Monday, March 25, 2013

Three Movies


Three movies I have recently seen that touch in different ways the topic of the choices you make everyday that configure who you are... Lincoln, The Lady, Argo. Life, politics, activists, people trying to make a difference, authentic and follow their paths... Beautiful three!




Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Qué estás haciendo?

Ahora mismo estoy trabajando al lado de Nele Kaprez, una de las co-fundadoras del HUB Berlín, que está en proceso de ser creado. Los miércoles trabajo con ella y quien se quiera sumar en distintos puntos de Berlín aprovechando para disfrutar y evaluar distintos espacios de coworking. En Berlín hay muchos de ellos la verdad, pero en ninguno se disfruta de la magia que sí siento en el HUB, debido a la práctica, a la manera en que se gestiona el espacio y se cultivan las condiciones de colaboración en su comunidad.

Hoy almorzamos con Boris y Jutta Goldammer, dos personas muy profesionales e interesantes que desarrollaron la Academia de Visionarios en esta ciudad. Se financian con fondos de la Unión Europea y si bien antes realizaban one-off workshops, están cambiando su concepto para realizar el programa durante todo el año. Están también buscando gente para su assistantship.

Esta mañana tuvimos también una llamada con dos israelíes de la organización Leadl que quieren desarrollar una conferencia octubre de este año relacionada con la innovación y el emprendedurismo, creando canales entre Tel Aviv y Berlín, Israel y Alemania. Recién están empezando a desarrollarla aunque ya cuentan con mucho apoyo institucional y de varios emprendedores de alto perfil, por lo que les hemos ofrecido algunas opciones de colaboración y contactos que pueden servirles. Me ha gustado su idea de hacer un Start-up Boulevard.

Por otra parte, está comenzando a formarse un equipo para dar un Art of Hosting training Barcelona sobre liderazgo participativo. Ane San Miguel de Bilbao y Elena Rodriguez Blanco en Barcelona están comenzando a trabajar como "callers" locales y están en la búsqueda de "stewards". Yo estoy acompañándolas y guiándolas en el proceso y me han invitado a ser parte de ese equipo, pero todavía faltan una o dos personas más para completarlo. La idea es hacerlo en Junio o Julio de este año, aunque está demasiado cerca.

Por otra parte, con Richard estamos preparando el taller inTEAMacy para prototiparlo. La gente del British Council y la Fundación BMW a la vez que equipos más pequeños de Berlín han expresado interés, aunque todavía nos queda enviarles una propuesta.

En mi trabajo relacionado con el HUB como anfitriona de la comunidad global, hemos lanzado un concurso con motivo de que HUBnet, la plataforma global powered by National Field cumple un año y ya tiene 5700 miembros de alrededor del mundo en ella. Son cinco desafíos que la gente tiene que resolver a la par que hace posts y comentarios al respecto en la plataforma, para impulsar la colaboración y conexión entre las personas.  También lanzamos el documento de "Purpose & Policy" (Propósito y Política o Reglas...?) para guiar a los miembros de distintos HUBs sobre cómo interactuar y sacar provecho de la plataforma.

Finalmente, esta semana he estado realizando trabajo también como HUB Associate, es decir, como coach/consultora interna de la red de HUBs, con la primera entrevista con el equipo de la ciudad sueca de Södertläje (todo un desafío su pronunciación), que si sigue adelante derivará en ser guía para la realización y evaluación de su plan de negocio, pero que empieza con una conversación sobre su visión y el equipo.

La semana anterior tocó el plan de viabilidad de HUB Donostia, que ya va más avanzado en el proceso de due diligence y han hecho un trabajo impresionante, con el desafío que puede implicar para el gobierno el ser 14 fundadores. A fines de noviembre la red de HUBs votará si pasan a ser una Iniciativa HUB o no, aunque me inclino por lo primero.

Friday, March 08, 2013

CHICLIT

Yep, I admit it. I happen to be a hopeless romantic and love chic literature. I started to read Wilbur Smith at an early age as those were the fiction book that I could find at my home library. His books are about wars and Africa and conflicts, but also about great love and family. Went on to reading the Brontë sisters and Austin among others while studying English as a foreign language.

As an adolescent I came back from a trip to the US with a carry-on suitcase full of Sweet Valley High to learn more "modern" and casual English and stories. Nothing to compare of course, but made a list and lent the books to my also avid friends. I still have those book waiting in a box and I am thinking if to donate them to a library where I could later on share them with my children (when I have and they grow up of course!) or a school... haven´t made up my mind.

More recently, discovered that a former nearby neighbour after having being an accountant decided to try writing and it went very well. Moreover, she is a big success in Argentina where I am from. I am talking about Florencia Bonelli  who writes also about great loves and identity as I talk about in another post of this blog. Her books kept me company in the long flights between Madrid and Córdoba, via Buenos Aires, via Montevideo and via Santiago de Chile! For her last book, the third of the Caballo de Fuego saga, I bought it at the ibook App or Kindle shop, I don´t remember, but it was my first ebook.

Thanks to her monthly recommendation email and also thanks to Amazon, I have discovered three other authors that I enjoy, specially this summer (December/January in Argentina) and later on hibernating at our home in Berlin's winter (February)... Paullina Simons "The Bronze Horseman" saga and Children of Liberty also goes in-depth not only in the story about a great love, but also in how our identity is configured and shaped by migration, the way spaces (both places and historical times) affect the way we are, the way we live, laugh and love.

Finally, I have gone back to victorian times of London and the travels to end of the world with Laura Kinsale. I have read 10 of her books in one month, literally devoured them! All of them do great research and paint with words historical moments skillfully. Her characters are very different and heroes and heroines are blissfully different in the books. Una observación en cuanto al precio de sus libros, en inglés cuestan entre 2 y 5 euros, mientras que las versiones traducidas al castellano cuestan 11 euros!

I have also enjoyed several books by Susan Mallery  specially Fool Gold´s, Dessert Rogues and Blackberry Island collections. Her stories are more similar between each other as she writes several books in one year! And she is the first author I see that has an App. Downloaded it and its quite cool. On the technology side, Florencia Bonelli has a mailing list and she writes a monthly newsletter with recommendations (many of which are from her Editorial obviously) but her Facebook page is managed by one of her best friends, Loti. Paullina Simons on the other hand, manages her own Facebook page and that is a great difference.

Last European summer I read E.L. James "Fifty Shades of Grey" saga. I was intrigued and the books were interesting as I had never considered the issues described there as game between two people with a safeword but her stories are indeed a bit repetitive and not like the other authors I have to say. Yesterday I got a recommendation email about Katie Fforde. Will check her out on the coming weeks!


inTEAMacy

Since meeting Richard Hylerstedt at the SenseCamp at the beginning of February, a month or so ago, we have met every week for one hour and developed the concept we both talked about. We followed a very good chaordic stepping stones process that lead us to define the first draft of the website and proposal for this idea that we called "inTEAMacy". We are just starting but both are passionate on the topics of tRuSt, fEeDbACk and pRinCiPles in teams, still on the way to prototype the first workshop, so looking for volunteers! ;-)
"inTEAMacy offers custom-designed workshops that enable teams to explore and work on the topics of trust, feedback and principles. These crucial foundations of teamwork are not given enough attention and effort in most teams, from early stage startups to task forces in big organizations or corporations.

Workshops organized by inTEAMacy provide a break from everyday routine that is completely focused on taking teamwork to a higher level. Our typical workshop is an afternoon session with careful facilitation, for one or more teams of 3-10 people.

Teams typically come out of an inTEAMacy workshop with an improved understanding of their team dynamics and trust, workable tools for exchanging meaningful feedback and a set of team-specific, co-created teamwork principles.

Download our two-pager to learn more about what we do or get in touch at info [at] inteamacy.com.

inTEAMacy is started in Berlin by Soledad Pons and Richard Hylerstedt, who are happy to bring the concept to where it is needed".