A Tribute to O.D. Legend Don Cole: A Conversation with a Socially Responsible Pioneer at a Castle in Vienna

by Jim "Gus" Gustafson,
Vice President & General Manager, MECHdata, Inc. and Doctoral Student, Benedictine University

 July 19, 2001

 Many of the 75 or so participants that attended the 21st Organization Development World Congress this July in Vienna would say that one of the highlights of the program was Don Cole's emotional recounting of the history of the OD Institute, as well as the field in general. What is truly ironic is that Don had no intention of speaking on this topic. He was actually on the agenda to talk about "Professional Suicide and the Evolution of Management Styles."

 However, with some firm (but loving) coaxing, Don agreed to share some very personal history with all of us. In his humility, I am absolutely convinced that Don thought that no one would be interested in his perspective - yet his passionate presentation met with laughter and tears and finished with hugs from many of the participants.

 Don graciously agreed to be interviewed, so I could share some of the insights gained with the readers of the OD Journal who could not be present in Austria. For those of you who have never met Don, he is one of the mildest mannered, humble and soft-spoken figures that you could picture in your mind's eye. You are more likely to see him setting up chairs in the back of a room for someone else's presentation than you are to see him in front of the conference, leading the discussion. Yet this mild-mannered man is an absolute pioneer in our field and is the single driving factor behind the OD Institute, as we know it today.

 He still writes every word of the newsletter, stuffs the envelopes and even licks the stamps before they get sent. He currently lives a more vibrant and meaningful life than most people half his age. And when I asked him, in thinking back over his entire life what his peak experience had been - he said at 9:00am that very morning, with the discussions about Northern Ireland. Here is an individual that lives his peak experience every single day of his life and does not sit back and just observe history - but actively and positively contributes to it in everything he does!

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