A poem dedicated to Breakthrough

Life is a tight rope walk
Balance is the key to open every lock

Each step of not only yours, you watch
And always aim at higher notch

There is a lot at stake
On the choices, you make

When everything seems dark
Just remind yourself to rekindle the spark

Winning does becomes a habit
If on your laurels you don't just sit

You just need to be you
And you shall find your Breakthrough

          - Ashwin Karthik

Ashwin, dedicated this poem after experiencing a day at Breakthrough. 

Tales from Chewy

Death has a strange way of triggering emotions! Little Chewy died 10 days ago and it affected, rather continues to affect me, much more than I imagined it would. Even today, everytime I hear about him or think about him, it invokes a  sense of sadness. I have such strong feelings of loss of that delightful fawn coloured creature, with a wet snout and soft paws rubbing his face and his body against my legs, asking me to pet him or the lazy wag of his tail or the excitement that would get him to do anything in exchange for his treats. Chewy was the most well behaved and the smartest lab I have ever come across especially when it comes to his uncanny ability to sense emotions in people. Everytime, I have had a bad day, (over the last year, I have had a few!) Chewy made an extra effort to either come sit by me or make me pet him or at times, even getting up from  his lazy perch and walking to me with his tail wagging like a helicopter blade!

His sense of loyalty to Linda was unparalleled! He missed her and was miserable when she wasn't around (at times when she was just out of his sight too!) All she had to do, was whistle and he was be there within seconds, dropping whatever he was doing. And with kids, he was exceptional! I have seen kids pull his tail, flap his years and even hit him lightly but never once have I heard him snap or growl. All he had was a lazy expression on his face and I feel he may have been thinking "oh gosh! These kids I tell you - ANNOYING!" Anya and Aaron, the two kids who saw chewy quite often, are both too young to understand or even comprehend what has actually happened or even what death means, but it sure was a joy to watch their faces light up as soon as they saw Chewy. Of course it was one of the earliest words they both learnt in their vocabulary :)

After some thought I have come to realise that my strong emotions about Chewy were triggered by the thought that I didn't get to say a goodbye and how much I loved him! Just as Linda was talking about Robin's last memory, it struck me that my last memory of Chewy is, one of him sick and lying down struggling to get up by himself. He lay on the grass just as I walked into the campus that Friday morning. As I neared him, he whimpered and wagged his tail as much as he could. Chandra lifted him up and put him in his spot in the car to go to the hospital, for what would be his last car ride. I petted him and Chandra wiped off all his saliva and shortly after, they left and that was the last I saw little Chewy alive. I wish I had told him my goodbye and reminded him that there was no one else in this world that was so universally loved as he was. He treated everyone as his friend and I love Robin's description of Chewy - a therapeutic dog!

Chewy I miss you! You have a very special place in my heart and I learnt so much from you. You made my day innumerable times and am sure that I am not the only one who feels this. I hope I can learn to love, care and protect like you. You are my rockstar!

I love you Chewy!

Kaustubh (Kau)

From the Breakthrough Team 

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!

Corporate training as a career

In today’s highly competitive corporate world it is not about big beating small; rather it is about fast beating slow. Organisations are seeking for ways to be move from efficiency to effectiveness, from performance to high performance and from planning for future success to wanting success ‘yesterday’. There is a marked trend in moving from being transactional to transformational in order to go to the next level. If organisations do not see this movement they are going to be left behind.

For corporate organisations not to be left behind they need to invest in training and development. To this end the scope for corporate training is on the rise. When I say corporate training I mean, not just skills and competency training; but there is a great need for behavioural training as well.

In order for organisations to achieve consistent high performance then high performance should become part of culture. With skills and competence, you can develop a great strategy to outsmart competition; but just like the saying by Peter Drucker made famous by Mark Fields, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”, culture can turn the tide at any time. Culture has a lot to do with how people behave with each other. Hence, in today’s context behavioural training should be more of an emphasis in corporate training. Behavioural corporate trainers are the need of the hour.

Based on my 15 years of being involved with corporate training here are some suggestions on how to become a corporate trainer (apart from the necessary relevant qualifications). You need to have a PACT with yourself:

1.       Passion to be a change agent: This is the foundation. If you do not have a passion to make a difference in people, then you will not make a good trainer. You cannot change an organisation, but you can influence an individual. For that you need passion and a love for what you do.

2.       Articulate in communication: A significant skill a corporate trainer should develop is being able to articulate thoughts, concepts and processes into understandable language. He or she should be able to use the right terminology and be contextual.

3.       Coach: A corporate trainer needs to develop an attitude and skill of being a coach. Interpersonal skills like listening to understand, a positive approachable body language, the art of influencing by asking the right questions and not spoon feeding answers are a few coaching skills that a good transformational corporate trainer should seek to possess.

4.       Teachable: Well this seems to be a paradox. If you are a corporate trainer, then I am supposed to train and not to be taught. However, a good trainer is someone is always looking out to learn. You cannot teach or train if you are not willing to learn. That is why being teachable is a strength and an asset for a trainer. The humility to learn from any one at any time is what being teachable is all about.

Timothy Connors, Program Director, Breakthrough

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

The challenge of Team Building capabilities among students

The importance of team building activities has been increasingly felt in organizations and educational institutions alike.  This aspect was strongly felt in the eight meeting of Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM – A network of 28 management schools) held at IIM- B on Nov 17, 2015.

The event brought about a realization of the diverse work environment that exists in the market at the moment.  Sushil Vachani, Director, IIM Bangalore said “although “a global perspective” may sound cliché, it can only truly be achieved when students get hands-on experience on working with diverse teams and individuals”.

Speaking on this matter, Edward A Snyder, Dean, Yale School of Management, said, “The biggest challenge now, is the gap in team building capabilities among students.” 

In this area of Team Building, Breakthrough has been working with students from management, engineering, arts and science, nursing and polytechnic colleges. Our programmes like Leadership Enhancement, Alignment and Paradigm Shift enable students to acknowledge, accept and appreciate their classmates and in the future their colleagues. This aspect is focused extensively in the Leadership Enhancement program which is a nine day program for MBA students.

This course is designed for MBA students to transfer Leadership competencies like valuing diversity, managing conflicts, understanding group behaviour, having goals, establishing leadership ethics. The course is in three modules of three days each spaced out evenly over the academic schedule of the students.

Fig. Learning Impact assessment of the Leadership Enhancement program

Learning Impact assessment done as part of the program helps teachers to understand what the students have learnt from the program. The Learning impact assessment of the students who underwent the program in the current academic year showed significant learnings after the program. In the aspect of “Valuing Diversity”, during the pre-test 51.90% of the students said that they moderately accepted differences and 48.10 % mentioned that they highly accepted differences. When the post-test was held 88.50% of the students mentioned that they will value differences highly. This demonstrates a shift in their mindset after the program.

The impactful program along with workbooks which is designed to enable teachers to mentor the students helps them in the process of being prepared for the diverse workforce. The program has created a powerful impact on the lives of the students. One of the students Indhu Prabha from Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, a management student who underwent the program said “I have ideas in my mind but I don’t share and communicate it to people and even to my friends. After coming to Breakthrough, i started to talk openly and share my views in front of others and even in front of a number of people. So simple saying Breakthrough made me extroverted”.

A number of management schools in Coimbatore have gone through similar programmes, equipping students to the face the diverse work environment that lies ahead.