Meet Afshan Baksh (UK)
The model you see in my profile pic was built for this article. The skeleton is me; I grow different skins to fit my various projects, on my head, I have a knowledge tree. One day, I can be working World Bank or British Council designing education quality standards for different governments. The next day, I could be using LSP, developing teams and vision for businesses such as Dyson. The grey plate is my Transformation Space, the area of my business which holds LSP. The flag marks success and the duck is very special. This duck has wings, as I work internationally, but more importantly, to me, the duck represents imagination, diversity and innovation and this is really what I help people achieve
What made you decide to start learning LSP?
I was introduced to LSP through an EU project where we used Lego to help teachers and students explore entrepreneurship then later issues like bullying and harassment. I noticed how deep and meaningful the insights were, I was captivated. I carried Lego with me and used it to articulate ideas, others would get involved and they would build too! At this point I decided to train as a facilitator and now use LSP in many areas of my work.
You are working internationally. What motivates you to meet others?
I have worked in thirty countries and lived in three and have an amazing global network. My own diverse cultural background has meant I have a natural attraction to people and places. Each person I meet teaches me more about the world and about myself. I love the diversity but also see our similarities, whether in Tanzania or Thailand – the same challenges of family and work life, the same hopes, dreams and emotions and I continue to be inspired.
What was your last experience / workshop you facilitated? What made it special?
My client faced a serious challenge. For three months she struggled to work with clinicians across five hospitals trying to design a jointly agreed process for early cancer diagnosis. Funding was at risk and emotions were high. For political reasons there would be ten participants per hospital – fifty people, one workshop. This stretched me beyond my comfort zone and beyond the resources I had, however we did it, they succeeded! I was delighted with how well the structure I had designed for the sessions had reduced conflict and cultivated collaboration.