Communication Butterflies

I enjoy giving posts nonsensical titles. I feel like sometimes I throw them up there and they look ridiculous, but sometimes they make unusual sense.

Anyway, this post is about communication - and how extremely important it is to organizational health, especially when it comes to internal communication of external commitments. So it became so apparent this evening, when our biggest external stakeholder and financial supporter came face to face with me in an unexpected meeting of minds.

Reestablishing communication after it has all but evaporated is an arduous task, particularly for someone who was thrown into the mix while it was all falling apart. It demands a degree of creativity and determination to ensure that the remaining faith in that communication does not crumble, because in the end, all that communication is based upon is faith and trust. It's the follow-through that seals that trust.

These are some of the professional life lessons that I am learning in my time in Oman. Every day presents a new way of looking at the same things we're doing in a different light - and the opportunity to do something different that will make the difference between meeting a goal or missing it.

Here's to maintaining the foresight and energy to know when I must make the change.

Gulftastic Time

And so it was that I ended my journey back from the US of A with a three day stopover in the island kingdom country of Bahrain. The occasion was the first AIESEC Gulf Conference, bringing together members from Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. There was a special aura, an energy amongst all in attendance - anticipating what this moment would mean. For me, it was a chance to really see a piece of my work coming to fruition, a tangible verification of the work that my team and I have done to this point. I cannot claim too much responsibility for the success of this conference outside of the sessions that I helped to facilitate, so I give credit where credit is certainly due to Jorien of Bahrain, and David of my team. With these two leaders, we, as a group in the Gulf, were able to catalyze our efforts into an experience for a group of young people that they will certainly not forget for a long time to come.

It is good to be back in the Gulf. It is good to be back in Oman. After leaving and coming back so many times now, it is now comforting to feel that there is a piece of home in Oman when I return. I am looking at another period of time away from this piece of home for another incredible AIESEC experience in the Republic of Macedonia. This will surely prove to be the most singularly challenging and exciting experience in my AIESEC career, as I will be representing my colleagues and members, as well as the six months of work we've done to this point, before a group of over 100 peer leaders. I know that I have a large responsibility going in to this conference, and that a lot is expected out of my representation. I feel as if I am looking at one of those defining and enlightening moments in life that provide a degree of clarity and confusion all at the same time.

I believe in the power of what I am a part of, the potential, and the impact already, of my efforts through the organization that is AIESEC. It's funny how my relationship with it is changing all the time, as well as my perception of my effectiveness and my capacity and competency to make our large goals realities. To say that it has been easy would be a lie. To be honest, it has been an extreme roller coaster much akin to an adolescent romance turning into an adult relationship- distance, skepticism, infatuation, love, struggle, disillusionment, rejection, finally to tempered, dedicated, quietly passionate love and deep respect. While I cannot say that it will forever receive my attention and love as I intend for my adult relationship, I can say that I will persist in my work for it, as a labor of love for its ideals and principles - and the people they are intended to benefit the most.

Revelations come at the most unexpected moments.