Canyons, Napping, and Outsight

Blogging here's a bit like yelling into a canyon - I think somebody should hear me, but I'm never really sure! Or maybe it's like journaling, and it's really for my own benefit. Anyway, a warm shout-out to those of you reading this.

I mentioned in my last post that I was having a lot of fun working with the APLP team at the East-West Center, and promised to write about that. Among the many fun bits, here are three:

ONE: My colleagues can be pretty inspiring. Christina and I co-directed APLP this year (G15!) and working with her was something akin to sharpening pencils: we were always seeking the finer point of what we were designing and delivering, and this process generally felt really good. There's great pleasure in spending the time to get things right (or right enough). In these first weeks of January, Christina and I are reviewing the first semester of G15, and the sharpening continues. I hope to always have co-workers who are as focused, open, and funny as Christina. Hoping the same for all of us, in fact. Seek out people like this!  

TWO: APLPers can be pretty inspiring. When we were all together in G12, I had a sense that our diversity was unique and that we were learning a lot because of it. Now, as an instructor, I see it very clearly. There are few places where adults from such varied backgrounds come together and forge common learnings and outcomes. It takes a lot of patience and discipline on the part of all (or most) involved. Watching successive groups struggle to create a shared identity that is flexible enough for everyone's differences is energizing. It makes my small part of it seem worthwhile, and makes me want to do better.

THREE: The Japanese Garden. This past year, I discovered its great napping opportunities. Not sure why it took me so long.

Regardless of the fun - I do still miss you all in APLP-land, and wish there were a way to bring you back for a visit.

Cheers - Gretchen

PS - Read this article recently about how we as leaders (or anyone wishing to make change) must intentionally make ourselves uncomfortable by taking action outside of our core areas. Acting beyond our "comfort zones" can help us gain new learning and skills (what the author calls "outsight") through action. In fact, that is one thing that working with EWC - and having to get up in front of a class and deliver - has provided me: multiple opportunities to feel uncomfortable, and perhaps develop outsight. Have you had similar experiences lately?

See the article here: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00319

How it should end...

Two Gretchens (really!) hike Innstidalur - hot springs are still 7 hours away...

Aloha G12!

Last year, at the height of (my) summer, I went to Iceland with some friends to run a half-marathon at midnight. The race ended at some hot springs, and we all got in for a midnight steam bath. All races should end this way!

The next day, we went on an epic hike, which also ended at some hot springs. We spent three hours lazing about in very hot water, every so often getting out to cool off in some very cold snow-melt. All hikes should end this way!

On the way to the airport for our flight back to Boston, we stopped once more at some hot springs, for one last bath at the well-known tourist place called the Blue Lagoon. It's filled with blueish-white clay that everyone rubs all over their skin as they sip cocktails. It's quite a sight: all sorts of people, completely covered in clay, walking through the steamy water, with sunglasses on and drinks in their hands. All vacations should end this way!

In a year filled with a ton of travel and a fair amount of adventure, Iceland competes for "top adventure" with snorkeling in jellyfish-infested waters in the Gulf of Oman, and - just a few weeks ago - participating in a Native American sweat lodge ceremony in the mountains of North Carolina. (The jellyfish stung, however, and the sweat lodge was extremely hot - I got burned.)

My niece and me on Christmas Eve

And so once again we are at the start of a new year, full of adventure-potential. Once again, I'll divide my year roughly in half between Boston (where my family is) and Hawaii (where my job is). In between, I'm considering walking the Camino de Santiago - a pilgrimage route in northern Spain. It's been on my mind for well over a decade, and this may be the year! Or, it may not be. Regardless, the best parts of life continue to be spending time with family and friends, new and old. Hope to see some of you this year, too!

(Also - it continues to be a lot of fun working with new generations of APLP - I'll share a bit more about that in the next post.)

My warmest wishes for good health and much love in the new year,

Gretchen

Happy New Year to you all

Hello G12

Greeting from Myanmar  and I do hope all of us could pass a great time with great experiences after our G12 life during these 3 years. 

For Myanmar, 2015 become special and historic. Landslide victory of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party National League for Democracy in the election was clear message for change. We all wish to see many dreams and aspiration which reflected this result come through in 2016 and years ahead. 

Now is a really transition time for us as there is a dawn for real development with full of opportunities, challenges and excitement. I do hope to improve more on my adaptive leadership skills from the situation with lots of uncertainty and rapid change.  And  I feel that I am very lucky to be part of this transition and will try to support the best for this development.  

From Nang Seng

Yangon, Myanmar

January 4, 2016

Seasons Greetings!

The past several months have been super busy filled with travel, teaching classes, research, meetings, and packing on some pounds eating southern comfort food. I'm currently in Toronto spending time with family for the holidays before the semester starts again in January.

The last time on the blog, I reported on developing a faculty-led study abroad trip. In June of this year, I embarked on one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in my life -- taking 18 students on a 10-day trip to tour some of the most remarkable sights in Switzerland and France.  The trip was amazing but it surely was not absent of adaptive challenges!

Students touring Chateau de Chillon

Prior to the Switzerland trip, I was in Greece developing a future study abroad experience. During my time there I spent most my time in the islands of Rhodes and Crete. 

Lindos, Greece

In addition to seeing new sights, I've been able to munch on some really tasty desserts like the bread pudding pictured below. 

I hope all is well and that the New Year brings great joy and good favor to everyone!

XOXO  

Aloha from London!

Greetings from a new city

Departure from Hawaii and arrival in the UK

After spending the past few years in Honolulu working for the president's office at the EWC, I moved to the UK in October to pursue a graduate degree at University College London. With this move, I believe that I'm at least the fourth member of G12 to pursue graduate study in the UK. It was a tough decision to leave Hawaii and the work that I was involved in with President Morrison but I ultimately determined that it was the right time to pursue a graduate degree.

I appreciate the advice that Taku and Ahila provided in support of my move and it has been great to meet with Nafiseh, who is living in the UK right now. I've also been able to reconnect with Alisha when she was in town for a visit. I hope to see other APLP alumni here in the future.

Meeting with Nafiseh in Central London for lunch

Meeting with Alisha in East London one evening

Library expert for the moment

While my graduate program means that much of my time is spent in the library, I am enjoying getting to know London as time allows. If you happen to find yourself in London, but in the mood for some food and atmosphere that reminds you of Hawaii, you'll be pleased to know that there are two Kua 'Aina locations in the city.

Entrance to one of the libraries at University College London (UCL)

India wedding weekend

As I write this entry I have just returned from a friend's wedding in Jaipur, India. This was my first wedding in India (no plans for another one at the moment) and it was a tremendous experience. Beyond seeing my friend Surya get married - one of the first people I met when I moved to Jakarta - it was great to reconnect with many other friends from that time period who also came to join the celebration. 

The groom's father is in the center

APLP Global Happy Hour

The APLP Alumni Board Board launched the Global Happy Hour initiative in September 2015 to bring APLP alumni and friends together around the world on a single night. Several members of G12 took part in the APLP Happy Hour in their local community and I hope that we'll see even stronger turnout for the next gathering, which will likely take place sometime in March 2016. As one of my final activities in Honolulu, I was grateful for the chance to serve as overall coordinator for the initiative and co-host the gathering in Hawaii.

APLP Global Happy Hour in Honolulu on September 8th, 2015

Wish you all the best for the final weeks of 2015 and a great start to the new year!!!

Start Uppppp !

I just have this feeling on this September …. 

Yes! I’m on the new path of my life’s journey…

beginning to do my own business.

Nothing the same as many books I read about startups. At the point of uncertainty, I struggle to go forward and look backward all the time.

My business idea is so simple that many people don’t think it will work out well. 

It begins from the book called ‘Business Model Generation’ that I read on January of this year.

The first time I read the book, I did not think about doing business. I read it because a friend wanted me to share about this topic among their friends. After the first time as a trainer to speak about this topic, I fall in love with it!   

Moreover, one of the participants invited me to teach their business partners…. That was the beginning!!

After learning about Business Model Canvas, the theory in Business Model Generation book, and teach amount of people, finally, I wanted to test it with myself.

On September, I told this idea with a friend who is a web expert. Then my idea became real…we create content about Business Model Canvas (BMC) together into our new web. Without any skill and experience about website, I did the hard work to learn how to write it by many examples that my friend show me.

More than 1,000 people access to our website after opening only 2 week! We create the line group to collect people that tell us on the web that they are interested to discuss more about this topic.

My first one day seminar began on 3^rd October with a little amount of people. However, the good word-of-mouth spreading to the social network increases the participant number.

I just organized 1^st BMC meeting on last Friday (27 Nov) at Tooney Toy Museum again the feedback of the event was amazing. The participants stayed overtime to discuss their creative idea.

I do not know where my path to lead me to. I like the sentence about the Startup’s problem of Dr. Alexander Osterwalder, the writer of BMC theory that Startup business is changing too fast all the time to find the right direction to jump in.

I am on it… the fast changing and high flexibility in every aspect of my life. I talks to new people to find out the new possibilities almost every day, some may agree some may not and some give me the good suggestion. I do not know how long does this period take, but I know in my mind is I am growing and walking closer to my dream to have my own company.

By the way, if you want to see what I am doing, here is my web

 www.businessmodelrecipe.com

(Thai language only)

Mahalo.... Thanks for reading,  

Nam

Transitions

Quite frankly, I’m writing this in the midst of turmoil.

About two months ago, I submitted my resignation letter to the managing board of my organization. I would not go into the details here, I haven’t yet articulated my experience in “leadership in practice”. Two and a half years of work and life in Tokyo - It’s not long but rough road where my values and beliefs were tested. Changes are happening both in my career and personal life. These changes – good or bad - are shaking the core of who I am.

Once again, I’m in the process of unlearning and re-learning about myself.

Did I expect this when I was in APLP? I remember I was preparing myself for the new responsibilities at work and the new life in Tokyo. I saw challenges but also opportunities. Just like in my twenties and thirties, I thought I had a rather clear vision in terms of what I wanna do in my life, and plans to reach there. There were some obstacles foreseen but I took them as exciting challenges rather than the cause of distress.

A friend of mine recently gave me a book called “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Change”, written by William Bridges and translated into Japanese (and many other languages). Knowing what I have been through, he thought the book might help me to deal with the situation – or more likely, myself.

Reading the book, I realized that I hadn’t really expected to go through such a big internal change at this point of my life. I had simply assumed that I build a kind of “foundation” by the time I reach a certain age, and what I have to do is to keep building up on it.  But now, what I might have to do is to rebuild the foundation from the ground up. The journey to find who I am seems to be never ending.

Now I see myself in the middle of a wide open space. I no longer continue to take the same path that leads to the destination I used to set. I don’t even know if I should move forward or back, or start digging where I’m standing.

That being said, I am not too anxious about the situation and am giving myself a time and space to figure the new destination and paths gradually. In any case, I still have 6 months to leave my work and there are still a lot to deal with till then!

I hope I can share with you some exciting news in the near future – till then, wish me good luck!