Finding a New Equilibrium

/in /by

A lesson from our cause, Altruistic Odyssey.

Sometimes projects change over time due to a variety of positive or negative factors, and that change can be difficult to come to terms with. What if you realize your project is no longer delivering what you envisioned?

I just returned from a trip to our Computer Learning Environment Center (CLEC) project in Sotang, Nepal, which hopes to begin producing CLEC-trained primary school teachers every year to help bring education to the forefront in Nepal. After two days of Jeep rides and hiking over the Dudh Koshi river, we reached the CLEC project site; I was very impressed by the CLEC installation we had managed to build, especially given the difficulty in bringing all of the equipment to such a remote location.

Upon our arrival, I was invited to observe a 45 minutes class delivered by one of the information and technology teachers. The teacher sat behind their desk and clicked through the presentation, while students sat at their desks, attempting to understand the material, but with no real dynamic interaction between the two parties. While the classroom and program technically met the requirements we had set out, I realized we were a long way from implementing a truly different, more effective way for teachers and students to interact and learn.

I felt that somewhere in the midst of the project being developed and focusing on the day-to-day challenges that occurred, we lost sight of the long-term goals of the program, which lead to teachers and students using a brand new computer lab in a very traditional way. We had lost the equilibrium between introducing a more technology focused classroom and skillset, and maintaining the intimate teaching that was required by our pedagogical approach.

While, I cannot say I was totally surprised, as I knew this was new and needed to be coached along, I had no idea it would be so difficult to implement. By the end of that first day, I quickly realized this project was no longer going where it was intended to, and that an immediate course correction would be needed. On top of everything, our local partner NGO had diverted from the agenda we had set together and had begun setting their own agenda.

I thought back to numerous discussions with our US team about our new focus and strategy, about how in order to achieve our long-term goals, we needed a successful pilot that would get the attention of, and open up partnerships with, Nepali universities. Given this, I chose to focus on the CLEC issues as a priority, and to put the local NGO issue on the back-burner. The challenges this pilot faced (and will continue to face) were the first crucible that our program had to pass in order to become a sustainable and scalable effort, that would have real impact and drive real change.

After emailing our board members in the US to inform them of the situation, I began to meditate and go for a walk in nature with our project coordinator, Manisha Basnet. I find that separating myself from where the problem is can help a lot, as the change in scenery can help allow me to consider different perspectives. I spoke with Manisha and attempted to think of how we could collaboratively come up with a solution that helped benefit all parties, while accepting some of the changes the program had self-implemented, instead of simply pushing through with our original plan.

We realized that the program needed the remote college team of administrators, teachers, and ICT (computer) teacher to become more intimate stakeholders in the pedagogical process, so I met with them and made the following proposal: let’s use the third day of my visit to try out a new method, that I will prepare with not one, but two teachers. The college principal granted permission for us to use two teachers, and we prepared the new way of teaching with both of them in the morning.

The new method was based around pairing the ICT teacher with an English teacher, as I had noticed a few key difficulties: (1) both the teacher and students had difficulty in English, but the course examination had to be passed in English; (2) one teacher alone could not focus on delivering the material as well as answering the questions of all the students, so interaction was either too limited or information was not being delivered.

The ICT teacher delivered the material to the classroom while the English teacher walked amongst the students, translating when needed and facilitating the lesson. The English teacher would also keep track of common questions and relay them to the ICT teacher, becoming a conduit for the voice of the class as a whole. Another major change, this one proposed by the other stakeholders, was the inclusion of “table captains” in the system as intermediaries; these “table captains” were students who understood the material more than their peers and helped answer what they could as well as helping to streamline the questions a table would have for the English teacher as they walked around.

Afterwards we sat in on two classes that they co-lead in the evening. Between the two classes, I worked in between a couple of adjustments, and saw the potential in this new modified model of the program. Finally, with some last tweaks and additions, I went over the new co-incepted model with the college principal, and recommended that it be adopted in place of the original model, in order to help benefit all parties more effectively and sustainably.

This scenario was an interesting one for me, as while I typically try to return to the original equilibrium on a project, i.e. the original plan, this project had evolved on its own and would have put up significant resistance to that change. Instead, while still maintaining the long-term vision, I tried to find a new equilibrium that balanced intimate teaching and technology-enabled class environments. “No plan survives contact with the enemy” is a common military saying that puts it quite simply – that once an idea or plan comes into contact with the real world, it will always evolve, and what is important is that you can adapt to that change, and find a new equilibrium.

Once again, in closing, I wanted to pose a few questions: What are some key challenges that you have encountered when close to accomplishing a project that required collaboration and a shift in “equilibrium”?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this newsletter, and again thank you so much for your hard work this year!

Edmond Antoine
CEO Creative Collaborative Coaching
Founder, Altruistic Odyssey

To hear more about our journey, feel free to join our mailing list or go to altruisticodyssey.org!

 

 

CREATIVITY AND COOPERATION, A lesson from our cause, Altruistic Odyssey

/in /by

As 2019 approaches its last months, I want to say how proud I am of the work that the association that I founded, Altruistic Odyssey, has done so far this year, first and foremost. Since January, we have signed a new agreement with Inner Will, a Nepali local NGO, we have  engaged and signed a project with the college in Sotang, we have hired a project coordinator for that endeavor, and have delivered the first iteration of success: full amenities for a computer lab for 16 students and an integrated learning program to utilize them. Along the way, we have redefined our focus in the way that we hope to improve and facilitate a modern education through our projects.

Along the way we have faced many challenges, especially given the current global environmental crisis that has manifested itself in different ways around the world. Portions of the Bahamas were recently ravaged by Hurricane Dorian, while across the world death and injury were caused by extensive flooding across Nepal, especially in Sotang. This tragic event posed an additional challenge in transporting the materials we ordered for the computer lab: four octagonal tables, sixteen chairs, computers, monitors, and a power generator.

This challenge posed a potential hurdle not just on a single project, but threatened to damage our ability to prove ourselves capable of completing our goals, which could ripple out into a lack of trust from potential future partners. When realizing all of what was at stake, this obstacle was  one that had to be overcome, although the solution was not one that naturally came to mind.

The materials were packed onto Jeeps that drove to a village on the edge of the worst of the flooded area that had to be passed. Villagers were then hired to mount the materials on their backs and carry them across the river. Tractors from the other side of the river were coordinated to meet with the villagers and, once the materials were repacked, brought the materials the rest of the way to the college.

This scenario is a single example of how environmental factors, whether they be the literal environment or the stressors we face on a day-to-day basis in our lives, can put a drain on our attention, attack our ability to focus, and reduce our achievements. The true damage this causes can be greater than a single goal, and can ripple out into a lack of achievement, and eventually a lack of trust in our ability to accomplish future goals.

Some people may have their own ways of getting around these stressors, and some people may not – in either case, I have found that focusing on creative and cooperative solutions is one of the most powerful routes to fixing these problems. Creativity helps develop new ideas and ways of getting around obstacles, while cooperation allows for a greater stressor to be distributed and tackled in smaller parts by multiple individuals. By focusing on these two aspects, tasks that were previously insurmountable become possible.

In closing, I wanted to pose a question: Are you currently facing, or have you ever faced, a problem that has no clear or simple solution immediately available? If so, how could, or did, creativity and cooperation play a part in its eventual solution?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this newsletter, and again thank you so much for your hard work so far this year.

I look forward to seeing how much more we can accomplish in the remaining months of 2019.
 

Edmond Antoine
Founder, Altruistic Odyssey

 

“A very happy new year to all! (Really?)

/in /by

The US government is shut down; the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) are regaining traction in France; and Brexit may happen without any agreement. Most financial analysts talk about another “imminent” recession. Not to mention more people globally die today from illnesses linked to overeating than people who are starving from hunger, which, of course, doesn’t diminish the pain for the people of South Soudan or Yemen. And the list goes on.

One of my best friends in Nepal lost his 50-year-old mother to cancer after a three-month fight. He wrote today in her obituary “Even death has not to be feared by the one who has lived wisely.” That got me thinking about my 2019 “wish list”.

Here are my wishes for 2019: timely resilience, increased wisdom, and strengthened relationships. As one of my teachers said “we should never forget that we have each other.”

We are only at the beginning of much higher unpredictability in the world today. So much of what we know is being redefined. Navigating through an endangered earth, regional conflicts and terrorist attacks, increasing gaps between the haves and haves not, as well as fear of recessions. This will require a higher level of resiliency from. My first wish is that we learn this much needed skill in 2019.

In the book “Co-inception Leadership,” I propose a five-step approach for leaders of the 21st century:

  • Discerning in a Mindful Way
  • Initiating Bravely
  • Co-Creating a Collective Promise
  • Engaging and Aligning Empowerfully
  • Acting and Executing on the Collective Promise

Step 1 is all about awareness and mindfulness: can we increase our discernment when looking at all factors surrounding our lives, as if we were spinning 360 degrees a couple of times? To achieve this state frequently, I propose moments of meditation every day. Some call it centering using the breath as a point of focus, as opposed to paying attention to numerous thoughts and emotions that are constantly disturbing our clarity.  If you start with five minutes of meditation per day at regular times, you’ll be on the right track. If you start your 5 minutes meditation in the morning, and if you do it regularly,it will benefit you your entire day

In my next blog entry, I’ll discuss my hope that we develop the necessary wisdom needed to navigate these new waters. I’l continue to write you this year, as I feel a greater need to develop new tools for this unpredictable world.

Let me know your thoughts @coachguide on twitter or edantoine@gmail.com

To close: I wish all of you a fantastic new year filled with timely resilience, increased wisdom, and strengthened relationships. This is a good recipe to generate joy and happiness!

Have you embraced nature yet?

/in , , , /by

Over the past seven years, I have brought numerous people to the beautiful Himalayas in Nepal. Initially, my project started in Buthan after I had attended a couple of workshops with the MIT Business school teachers Peter Senge and Otto Sharmer, who were studying the country’s “National Index of Happiness”. This index attempts to measure happiness through a more sustainable economic growth model in relation to the preservation of nature (the country is now carbon negative). The model is also connected to essential elements of what makes people’s lives meaningful and eventually happier: the respect of traditions as well as the meditative and spiritual life. After landing in Paro, I first visited Tiger’s Nest where Guru Rimpoche, a most revered Buddha, brought Buddhism to the Buthan-Tibet-Nepal region in the 8th century.

 

 

 

 

It was a steep climb to a magical place.

This trip inspired me to start organizing in 2010 what I called “coaching treks”. We hold them in the Everest National park, one of the most magnificent place on earth, which allowed us to hike to the Amadabla base camp at 15,000 feet.

These programs allowed participants to acquire the tools to develop projects that were “larger than life”, and also required a collective team approach.

They began with a home physical preparation program and an assignment to identify project objectives before embarking on the ten-day “Legacy Odyssey”.

 

I had totally embraced nature.

Being surrounded by the highest mountains in the world created an aura of additional possibilities. The incredible Nepali and Sherpa people we met along the way added to our overall experience through their gentle and resilient nature, which enables them to make things happen under virtually any kind of circumstances.

As a business and executive coach, I work in mostly large corporations, helping high-level teams and individuals optimize their performance. I facilitate their objectives by aligning three levels of performance: body, mind, and spirit so that the collective develops on a systemic level as well.

 

“Mens Sano in Corpore Sano”, the Romans used to say: a healthy mind in a healthy body. Most people who exercise regularly, for instance, have noticed a difference in their energy level as well as their enthusiasm. After physical exertion, we feel more alive and our mental faculties become more powerful, broader, deeper and more receptive to alternative thinking. Moreover, our resistance to stress increases and we feel refreshed.

Our modern world is often defined by static postures in front of a screen for long periods of time When I observe groups of people in cafes and restaurants collectively connecting with their social networks via smartphones, I am flabbergasted by the numbness it creates in their relationships.

 

How can we change this?

i encourage you to exercise as often as possible, to move around while working, to vary sitting and walking, to hold meetings standing up, to change seats often, to stretch, to break up your day by going to a park or a gym, getting up and walking if you travel by plane or train, etc…

As we develop new leadership skills, creating micro-changes on a regular basis is very healthy for our organizations. We suggest you start with somatic elements, as they help us engage these micro-changes better.

In our coaching assignments, individually or in groups, we often move and create changes in the way we use the space around us. In team coaching, for instance, we never use a typical classroom arrangement. Instead, we favor conversations around a circle of chairs, which allows us to modify the seating or standing arrangements often throughout the program. This helps promote a more organic change of perspectives, more creative solutions, as well as a greater energy level.

 

In addition, this physical movement will help you to embrace nature or “enter in nature” as I say sometimes.

 

Go into nature.
Pause and learn how to be more present. Observe the trees and plants around you. Slow down.
Breathe.
Visit your closest parc.

 

 

 

 

Whether I take clients on a woodland path in New Jersey’s South Mountain reservation or a rocky escapement towards the Everest base camp, being in nature always presents us with many new possibilities and adds meaning to our journeys.

That’s what I called “entering in nature” or exerting our “spirit mind”. Developing the capacity to get more in touch with our creative minds allows us to build innovative strategies, integrate more purpose in our business, and create a more meaningful environment.

Both the spirit and the heart are extremely useful for anybody in a position of leadership, and in situations where critical decisions may impact many people. Sometimes they help promote high performance, other times they may simply ensure the survival of a business, as we live in very volatile environments that change rapidly.

Nothing in our world can be taken for granted so our ability to be present, agile and mobile, with a quiet and decisive sense of urgency is an important part of these new leadership skills. “Entering in nature” as often as you can will make a big difference. As we do this, we need to reclaim our human nature as well.

Developing our “heart-mind” – as the Tibetans call it – allows connecting at a deeper level with our colleagues and with our teams. We’ll talk more about this in the context of a new intergenerational approach in our next blog.

 

Please send me your comments… by standing up and calling me at 1 973 477 7021 (leave me a message and a day/time to call you back if I’m not available)