Australian radio journalist Carolyn Watts spent six months at FPMT Central Office from November til April, offering her expertise in the areas of communication, public relations and management. Here she reports on some recent events.

Tony Steel and Kevin Nuttall are both Australian businessmen. Tony is the director of a multi-million dollar international conference marketing firm. Kevin heads up a company whose job it is to inspire and guide businesses in finding and succeeding with their full potential.

When Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s attendant, met Tony at Kopan last November, it was clear to him that this man had the sort of experience which might be beneficial for the whole FPMT, a network of some eighty centers and activities worldwide. If he could teach us just a little of what it had taken for him to make an international success perhaps we would be in a better position to guide the foundation into the 21st century.

Tony came to Central Office for a weekend on his way to a meeting in Chile. He looked quickly and clearly at what we had and suggested we change our management structure.

With one director directing the whole office effort, he said, we were missing out on almost all of the creative input of the office staff. If we became a team, though, there was a chance of harnessing our collective potential for the good of the organization.

Tony’s clarity was such that the director of Central Office, Harvey Horrocks, decided immediately that this was just the challenge we needed and proceeded to break down our previous office structure and replace it with a new and dynamic team approach.

No sooner had the teamwork begun than Tony faxed Harvey offering the assistance of his friend and consultant, Kevin Nuttall. Kevin’s business was in the line of dynamic interchange with companies whose potential appeared to be stuck. Although not a company in the usual sense, we were in his line of work.

Due to the fortuitous nature of Kevin’s availability, Tony arranged to buy him a ticket to California, and Kevin offered to take Central Office staff and as many interested FPMT members and friends as could come at such short notice through a two day intensive workshop.

Twenty-six people in all involved themselves in this major think tank on how to assist the FPMT to do the best job possible. First we spoke of the work we currently do, then what stops us doing it well, and went on to what we need to do it better.

With a series of amusing but fiercely accurate slides, Kevin brought us through the realms of possibilities and probabilities.

The Choice, he said, doesn’t change whether you’re selling apples or wanting to give others access to Dharma … and the solution of polishing the fruit is not sustainable in the long term because the apples are poisoned.

Throughout the seminar we kept coming back to the same points, communication and resources. Communication was of essence. Without communications being clear and beneficial, we could not hope to achieve any great part of our goals. With clear, effective and beneficial communications, even the most tired of us can see our way through the dilemma of the now to the solution of the future.

As for resources, Kevin pointed out that FPMT is one of the most resource rich organizations he’s encountered. The room was filled with intelligent, capable people who wanted to do their best for the foundation.

In addition to our human resources, he said, we had a sort of superhuman advantage in that when we set about a task we adjusted our motivation first; and when it was completed we would dedicate the merit. Never had he come across so clear and appropriate way of beginning and ending tasks. The advantage of our efforts being Dharma practice was not lost on him either.

In most organizations, the personality differences take quite a lot of overcoming, and can only be overcome when the individuals realize that it is the greater good they must strive for. In FPMT we know from the beginning it is the greater good we strive for, and as to personality conflicts, without an enemy it is impossible to practice.

At the end of that twelve-hour day we all had more than feelings of optimism. We had practical ways of applying modern business theories to our work and even had a number of practical projects with which to begin in order that this workshop not become just another motivational talkfest.

The day Kevin spent with the Central Office team was just as worthwhile and from quite a different perspective. He helped us understand a number of aspects of successful team work. Openness, free flow of information and the lack of a hierarchical structure are the first prerequisites, with full and effective training coming a close second.

Immediate results from the workshop arose just from the recognition that we had a worthwhile task and we had the facilities and the resources needed to do our jobs well. It was especially comforting to realize that FPMT has the good fortune to attract the generosity and dedication of such remarkable professionals as Tony and Kevin, both of whom have offered to assist where they can with our efforts to redirect the FPMT into the next decade.

So reassuring to know that the good heart is out there, working wonders on the grand scale in international business practice.