A Howie Dream That Came A live

Abstract

It was 10 years ago. In a call from Howie Davis, I heard him say, "Mert, I'm going to be in Denver a few weeks. Should you be in Buena Vista at that time, I could drive down and meet with you. We could spend a few hours dicussing in greater detail a possible Readiness project." He was referring to a session we had been discussing one day on the Potomac. There, sitting in his sail boat we talked about organizations and the way they varied in readiness to make needed changes. He wondered if a tool could be developed for consultants that they could use in diagnosing an organization's readiness to move and a process by which that organization could be helped to increase its capacity or readiness for change. Wonder of wonders—the big man arrived in Buena Vista on a gorgeous fall day, having driven 120 miles through the mountains he had grown to love. Hisfirst words were these, "Mert, let's not meet in a motel and miss the beauty of this setting. Is there a place in the mountains where we can meet?" Wefound Cottonwood Lake 18 miles away—nestled below peaks reaching 13,000 on three sides. There on a campsite table, looking down on the blue lake and its awesome setting, we pursued one of Howie's passions. He began to describe a project that he wished could be done, with a clarity and word choice that impressed me. As the ideas tumbled out, I made notes of what he hoped could be done. During a pause in the conversation, the wilderness silence was broken by the call of an elk. He never forgot the thrill of that moment. By the time our visit was ended and Howie had settled his huge frame in the rented car for his return trip to Denver, we had conceptualized a project that now has a nine-year history. Its outcomes stand as a memorial to this man.