Stepping into connection

Originally written August 24, 2021

What does it mean to go from siloed and distant to being connected? Collective impact and this radical collaboration rests within identifying common struggles, and sharing things that might be helpful with others.

This journey does not come without challenges. Grappling with this question of - how do we work together, learning from each other on a global level, but also dealing with roadblocks that are uniquely local, Chef Joao Lima from Fortaleza expressed:

 "I have to be honest with you. I feel like every morning is like a 'start over.' I am a very pragmatic person, I have to know what I am building and what I am working toward.' I know that this is new to people with this freedom, but at the end of the day, we have to deliver something. Guys, what are we doing here in fact? I would like to know that we are leaving these meetings and that we are doing something right. If not, I can't work with my host team, and I can't convince people to get engaged." 

Reflections like these are what shape this program. It is an ongoing process of doing, reflecting, and refining. The framework is fairly flexible, as it is designed to allow for the emergence of practices that suit a reality of host teams that exists only within their communities. That said, there are elements that are non-negotiable.

Claudio Rubio from the Medellin host team leaves us with the challenge, as CIP, well, "it has to be a balance between embracing the chaos and then also having shared metrics."