The Gamble

I heard a quote that stuck recently. Robin Roberts participated at a recent conference and while talking about her recent fight against breast cancer she said her motto was, “Make your mess your message”.


I spent time thinking about that quote. Coming “out” on the front page of the Los Angeles Times about John’s addiction to alcohol was liberating and also a way to make my mess my message.


I have been living in a mess since coming to Saint Lucia. Sometimes things don’t work out. Organizational Effectiveness can be incredibly rewarding – and terribly frustrating. It’s about helping people focus on the goal rather than individual agendas, helping them focus on passion rather than skill, and on motivators rather than a defined structure. It’s about helping people feel comfortable with risk and learning from failure and celebrating success no matter the magnitude. It’s about patience and realizing slower is usually faster. It’s about helping leadership realize that people need freedom to do a job without interference. It's guiding leadership to share a vision with others and allowing that vision to grow in unimaginable ways.


More often than not teams will succeed. There are a few times, however, when the stars just won’t line up and I have to walk away. Unfortunately, this is the case with my primary assignment in Saint Lucia. This week I walked away from it. I tried everything I could think of and more. I called experts who I knew in the states and asked for advice. Each time I reached a dead end, I picked up the pieces and tried to find another opening. But, when every possible opening was met with resistance it became clear that it was time to move on. It’s not failure – it’s learning. I wish this team the best and hope it can find its way.


The good news is that I now work with what I describe as the best IPP (Institutional Point Person) on the island. Brenda and I have worked together on a few assignments since I arrived.


I am officially working with her on activities such as the after-school pilot program. I am working with another volunteer at the Ministry of Social Transformation to develop training and measurement instruments for the after-school pilot program. Brenda is open to suggestions, enjoys brainstorming and has an amazing capacity to listen and consider change. Yes, I teach her, but she also teaches me.


Although my past primary assignment did not work out, I have accomplished many things in the past year that I feel good about. I have done a lot of leadership training, taught at Monroe College, worked in the secondary and primary school to teach Junior Achievement, planned a very successful event to teach the village children about the two Saint Lucia Nobel Laureates and another to teach children about Saint Lucia’s history on its thirtieth anniversary of independence. I am fulfilled with secondary successes


So, here it is. Organizational Effectiveness is a gamble. My newest mess is now my newest message: You got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. Thanks Kenny!