THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH...PREPARATION
Sorry Lao Tzu, I know the journey begins with a single step but preparation is vital.
It’s been a tumultuous year for me, so a few weeks ago, I decided to escape Melbourne’s bitter winter. I booked a holiday to Bali.
My dear friend Susan, was there for work. We always have a good laugh, and a laugh was exactly what I needed. When she asked me what I wanted from my holiday, I said, "I want to come back with an aching jaw from laughing so much." So, I had a clear intention!
Ah, Bali. The brochures promise an island paradise: cocktails, white beaches, sun, massages. It's like the allure of an amazing corporate partner when you first set out on the adventure. Perhaps Bali doesn’t sound that adventurous to you, but it was my first time overseas in eight years and my first solo trip in a long while.
Three weeks ago, I boarded a 6am flight on a cold Melbourne morning. The flight was smooth - I slept all the way. When I landed, I was immediately struck by the unfamiliar. Everything was in Indonesian, and I had to search hard for English signs.
Emerging into the arrivals hall, I was hit by a sensory overload: Indonesian music, rap music from the Maccas, and sheer chaos. People were everywhere. Suddenly, I realised I’d forgotten my phone charger. Panic set in. What if my phone died? I'd be lost. I found a shop, wondering if they'd speak English and if my credit card would work. Thankfully, they did and it did, and I got a charger with the pointy plug.
Next, I had to find the exit. I followed the crowd, hoping they were heading the right way. As I stepped outside, the heat smacked me in the face. It was midday in Bali, and I was dressed for a Melbourne winter morning.
Hundreds of faces greeted me, all holding signs offering rides. The smells were different, everything was overwhelming. I stood there, sweating and clutching my bags, feeling utterly insignificant. "I'm a nobody here," I thought. "No one knows me. I could be robbed and die, and no one would know or care." Yes, forever the drama queen.
Back home in Melbourne and at work, I'm a confident person. I've been doing what I do for a long time, and not much phases me. But here, in a different country and culture, I felt so vulnerable, so small.
Then, I saw Susan's smiling face. She emerged from the mob, grabbed my hand, and led me to a waiting car. The air conditioning was a godsend. She handed me a banana and a Kit Kat, and off we went. With Susan as my guide, everything was great. She spoke the language, knew the best places to eat (and the ones with Bali Belly on the menu), the best massage spots, how to dodge tourist traps, and where to change money.
The currency was confusing – Monopoly money, with the largest note being 100,000 rupiahs, worth about $10, and looking like a 10-cent note.
Throughout the trip, I kept thinking, "What would I do without Susan?" I'd have been lost and overwhelmed. But with her by my side, I could relax and enjoy the adventure. And yes, we had plenty of laughs.
Flying back to Australia, I reflected on that moment of feeling alone and vulnerable in a strange country. It reminded me of when I first started working at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in London in 1991. I was tasked with bringing in big corporate partners. I knew the corporate language but had no idea how to pitch the cause – child abuse - to land million-dollar deals. I had no roadmap, so I created my own. It was a tough path, but I eventually secured three multi-million-dollar partnerships.
When I moved to Australia over 30 years ago, corporate partnerships were just emerging. I knew many people would be new to this territory and feel lost, as I had. I didn’t want anyone to go through what I did, so I developed a roadmap that has evolved over the years into the BePartnerReady.com® process.
In the intervening years, numerous changemakers have achieved success using this roadmap – from global brands like Oxfam to small Aussie charities like PetRescue and Bully Zero. If you need a roadmap, a guide, clarity on your destination, to learn – and speak - the corporate language, and get the timing right – we’re here for you! The first step on the journey: the Readiness Q&A. Give it a go, to calculate how ready you are to embark on the adventurous journey that is, corporate partnerships.
Hailey Cavill-Jaspers
