I have been following the work of Otto Schamer since the book Presence was published 2 years ago. "Presence" was an instant hit within the change management community because it goes against all collective wisdom of the Western way of approaching change in individuals and organizations. Well, for the Eastern thinkers Otto's concept might not be that alient - the principles have been in the field of collective Eastern wisdom for some thousands of years. No wonder that already in 2005, I met a group of Taiwanese consultants who work with this concept in large Change Management projects.

Presencing (a new word coined by Otto Scharmer, meaning "being present", and "sensing from the field") and Theory U, a model for opening up mind, heart and will, are central for the understanding of his ideas. Rather than learning from the past, which cannot provide guidance in unchartered waters, Scharmer proposes a deeper exploration. Instead of focusing on the old ways of problem solving, sensing how the future of organizations unfolds in front of you is the proposed key for change. Read a short summary of his concept: Presencing – Allocating the Blind Spot of Leadership (U-Process).

To get a feeling for the process of presencing, I recommend to listen to Otto Scharmer's voice and follow his Journaling Exercise (you will need to click on "Tools" to get to the actual exercise). Take 30 minutes of time, have a piece of paper and a pen ready, close all your doors and be ready for a journey into your deeper self. You won't regret it.