Many experienced facilitators, OD consultants, coaches, and organizational leaders increasingly find themselves “standing in the fire” -- working in situations where group and community members are polarized, angry, fearful, and confused. Facilitator Larry Dressler has come to believe that simply picking up yet another method or technique won’t help in situations like these. What has a truly transformational impact is what he calls the facilitator’s presence. Cultivating an ability to access a compassionate presence that people experience as open, authentic, and clear in intention during the most difficult situations moves facilitators from being competent professionals to being on a path toward self-mastery.
Standing in the Fire offers a set of self-directed principles and practices that enable facilitators to work on themselves—to keep their emotional balance no matter how overheated things threaten to become. It brings together profound teachings from diverse fields, including western psychology, eastern spiritual practices, the arts, social sciences and medical research. Dressler’s grounded, empathetic approach helps readers reawaken and discover an untapped capacity that comes from within and is expressed as a powerful presence standing in service to a group.
Larry Dressler has dedicated most of his life to understanding how people work out their differences, discover common ground, and mobilize collective action. As a young boy he attended schools where bullying, gang conflict, and violence were everyday occurrences. From an early age he learned to navigate the hallways and the larger world by deciphering subtle social dynamics and building resilient relationships. Over the years a central questions emerged for Larry: What are the human qualities that enable one to bring peace, clarity, and hopefulness into situations that are filled with conflict, confusion, and despair?
Larry continues to embrace this question as a widely recognized organizational development consultant and process facilitator. He has consulted with hundreds of organizations, including Cisco Systems, Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Baxter Healthcare, New Belgium Brewing, Starbucks, Nissan Motors, and 1% for the Planet. His extraordinary skill and presence as a "gentle instigator of breakthrough conversations" have brought him to such diverse settings as the headquarters of companies in 30 industries, a circus school in Colorado, and a solar-powered chocolate factory in the Amazon rainforest.
Today Larry spends his time helping leaders convene "think tanks" and "action learning experiences" aimed at fostering a more just society, restoring the natural environment, and creating a vibrant economy. He also delivers keynotes and leadership development seminars all over the world on Standing in the Fire™ and Fierce Conversations™.
