sustainable, liveable cities organised by the Urban Land Institute and sponsored by the World Bank; and facilitating seminars for Olympic and World medalists shifting into coaching roles.

Chris's home and working base are flanked by Greenwich's 600-year-old park and the River Thames — both of which provide excellent playgrounds for him and his two daughters. Chris has a BA in French Studies and an MSc in Group dynamics and Organisational Behaviour, but his 25 years' experience in group facilitation tell him that this is where Art meets Science meets more mysterious forces: thus it is that he aspires to being a great Alchemist. To learn more about Chris and his work, see his website.

Margaret Wheatley writes, teaches, and speaks about radically new practices and ideas for organizing in chaotic times. She is President emerita of The Berkana Institute, a charitable global foundation serving life-affirming leaders around the world. Her newest book, Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, is a collection of her practice-focused writings, where she describes both the organizational and personal behaviors that bring her theories to life. Her classic book Leadership and the New Science has just been published in a revised and updated third edition, and now appears in 20 languages. Her other books are Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, and A Simpler Way (with Myron Kellner-Rogers). Her articles appear frequently in a wide variety of magazines and professional publications. See her website for her most recent articles and listing of seminars.

Summer Institute Modules

Action Inquiry with Bill Torbert
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting with Chris Corrigan, Toke Møller & Monica Nissén
Creating Dynamic Network Organizations with Tom Hurley
Embodied Leadership with Wendy Palmer
Integral Development with Sarita Chawla & James Flaherty
Leader as Artist with Barbara Bash, Lanny Harrison, & Arawana Hayashi
Organizational Trust with Ruben Perczek & Susan Skjei
Practicing Fearlessness in Times of Fear with Jerry Granelli, Chris Grant, & Margaret Wheatley
Shifting the Money Paradigm with Victoria Castle & Bernard Lietaer
Solving Tough Problems in Practice with LeAnne Grillo, Adam Kahane & Bob Wing