IF “The Coady International Institute Team Acted like the Geese ….. BY Zachary Makanya, Country Coordinador, PELUM-Kenya Motto: As long as I live, I will continue to inspire and motivate people. – Zachary Makanya

The next season, when you see the geese migrating, going to a warmer place, remember they face many challenges on the way…... Pay attention that they fly in a “V” formation Maybe you will be interested in knowing why they do it this way... And learn several great lessons of teamwork

By flying in a “V” formation and as each goose flap its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow.

The whole flock increases the flight efficiency by 71% compared to just one bird flying alone

Lesson 1: People who share a common sense of direction and community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose leaves the formation..

He / she quickly feels the resistance of the air and the difficulties of flying alone....

Then, she / he quickly comes back to the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front of him / her.

Lesson 2: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others..

When the lead goose gets tired of flying...

... He goes to the end of the “V” formation, while another goose takes the lead.

Lesson 3: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership, as with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skill, capabilities and unique arrangement of gifts, talents or resources.

The geese flying on a “V” formation, they quack or honk to encourage the leader geese and those in front of them to keep up the speed In that way, they motivate those leading and other collegues.

Lesson 4: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the productivity is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

When a goose gets sick, is injured, shot at or gets too tired to fly,

And he or she must leave the formation and slows down...

Some other geese leave the formation too, they follow him / her, fly with him / her to help and protect him / her. They remain with him / her until he / she, recovers and is able to fly again. They make another “V” formation around him / her

Lesson 5: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

For the Geese to fly and reach their challenging destinations together, they must:  Have a goodwill to fly together  Put more efforts so that they travel with the same speed hence none is left behind  Understand the realities of winning and losing  All increase their determination  Have self-discipline and group-discipline  Monitor each other for strengths and weaknesses in order to support each other where neccessary  Willingness to encourage each other

So, My dear Coady International InstituteTeam, start working like the Geese ……. and you will continue, like Dr. Moses Coady, to make people to be the “Masters of Their Own Destiny and use what they have to get what they do not have”