Hogging the road

Today was my first day back at the office after a relatively smooth launch on Friday. I should have known better than to expect it to continue that way.

On Friday, the group and I had reached a consensus on the path forward. Nothing is set in stone. For now, we listen. We take stock of what has come before and what a great many individuals and organizations see as the way ahead. It is a path of humility and elicits trust and participation in designing this new map.

By Monday, it was another story altogether. I felt like the driver who calmly sets off to a chosen destination but is suddenly reminded by someone else in the car that he knows a better way, a short cut, an easier passage to our destination. He has taken it many many times before and it requires a lot less gas or effort. Friday's discussion was nice, but now the real work begins. And it is going to be a long next few weeks.

A book published by a Frenchman named Jean Claude Marut underscored the weakness of many programs funded by American, German, Spanish, and French donors in this region. He underscored that programming is routinely parachuted into a region and grassroots communities are encouraged to accept and adopt the new approaches and models. The community is encouraged to "take ownership" of the project When that happens, then the project is deemed to be on the right track, a success even. In reality, it is usually a management of expectations with a touch of curiosity. A new project offers entertainment to the curious living in remote communities and usually adds SOMETHING of genuine merit to the lives of the people living there. It also involves a great deal of work in addition to their already very challenging lives. So it would be nice if they got a vote in choosing what new way they would be improving their lives. But that takes a lot of effort.

Villages are remote. Getting there requires long trips on unpaved road, gliding slowly through bug-filled rivers under a very hot, unforgiving sun, and perhaps miles again on foot. It IS easier to pass through local NGOs who have expertise in "mobilizing" communities in these rural outposts. The Lederach pyramid looks good in a Friday afternoon presentation, but reality sinks in about the necessary time and effort we will have to put into this process. Monday's modifications propose a kinder gentler pyramid. But I am not throwing in the towel. The middle ground will be to find a way to agree to meet grassroots groups in more accessible locations. Not sure that is really middle ground for them, but it may be as much as my current staff can handle. For now.

I ran across this tree in the courtyard of my hotel. It is small; no taller than 15 or 20 feet. But the fruit on this tree is enormous. Each the size of a small watermelon. The branches are also fine. Thin compared to what might expect when you look at what this plant is asked to bear for months on end. And yet it manages. The fruit starts small. It grows gradually allowing the tree branches to manage a heavier and heavier load until finally it is able to accomplish what earlier seemed impossible. I will take some inspiration from this tree and allow the workload to grow at a gradual pace. Until finally, my team is able to bear what today seems impossible.