My third trip to India for Women on Wings in only 7 months! All three had in common that they generated so much energy, it almost felt like holidays. This week was a kind of triptych.
Keeping up the pace in execution
The workshop at Swades Foundation was supposed to be ‘just another step’ of the roadmap. Having a marvelous ambition, strategy and approach, Swades is now at the long road to success with expected and non-expected hurdles in execution. The previous workshops were held in the rural area, with the executing team. This time we met at the Head Office in Mumbai, where the team of the Head Office also joined.
We bridged the gap and built mutual understanding!
A model is only a tool but helps us in moving forward
Again the Canvas model helped Swades to discuss several subjects like training & mentoring, communications and the pilots to develop entrepreneurship. The model shows how subjects are interrelated en provides a simple structure for a complex reality. It is just a tool, but a good tool to indicate and to discuss issues in the group.
Summit on Business Planning in Delhi
Where working with Swades was a familiar territory and group of people, the Summit on Friday and Saturday with multiple business partners was a new setting. I prepared a program with a tight schedule and a wonderful promise: ‘In 2 days, we will work on the 5 steps towards building your business plan in an easy but solid way’. It worked out as an intensive and interactive program with 6 business partners; 12 participants. The group turned out to be eager to learn and to interact in a constructive way. I was surprised by the high level of openness! Some of the organizations could be considered to be competitors as they operate in the same field of industry.
Pressure cooker
The 2-days program contained 5 workouts. We intended to let people leave the summit with a kind of framework for their business plan. To help them to develop the business plan with their own team we supplied lots of input and tools to create a good plan with execution power. It turned out to be rather difficult stuff, mainly because at every workout, time was short. This really was experienced as a pressure cooker. However, the tools we offered gave hand to set steps forward, during and after the Summit.
A one day holiday
Between ‘Swades’ and the Summit, I had a day off because of Ganesh Chaturthi (an important Hindu festival). I visited the wine area at Nashik. Different area, different industry. But a worthwhile part of my triptych!
Naomi Bisschop
