Planning, Preparing and Excitement

Today we have been busy preparing for the upcoming week. The leadership retreat begins tomorrow, and James will begin in the morning by giving a presentation to the group, explaining what Integral Coaching is, how it will benefit them in the Leading From Within training, and how it is unique from other types of coaching. This is the first time ever that Integral Coaching has been brought to this kind of context, so he is making sure to be aware of using language that allows the participants to understand the terms, phrases, and concepts in a way that is inspiring and not overwhelming.

As we plan the schedule, there is a lot to take into account, as many participants are traveling significant distances, some from more remote villages, needing to find childcare, etc. This is a pretty tight schedule in order to get one and half hour sessions with each person this week, then have one week to create their Integral Coaching programs, and then use the remaining week to deliver these programs to each person. This means we'll be meeting with five participants each day, which is quite a lot, even back at home. Yet the design of this month is such that everyone can get coached in a reasonable time, and we'll hopefully find a smooth rhythm of work each day.

We are very lucky to have Patricia, the Nigerian Office Manager for One Sky, supporting us in the coaching meetings. She has been been involved throughout the training so far, so she knows each participant already. She will be present for meetings so that she can bridge any language or cultural gaps should they arise, and also so that she can learn about how Integral Coaching works as it is of great interest to her. James is considering how to best include her in a way that supports each participant's development, as well as her relationship with them. Intimacy here is based on familial values that James doesn't necessarily have in common, so it is important that we have Patricia here to help take these into account.

We've also been working with the space we have for the coaching meetings, which is a room in the back of the One Sky office. James is considering how to arrange the room in the best way for he and the participant to connect, and also for Patricia and I, who will be observing each meeting, to be included. He wanted to do this in a way that respects their sense of relationship, while also holding what we're here to accomplish. For example, because the worldview of many people here is such that they are working to develop a healthy relationship to authority, he considered whether he should sit behind a desk versus chair to chair as he usually would, so that they would feel more comfortable in understanding the roles. He chose to do it as usual. We rearranged things, then decorated the room with some random framed pictures of Canada that I found in my closet, as well as some curtains, and a tablecloth. It turned out quite lovely! We did get the lights working in the room, but are equipped with candles in case the power goes out during one of our evening sessions.

This evening we took a break from preparing to go out for dinner with our team. Mike, the Director of One Sky, arrived this morning, so we were happy to have him out with us. I am grateful to be able to spend time with Gail, Lisa, and Mike, as they have much to offer in sharing their experiences here and explaining things about Nigeria. Over dinner we discussed the weeks to come, things to be aware of in terms of cultural differences, and our deep inspiration in what we are working on here.

Back at the office James and I finished off the night's preparations by choosing music to play in the presentation, and writing the lyrics out on flip chart paper so we can show them to everyone. I am excited about the song choice, because the artist Sasha Rose is from the San Francisco bay area, and the song is a beautiful blend of both a personal and collective prayer for strength, integrity, and growth toward unity. For me there is something very touching about sharing local music from where I'm from with a message that is relevant here. For the next presentation we chose a song by Fela Kuti, a very famous Nigerian musician.

Now we are all ready for tomorrow, and I am quite excited and a bit nervous for the retreat to begin. I'll let you know how it goes!