Business Growth through People empowerment

People empowerment in organizations, is a practice that is both embraced and feared. Embraced, in a world that is constantly changing and feared when boundaries are crossed. There have been a number of research studies that have positively linked empowerment with increased team performance.

According to a study, organizations which practice employee empowerment have 50% higher degree of customer loyalty. Another research by Pepperdine University, suggested a clear relation between people empowerment and financial success.

Many factors contribute to organizations yielding the benefits of people empowerment. Here we will look at some of the aspects:

Intrinsic empowerment

“Ask not……Ask what you can do for your country” – JFK. Although, most people empowerment literature begins with organizational or leadership perspectives, here we would like to begin with team members themselves. People need to have the empowered spirit and know that they have the power to perform and take the organization ahead. This enables all the people empowerment efforts worthwhile.  

Leadership

Although, its upto the people in the organization to execute the responsibility given through empowerment, a leaders’ role is vital here as well. Empowerment, begins with power sharing by the leaders, where they make their people feel trusted and valued. It’s important not to lock people up in box, through micromanagement that restricts them from spontaneity and creativity both of which are required in todays’ VUCA world.

Group Cohesion

People empowerment, that gives independence in tasks, works well when there is interdependence. When interdependence lacks, in a team with increased autonomy, the team performance is reduced.

Agreement

There has to be an agreement made between the team members and the leaders inorder, to set boundaries, finalize training plans etc that will make the people empowerment process work.

When done in the right manner, people empowerment, enables leaders with more time for critical business aspects and motivated team members. 

Karnataka Hockey Team gearing up for the upcoming season through experiential learning at Breakthrough

The Karnataka senior men’s Hockey team which is preparing for the upcoming nationals participated in an experiential learning program at Breakthrough today. Breakthrough is an organization that uses experiential learning to facilitate learning of behaviours and values for teams from across corporates, colleges, schools, sporting teams etc.

The Karnataka Hockey team along with Coach Sandeep Somesh came to Breakthrough to bring the team together and build a positive mindset through experiential learning. The program was packed with activities that were aimed at creating a conducive environment for learning.

Speaking on the program, Pradhan Somanna, a member of the Karnataka Hockey team said “The program helped us to dissolve negativities and to have a fresh mindset. The atmosphere at Breakthrough was unique. It was a fantastic motivating program”.

The coach Sandeep Somesh, said “One of the big takeways from the program for me and the team is that if you push the limit, you can go beyond what you really expect. I am happy with everything we did at Breakthrough, as it can be related a lot to the hockey ground in terms of trusting and supporting teammates and staying together as a unit.”

The vision of Breakthrough is to impact lives. Each part of the program was carefully designed to bring the impact that can be taken back to the field where players can apply and take the team to the next level.

Fit or Misfit: The significance of proper sports gear in adventure/outbound programs

Adventure activities are no longer a distant foreign concept like it used to be about 15 years ago. Today we have so many opportunities in various places all over India where adventure and outbound activities are conducted.

I have been associated with Breakthrough (a project of Sports Outreach India) since the year 2000 and have seen over the years how outbound adventure activities can have a lasting impact with significant learnings. These learnings are not only at the individual level but also at a team and organisation level. My experience and involvement in this field has not only been as a Program Facilitator but also in designing and building challenge courses like High and low ropes courses, walls, etc… My experience tells me that one of the key components that can make or break outbound programs is the selection and proper use of activity specific sports gear or equipment. The gear used can either be a ‘fit’ or a ‘misfit’ – the right one or the wrong one.

In the field of outbound and adventure activity oriented programs the gear used, fall into three categories: Activity operating Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and appropriate clothing and foot wear. The activity operating equipment is the equipment needed to set up and run the activity effectively and safely. It could be in the form of ropes, carabineers, belay devices, etc…PPE are safety gear like helmets and harnesses. Proper clothing and foot wear are very important to be able to do and enjoy the activity.

Activity specific professional gear has an impact on the outcome of any adventure based program by influencing three significant program areas – physical safety, emotional safety and learning impact.

Physical safety

The gear worn or the equipment used play a crucial role in the successful outcome of any ropes course or other adventure activities. The Accident Equation put forth by Alan Hale, Former President, International Safety Network, shows that accidents occur when human factors interact with environmental factors. However, there is a third factor – the gear or the equipment used. When all three factors interact there is a potential for accidents.

All three factors play a major role for the success of any program. However, the one that is easily compromised is that of the equipment - be it operating or PPE. The compromise can happen because of three reasons: economic reasons, not knowing where to source it from and the lack of knowledge (what to use and how to use it?).

At Breakthrough we have a philosophy where safety can never be compromised and in fact safety is not just a rule but a culture. It is always best to invest in proper sports gear and have no regrets later. If physical safety and success can go hand in hand then, quality of the gear should never be compromised. Yes, with quality equipment, there comes a big price. However the long term benefits reaped choosing the proper gear/equipment far outweigh the cost in terms of credibility, value add and repeat business. The losses incurred when there is an incident or accident due to equipment failure is much more than the cost of that particular equipment. Therefore, it can be said, that buying good quality gear is not an expense but an investment. So it would be wise to invest in good quality activity specific sports gear.

In today’s time and age of commercialism, you can get what you want and all you want if you just look in the right places or shed some ego and ask around. When we started Breakthrough in 2000 we used to get all our gear from outside India, even if it was available here it was more expensive. Today there are so many suppliers of adventure related gear, both online and offline. Just writing this, three reliable suppliers came to my mind - Allied Safety Equipments (PETZL), Decathlon and Wildcraft. If I put some thought to it there will be many more. If you make an intentional effort to source proper gear from reliable suppliers you could have the best gear suited specifically for your use.

Well, you must have heard of the sayings, “Do not give a rose garland to a monkey” or “Do not throw pearls to swine”. These sayings are so true in the field of adventure sports and outbound training. Many have the best of gear but do not know how to use them. When an accident happens, the equipment or the manufacturer is blamed. Lack of knowledge about the proper use of the equipment is one of the reasons for many unfortunate incidents. Today, thankfully there are many people who are knowledgeable and can train on request. In fact, there are equipment suppliers who not only sell good quality gear but also provide training on how to use it. One such is Allied Safety Equipments (PETZL). The other alternative is to get staff trained at credible places. Gear used in a proper manner by trained personnel, prevents accidents. Hence invest in Training.

Emotional Safety

Emotional Safety is a Psychological term used to describe an emotionally stable state where one is free to encounter new experiences without being in danger of physical, verbal or visual harm (looked at weirdly). In the ropes course and adventure world emotional safety is very crucial for persons to have a safe place to challenge themselves to reach new levels of trust that will have a significant learning impact.

Professional gear that looks safe and feels safe enables people to be emotionally safe. This enhances their journey from high perceived risk to a low actual risk by allowing them to take calculated risks in a safe environment. Knowing from where the equipment is got and seeing the specifications marked on it lends credibility and helps people make a decision on whether to participate or not.

Learning Impact

There is always something about encountering a challenge .The challenge could be physical, mental or emotional. It could possibly be alone or as a member of a group. Challenges heighten the anxiety factor. The Yerkes-Dodson learning curve shown below, illustrates that a certain level of anxiety promotes learning.

According to the above, moving out of your comfort zone promotes learning. But moving into the panic zone (Increased/Over Anxiety) could be detrimental to learning. The gear you wear or use influences the person’s anxiety level. If something is uncomfortable or if any equipment causes constant pain during an activity the person focuses on the painful experience rather than learning anything from the whole activity. She/he will go away from the program with negative learnings such as, ‘Never participate in an Outbound Program again’. Hence, close attention needs to be paid to the proper selection and right use of activity gear for all adventure based outbound programs.

To conclude, it would be appropriate to say, that it is of paramount importance that all those using adventure based outbound programs, see the significance of the huge influence that the gear used can have on the outcome of the programs.

If you are one of those who do, then check whether the gear you have is a ‘Fit’ or ‘Misfit’ for you. ‘Fit’ or ‘Misfit’ could mean the difference between ‘Fortune’ and ‘Misfortune’ for your organization.

-Timothy Connors, Program Director, Breakthrough.

Planting seeds of goodness into young lives, the Breakthrough way

Suicides, bullying and violence have crept into our school campuses, leading to an unhealthy environment for our children to grow. Research states that, if children continue to be aggressive in elementary school and are not taught good coping skills, such as communication and problem solving, they will continue to be aggressive, often for a lifetime (Moffit and Caspi, 2001). At Breakthrough, our value based experiential learning program are tuned to plant seeds of goodness into the budding young lives.

What is exciting about experiential learning through activities is that, it captivates the young as well as the old. At Breakthrough, our solutions cater not only to top notch corporate organizations but also to colleges and schools. As we near children’s day, we would like to through the spot light on our school programs. Our school programs are offered to children in the age group of 12 and above. Our popular school programs are Born to lead and Realize. In this blog, we have focused on one of our school programs ‘REALISE”.

Using experiential learning methodology ‘Realize Life skills Program’ is specially designed for students based on some of the most significant life skills needed for successful leadership such as self- esteem ,Communication, Team synergy ,decision making ,problem solving and leadership.

Key learning objectives of the program are :

R – Recognizing strengths and weaknesses

E- Experiences that create impressions

A-  Acquiring life skills.

L- Learning to apply for everyday life

I – Influencing school ,home and society.

S- Succeed in maintaining the changed self

E- Exploring new avenues for personal growth and community development

One of the teachers Ms. Sheela Rani, who attended the program said that  ”The Breakthrough held at Breakthrough was captivating, well-organized with innovative activities which taught us great values of life in a simple way. Children learnt to do things better in a group”

Praful Hanumanth, a student who attended the program said “I loved all the activities; they changed our life and passion for life and helped us to reach our goals”.

We look forward to impact more young lives in the coming days through our programs, to create a health environment for our children to grow.

Happy Children’s day in advance!

A case study of consistent partnership

Their Need:

Consistent Ownership & High Performance

Their Strategy:

Create a culture that facilitates both ownership & performance

What we did/do:

• TNA (areas of need/growth)

• Design of High Performance Culture Training Program

• Top to bottom roll-out, company-wide

• Senior director Co-facilitation

• Address Specific Performance/culture Blocks

• A six yearlong consistent partnership   

What they said:

‘The unique programs helps our new joinees to quickly understand & adapt to the organisations disciplined yet friendly culture. It is more effective … refreshingly different & challenging, and have a positive impact back in the office’ -Dinesh Sonawane, Senior Director

A snap shot from the life of Robin Paul, CEO and Founder of Breakthrough

At a young age growing up in Bangalore, Karnataka, Robin, had the opportunity to enter the world of sports and began to find success. He represented India at the 100, 200 metres and relay. At that time, he was coached by the famous coach Lingappa who still coaches today at the age of 90.

After years of peak performance, he went through a rough patch which brought a lot of disappointments. The down-side to being embedded in sports is losing. This made him search for purpose. He became a follower of Jesus during that phase of his life and began to find meaning.

As a runner, he was able to stand against the challenge to get short term results by unethical means because of his faith in Christ. He was training for the 1978 Asian games in Bangalore. In those days Kanturva stadium had a cinder track. In the national camp the team will be selected to participate in 4 X 100 relay for the national team if the qualifying time of 40.5 seconds was achieved. The rain disrupted practice before the race. At that time, the team discussed, what they had done the previous year. In the 4 X 100 metres relay, you have to stay in your tracks. If the third runner cuts into the first lane he cuts the distance and time. Being the third runner they wanted Robin to cut tracks, to which he refused. The two judges who were also from Karnataka, came to him saying “Robin, you are from Karnataka, do what you want and we will not disqualify you”. But, Robin refused to cut tracks and the team did not qualify. He was disappointed but was glad that he was able to stand for the right thing.

He became a Chaplain at several sporting events like the Asian Games in Seoul, the Seoul Olympics, World Athletics Championships in 1993, 1995 and 1997 and finally the Sydney Olympics 2000. He had the opportunity to travel around the world rubbing shoulders with sports stars like Carl Lewis, Madeline Mims and Jonathan Edwards.

During one of his visits to the US, he had the opportunity to attend a conference by the Association of Experiential Education, which opened his eyes to the world of experiential education. This led to the formation of Breakthrough, a project of the trust, Sports Outreach India in 2000.

Today, as the CEO and Founder of Breakthrough, Robin impacts organizations in India and different parts of the globe through experiential learning. He has facilitated Outbound training programs for CEOs and top management in a number of multi-national companies. Under his leadership and guidance Breakthrough has grown to have three campus in South India, two of which are partnered centres. We hope to grow across India and Srilanka in the coming years impacting lives through experiential learning. Srilanka is the next focus for Breakthrough with the ground work that has already begun for the upcoming centre. 

Breakthrough’s offsite programs

Breakthrough currently has three campuses one in Bangalore, a campus in Coimbatore in Partnership with the PRR Training Centre and the third campus in Hosur which is a partnership with Esther Enterprises. The three centres have enabled Breakthrough to provide Outbound Training services for leading corporate organizations and educational institutions in South India.

However, Breakthrough has been able to provide a similar quality of program in different parts of the country and around the world. We have conducted programs in the US, Srilanka and several other countries. This is possible because of the uniquely developed offsite kit which has enabled Breakthrough to create an impact in the offices and campuses of our clients.

One of the top priorities for organizers of Outbound training programs in organizations is the location. The offsite kit constituting of activity equipment, welcome kit, writing and presentation materials etc has made offsite training programs conducted by Breakthrough uniquely engaging. Based on the training needs of the clients the materials can be customized as well.

As Breakthrough looks to expand in different locations our capacity to conduct training programs in varied locations through our offsite kit has enabled us to be dynamic in our vision of impacting lives. 

Strategic Transformational Training Methodology

Robin Paul and Timmy Connors from Breakthrough, participated in a three day Program on Strategic Transformational Training Methodology organized by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, which featured the Strategic Development of managerial capability being the key element in strategic survival and growth.

The program focused on developing a methodology for putting together strategic transformational training by examining pre-training, through training and post training variables and addressed the following:

• Criteria for identifying partner organizations/trainers for delivering training

• The importance of pre-training diagnostics for capturing organizational felt and unfelt needs to steer the design and delivery as close to the reality confronting managers in fulfilling roles and responsibilities and in producing the desired results

• Review of various approaches to gaining training organization/ trainer sensitization to the client organization’s ecosystem

• Identifying ingredients of training content design which can be re configured into various permutations and combinations to produce the desired learning impact from a strategic transformational perspective

• Gaining understanding of premium training delivery ingredients to enhance training engagement value for participant development as well as to achieve the strategic transformational purpose of the delivery in an integrated flow of the content

• A comprehensive framework for assessing training impact

• A methodology for assessing long term impact and long haul achievement both at the individual level as well as at the organizational level

 

Breakthrough approved for Podio Sponsorship.

 Breakthrough thanks www.podio.com   for sponsoring us and enhancing the way business at Breakthrough works by giving us easy access to your premium features.

 How Podio is making work easy and productive for team Breakthrough.
 
Podio definitely is the best web-based management platform we've come across so far. It offers anything you would expect from a Project management tool. It has helped us  a great deal in streamlining and tracking important tasks and processes like approvals, discussions and projects while keeping our internal business information secure and preventing things from falling in the cracks. The interface is particularly clean and visually appealing.

Its ability to define workspace with its own set of collaborators and functionalities is particularly valuable to get things done. Podio is also a great tool to share ideas within teams and collect feedback.

Worth mentioning that an impressive amount of apps is available on the Podio app store, that makes Podio even more useful and collaborative.

In all the Breakthrough team is all excited about it and we are sure your team will love to use it also.

Sabanaaz Bali