Remembering Michael Doyle

Jennifer Hammond Landau --"Michael believed in me!"

Well, been thinking for days about Michael, and, of all the many things I could say, what is at the core.

Michael believed in me. That is it. That was....and still is.... the magic of Michael Doyle. Believed in us each, I suspect, and by extension, the capacity of the group.

From the first Group Graphics workshop with David, Sandra and Geoff and the early years doing graphic recording, working both with Interaction’s methodology and the Sibbet & Associates Group Graphic process.....to the time Michael showed up as adjunct faculty in my MSOD program, where again I was struggling to integrate verbal and visual process, the mainstream and the cutting edge. Phenomenal support and acknowledgment from Michael to be who I was, even when I didn’t know who I was.

My last contact with Michael was probably 3 years ago, about suits for a high school production of Guys & Dolls. What a delightful, odd memory now rather than a time wheeling and dealing in a meeting room!

Michael believed in the power of the collective and the team, and yet also the individual. Contradictory and complimentary. Michael opened doors, was demanding, trusted my creativity, challenged my assumptions, was presumptuous, thought big, and showed me that the best facilitation at times breaks all the rules, even the ones written in the book.

What a life....what a legacy!

Jennifer Hammond Landau

Sam Kaner -- Let's Honor Michael at Best In The West

Hi David,

Thanks for doing this blog.

I have a couple of things to contribute.   

One of them is a copy of the Foreword to our Facilitating book in 1996, which Michael wrote in 1996.   We recently finished our second edition, and I found myself re-reading Michael's work and thinking, "wow, that was a really beautiful piece he wrote."   Even though it was 11 years ago, the wisdom ran through every page.

Another thing I would be happy to contribute is this idea:   What do you think of co-sponsoring an event at this year's Best In the West, in Michael's honor? 

Poem upon Michael's Birthday -2005

This is a poem that I wrote for Michael's Birthday in 2005. This poem came to me all at once and  I shared it with Michael and a small group of friends. Michael loved the poem and he told me he wanted to frame it because it meant so much to him.

Juli asked me to read this poem at the cremation ceremony and at the open house following the ceremony. I hope that this poem resonates with you as well.

Meredith Beam

Does he know?

Soulful blue eyes...
they have a reverence
and a way of connecting
to your very Being.

The concentration,
when he chooses,
can be a penetration of the heart,
sooooo deep,
that there is a dare!
A dare to merge,
to be complete,
in the very dwelling
of your own
sweet
chamber of compassion.

But don’t let this apostle fool you...
Quixote, Bacchus,
MacDougal’s fastball
and Macbeth all exist
in this man’s soul!

He is, as they say,
a man for all seasons
and one who,
at his best,
will drown your fears,
heal your angst,
and reframe your psyche.

This is why we love him!

So.... I wonder...
does he know this?

Can he take these words
into his heart
and let them
rest there...
until they absorb
all misgivings...
and transform them
into the golden latif
of his true, pure
heart essence?

This is my prayer on the day
of his precious birth!

Love
Meredith

My Dinner With Michael

I've spent the last few days remembering Michael Doyle and honoring his incredible contribution to my life. In the process I uncovered a long piece I wrote following an evening with Michael in 1990 that reminded me of the movie, My Dinner with Andre. Michael and I had that kind of relationship, and I share it here with his community as a window into the complex personal journey that those of us pursuing careers in change consulting embrace. You can download it here or from the "Michael's Writing" section of this blog.

My Dinner with Michael, by David Sibbet

Michael's Skywriting

Only hours after hearing of Michaels' death, I was getting streaming messages from him... visual ones, of course, since it was he who taught me EVERYthing I know as a Graphic Recorder... and it was through the marker on paper that we were first introduced. But, what I've learned from Michael isn't about how to hold nine pens in your left hand.
I hesitated to share these visual messages from him since his death, but he's continually sending them, and I mean that literally, so here goes.

On Monday night, Michael was a comet. I mean a really speeding, stretching-out-a-long-tail-of-light-type comet. He was grinning so big, his face turned into blinding white light, and he was screaming in that incredibly real, insanely passionate voice "IT"S SO BEAUTIFUL UP HERE, JULI!!!" He was shooting across the sky, darting and leaving beautiful trails behind him, laughing with his arms out like a cartoon superman. His tears of excitement were turning into streams of more light. He was so incredibly jazzed at all he could see/know/feel/understand that he had been searching for for eons, not just one lifetime. This image zooomed past me about every hour, and then he faded into the depth of the universe.

 

Remembering Michael

Michael Doyle, the inspirational consultant, facilitator, leader, and entrepreneur, died Sunday, January 29, 2007 at his home in San Francisco. Since then the phones, e-mails, and conversations have been erupting with memories and stories about this phenomenal man. I'm David Sibbet, a colleague and friend of Michaels since the 1970s. He was the direct impetus for me starting my own facilitation business, The Grove Consultants International, 30 years ago.

Yesterday when I received another long e-mail from a colleague I felt that we really needed a place to share these across the whole community. I called Meredith Beam, a close friend of Michael and his wife Juli Betwee, to check out the idea of creating a blog for Michael and she completely agreed. She checked with Juli and she also agree this would be a fine thing to do.  So I am creating a first post, and will add others. Please add your own material at any time by just commenting on whatever post you care to extend. If you want to post pictures or other media, just send them to me david_sibbet@grove.com or to Meredith Beam at meredith_beam@beaminc.com and we'll post the items.

I collaborated on many things over the years with Michael and now again on this blog! Hello Michael. May my fingers serve your continuing consciousness.  Love, David