Having spent time in India we now are ready to apply all the lessons to our day to day lives. There is so much correlation between what is happening in this pressure cooker and in a business environment.
Observation – Create Remarkable Dream Value
The participants at IISE all had their own struggles in their lives, which did not withhold them from stepping up to the plate and make a change. They came to India from 16 different countries to learn how to convert their dream to action. With all participants it is the intrinsic motivation, the passion for their cause that drives them to great heights. It is not about them, not their ego, they truly are here for a higher purpose.
What if we apply that to business? We believe that if people start working from their dream, their own passion, and apply that to the work they are doing, great things can happen. A lot of times business planning cycles and strategy sessions start with a SWOT analysis, a high level strategy, but often lacks one critical thing. The connection to the dreams and passion of the people who have to implement the strategy. Our Remarkable process focuses on just that. We know…. Dreaming sounds vague…. But wasn’t there someone in history that started his speech with “I have a dream”? And look what happened. If we allow ourselves to dream, turn the dreams into actions, we can create value. Social and economic value. We call it Remarkable Dream Value© (RDV).
Observation – Focus on the higher goal
We had to let go of a lot of our assumptions, adjust our plans, and allow ourselves to just go with the lessons we were offered each day. Sometimes we did hit a rough patch, but by keeping our focus on the end game, and the higher goal of us being here, we kept the energy flowing.
In business we often find that we tend to get lost in the details. We start with a plan. Make a detailed project description, and assign roles and responsibilities. Everyone knows exactly what to do, and believes he or she exists because of the role he or she needs to play. But what if things works out differently? We get confused. Roles are often changed, and ego’s start to play up. If we focus on our higher goals that are bigger than ourselves, that is when machine really starts to run.
Observation – Stay true to yourself
Did you ever sit in a presentation and had your mind wandering off? That is what happens when the presenter does not reach you. That is definitely not the case in the sessions we have witnessed here in Kerala. The people we were blessed to work with had stories about the challenges they faced in life. And by helping them present their stories in a way that they stay close to their authentic self, the messages came alive. It is really amazing what happens if a presentation is coming straight from the heart.
Our lesson when we started to think about this is simple. If you have to present something, make sure to embrace the story with all your heart. When the story is coming from your authentic self, it is guaranteed to reach your audience. Stay true to yourself.
Peggy-Jane & Karel
