Mark Nicolson hopes to create more case studies about his work in the future, so that others can learn about his work, and possibly pursue a similar career path - helping companies and organizations work better together as a team by having a clear idea of their goals and values.
So far he has does one case study about the work he has done with one of his clients.
Esalen Institute, a retreat center in Big Sur, was going through rough times. They were undergoing financial problems, and the direction in which Esalen was headed was not clear to the people who ran it and the staff. Mark Nicolson was asked to guide them through this process of becoming clear about their goals and where they were headed with what Esalen is about.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Mark Nicolson - Architect of Solidarity
Mark Nicolson is a polite and genuine British man residing in Santa Cruz, California. He went to Oxford University to receive a Bachelors degree in Latin and Greek, and went on to Stanford business school to receive a Masters degree. Although he started his career as a successful banker, he decided to shift his work because he didn’t find what he did to be fulfilling and important. So instead of making big money like most of his Stanford class mates, he became an indirect architect of Solidarity. With that I mean that he himself is not a Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela kind of person, who are involved directly with a community to bring about change. He is more of a mentor or therapist for the direct architects of solidarity. Mark Nicolson works with individuals and non-profit organizations and chooses his clients very carefully. He makes sure that all of them have the same vision as him in mind: helping to make a significant change for the better in the world - for example, in human rights, economic justice, community engagement, environmental education, social justice, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Mark Nicolson assists these individuals or organizations in identifying their values, set goals, and helps them stay within the lines of their values and achieve what they are aspiring to do. His idea is that great companies are dependent on the relationships and the culture within the organization, because with non-profit organizations there are always set-backs, and when don’t have the proper relationship with your co-workers and partners it can be hard to deal with that. If the atmosphere in the organization is not right and individuals have different ideas and values, it’s easy to blame each other for these certain drawbacks. Mark Nicolson aids in avoiding complications such as feisty arguments and helps them overcome obstacles together and grow from those. He is careful to make everyone he works with feel safe to share issues and concerns so that they can ask for and receive help.
He does the work he does that around guiding individuals and non-profit organization by himself. He is however, employed at a company called Ventana, Academy for the Love of Learning, where he does similar work (helps organizations work better together as a team). He does not think that this work should be viewed as an act of solidarity because the companies (Ventana’s) visions are less about making the world a better place.
Like I said, he can be viewed as a therapist for architects of solidarity because he guides them in asking for help and building the right relationships with their peers. He shares a similar motivation as mostly all architects of solidarity. Helping others learn and change so that they are inspired to make the world a better place. So rather than actively running and organization to help the world grow for the better, he hopes to move people to get them to help the community.
Mark Nicolson does this for a variety of reasons. In a way he believes that people who were luckier than others, for example lived a better, happier life with more opportunities and possibilities, should in some way be appreciative and show their gratitude. He believes that they have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate; he hopes that people who were blessed with more share their wealth. Additionally he feels that this kind of work is more fulfilling than his previous jobs that were centered on making money. Helping people and trying to create a better world to live in, gives him meaning to his life. For Mark Nicolson it is a way to say thank you for all the gifts he has been given from his family, friends, and mentors who have shaped and helped him become who he is. His beliefs however, are not grounded in any religion or spiritual orientation. Although he does value the contemplative practices of Buddhism, and respects that for many architects of solidarity and other people it is a vital source of inspiration, he has never found religion to be a source of strength for himself. However, he says, that he does subscribe to a comment of the Dalai Lama, “My religion is my kindness”
One of his current clients is no other but Father Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1984. Mark Nicolson is helping Tutu and his family create a Tutu family legacy foundation. This foundation will hold archives that include all the work of Desmond Tutu. It’s supposed to be a center that shows and explains Tutu’s work. There are going to be programs that will help people learn about reconciliation. Basically, they are building a center that includes all of Tutu’s work and will try to keep these ideas alive. So that future generations can interact and work with his visions. Mark Nicolsons role in creating this foundation is to help Tutu and his family deal with many of the interfamily conflicts about how to set up this foundation. He is there to guide them through the steps of the process and set goals, about what they are hoping to achieve with this foundation.
Interview with Mark Nicolson
1. In what ways can you relate your work to solidarity. (Doing something good for the community. Trying to make the world a better place basically. Helping where help is needed. Thich Nhat Hanh, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, are examples of Architects of Solidarity)
First, all of my clients exist to make a significant change in the world – for example, in human rights, economic justice, community engagement, environmental education, social justice, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Second, in my company I am trying to create case studies of how to help these kinds of organizations – so that others will learn how to help these companies in the future.
Third, in my company I am trying to bring into the broader culture the idea that great companies are dependent on really outstanding relationships and culture within the organizations; that to develop these takes courage on the part of the leaders, and that this can happen with the right set of conditions.
2. In what ways do you find your work effective?
First, leaders of the organizations often change how they run their organizations. For example, they might be better at asking for help and not trying to do everything on their own.
Second, the organizations tend to live much more in line with their values. For example, an organization committed to sustainability might become more proactive about making sure that they do not burn out their employees.
3. A: Why does this work? B: Or why did you chose this work?
A Because I am careful to make everyone who I work with feel safe to talk about the issues which concern them very deeply. Often they have never felt that they can talk about these things before. I make it possible for people to be honest about where they want to learn and where they do not feel adequate. This is the first and vital step in learning.
B: Or why did you chose this work?
B Because I love to help people learn. It is very moving to see people making very courageous steps in learning to be better leaders or team members. Because I have always personally felt that I am not able to really say what is on my mind or what I care about in groups in the way that I would like. Doing this work helps me to learn how to do that and to help others to do that.
4. What is your goal?
Two goals. First to help create a world in which it is safe to be vulnerable and where we value cooperation. Second to make the most of all the gifts I have been given by my family, friends, teachers and ancestors.
5. What inspires you/motivates you?
Inspires? People being courageous in the face of great rejection and reaching out to others who might reject them. People who change their mind in the direction of becoming more welcoming of difference. People who help reconciliation to happen between people who hurt each other. People who achieve even though the odds are against them.
Motivates? Helping others to learn and change so that they are inspired to make the world a better place; and creating a life where I can enjoy family and our amazing world.
6. Do you believe peace is possible ? why/why not?
I do believe it is possible because the evidence from world history is that there is less and less violence in the world. There are fewer people at war as a percentage of the world population now than ever. In the middle ages, there was a great than 25% chance that you would die at the hand of another person. Now that is less than 1%. From that perspective I am optimistic.
However, there is a major climate catastrophe happening. This will lead to hundreds of millions of people being displaced, going hungry, not having access to water. This could lead to massive conflict. From that perspective I am not optimistic.
7. an example of a specific organization/person you work with.
I work with Desmond Tutu and his family to help them create Tutu’s family legacy foundation. This foundation will hold all the archives of Tutu and his wife, Leah; and will create a center in Cape Town to explain the work of Desmond Tutu and his wife; and will create programs that help people learn about reconciliation. The work I do is to help them deal with many of the conflicts in the family about how to set this foundation up; and to advise on the steps in the process.
8. Does religion influence your work in any way? Why or why not?
I do not have a religious practice – however I value the contemplative practices of Buddhism, and respect that for many people it is a vital source of their inspiration. I have never found religion to be a source of strength to me.
I would also add that I subscribe to the Dalai Lama’s comment: My religion is kindness.
First, all of my clients exist to make a significant change in the world – for example, in human rights, economic justice, community engagement, environmental education, social justice, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Second, in my company I am trying to create case studies of how to help these kinds of organizations – so that others will learn how to help these companies in the future.
Third, in my company I am trying to bring into the broader culture the idea that great companies are dependent on really outstanding relationships and culture within the organizations; that to develop these takes courage on the part of the leaders, and that this can happen with the right set of conditions.
2. In what ways do you find your work effective?
Second, the organizations tend to live much more in line with their values. For example, an organization committed to sustainability might become more proactive about making sure that they do not burn out their employees.
3. A: Why does this work? B: Or why did you chose this work?
A Because I am careful to make everyone who I work with feel safe to talk about the issues which concern them very deeply. Often they have never felt that they can talk about these things before. I make it possible for people to be honest about where they want to learn and where they do not feel adequate. This is the first and vital step in learning.
B: Or why did you chose this work?
B Because I love to help people learn. It is very moving to see people making very courageous steps in learning to be better leaders or team members. Because I have always personally felt that I am not able to really say what is on my mind or what I care about in groups in the way that I would like. Doing this work helps me to learn how to do that and to help others to do that.
4. What is your goal?
5. What inspires you/motivates you?
Motivates? Helping others to learn and change so that they are inspired to make the world a better place; and creating a life where I can enjoy family and our amazing world.
6. Do you believe peace is possible ? why/why not?
However, there is a major climate catastrophe happening. This will lead to hundreds of millions of people being displaced, going hungry, not having access to water. This could lead to massive conflict. From that perspective I am not optimistic.
7. an example of a specific organization/person you work with.
8. Does religion influence your work in any way? Why or why not?
I do not have a religious practice – however I value the contemplative practices of Buddhism, and respect that for many people it is a vital source of their inspiration. I have never found religion to be a source of strength to me.
I would also add that I subscribe to the Dalai Lama’s comment: My religion is kindness.
Mark Nicolson - Architect of Solidarity ( Abstract )
Mark Nicolson’s work is all about helping people and trying to make the world a better place. He works with individuals and non-profit organizations, such as father Desmond Tutu, in an effort to bring about change for the better. He is somewhat of a therapist or guide for his clients, assisting them in becoming clear what their goals and values are. He gets his inspiration not through religion, but through wanting to show gratefulness for the gifts he has been given and through hoping to make the world a better, more desirable place.
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