HELLO! DOUG, LONG TIME NO SEE...

Yesterday evening, at 6pm, I finally got the opportunity to catch up with an old American friend, Douglas O'Loughlin, at the soft launch of his debut book in a cosy place, 'The Book Cafe', on Mohd Sultan Road.

I met Doug way back into the early nineties, when I had started my pet projects, 'Optimum Performance Technologies' & 'The Brain Resource', (in addition to the 'Left-Brain/Right-Brain Newsletter), & he had also just started his, 'Joy of Learning Consultants'. He was then a customer as well as a participant in one of my experimental seminars.

Somehow, we have more or less lost touch with each other for more than a decade. We have only managed to hook up with each other in recent months through a mutual friend, Dilip Mukerjea.

[Dilip couldn't turn up at the launch because he had suffered a very bad backache in the morning. He often spends long hours working incessantly with his girl friend, a Mac Pro. Like Einstein, he is always thinking about new ideas.]



Today, Doug is a globe-trotting Organisational Development/Change Management consultant, currently based in Singapore as well as Bangkok, where he is pursuing his PhD, besides transforming personal lives & shaping organisational destinies along the way. Doug is considered a veteran in the world of facilitation, at least in this part of the globe.

His debut book is 'Facilitating Transformation: 12 Strategies for Creating Extraordinary Breakthroughs with Groups'.

I also met his Singaporean wife, Christy Lee-O'Loughlin, who has earlier released her own book for kids, 'Drax the Dragon'.

Among the small crowd, comprising mostly Doug's associates from the Facilitators Network Singapore, was a luminary from the United States, in the person of Dr Sandra Janoff.

Dr Janoff is the keynote speaker at the Singapore Facilitators Conference 2009, organised by the Facilitators Network Singapore, with the theme, 'Rhythm of Facilitation', scheduled from 5 - 6 Nov 2009 at the Orchid Country Club.

Incidentally, Dr Janoff is co-director of the Future Search Network, an international non-profit outfit dedicated to community services, colleagueship & learning.

Together with Marvin Weisbord, she wrote the now classic, 'Future Search: An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organisations & Communities' (3rd edition in the works), followed by 'Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!' (2007).

I will be reviewing Doug's book separately in this weblog, as well as Dr Janoff's book when I lay my hands on it.

After an appetising a la carte meal, a good chat with Sandra, Doug, Christy & some of his associates, I left the gathering early.

Naturally, I also took away mementos: Doug's autographed debut book, Christie's book for kids, a pocket journal, & some inspirational cards specifically designed by Doug & Christy, aptly called 'ConnectVersations'.

My parting message to Doug: Let's not wait another ten years to touch base with each other.