When we moved to the Czech Republic in 2010, we didn’t know anyone in our new Brainerd-sized town of Frýdlant nad Ostravicí. My husband and I moved there with our one-year-old daughter to work for an international non-profit, Josiah Venture. Though we had many connections within our organization, we felt alone in our new hometown. And I’m from Central Minnesota – I am used to being able to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and establish a connection. That didn’t work in the Czech Republic.
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I longed to be known, so what did I do?
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Me and my daughter smiling “too big” in the center square in 2010
Well, at first, I walked around town smiling at everyone. But I quickly realized that wasn’t working. It wasn’t culturally appropriate – in Czech, you don’t smile at someone unless you’ve been formally introduced. Beyond making efforts to learn the language and culture, I intentionally went outside my comfort zone and took risks.
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I volunteered as an English teacher at the preschool. It was challenging and I honestly hated it; my years of teaching older students and my inability to speak Czech made me feel ineffective. But, week after week I went and gave what I could: my native English and my expertise in literacy.
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Since my language skills were lacking, I never knew quite what was going on. But I would stick my hand out, apologize for my bad Czech, and introduce myself to the moms in the preschool entryway. When one of the moms, Pavlina, had her second child, I gave her husband, Honza, a big batch of chili. It was so awkward. My Czech was so bad, and he didn’t speak any English. I knew by his expression that he had no idea why I was giving him a big container of strange food.
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Despite the missteps, despite the awkwardness, the effort was working; teaching at the preschool was connecting us to other Czech families. In short, we were building trust.
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The interesting thing about trust is that you might not notice it’s being
established. It doesn’t come in one big moment. It comes day after day, week after week, year after year. I didn’t realize just how much trust we had established until we said our good-byes to Honza, Pavlina, and our other friends last year. Through hugs, tears, and kisses (it’s a Czech thing to kiss someone on the cheek), we realized how much we’d be missed.
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Organizational research shows that trust is the key to success. We all know how important it is. But, establishing trust doesn’t happen automatically. As the new President of Anderson Center, I need to establish trust once again. I am so thankful for the trust lessons learned in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí.
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Anderson Center has an incredible one-day Speed of Trust Forum that equips you with powerful and practical tools in establishing trust in your organization. It is available as a public forum this year on July 23rd in Alexandria. You and others on your team are welcome to register for it online. Anderson Center can also offer this forum as a private option for a larger group, either onsite at your organization or at a location of your choosing. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me directly.
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Also, I’d love to get to know you. I’m new again.
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Aleisha Gaalswyk Stephens
President, Anderson Center
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