Sangita Popat M.A.

Over the years, topics have developed around these basic areas of tension. Conflict management is just as much a part of this as relaxation techniques and resilience. Coping with organizational and social structures, especially racism, diversity management and postcolonial thinking came up kind of naturally.

I navigate these cross-cutting issues within the contexts of my assignments. Just as gender aspects cannot be left out of conflict management trainings e.g., diversity and also racism cannot be kept aside in many of my assignments. Everything is connected with communication skills and in order to make communication succeed, I have dived deeper into more topics.

I started as a language lecturer more than 30 years ago during my Master studies for the Federal Language Office Germany, the DSE and the AGEH. I had the opportunity to train executives in language and communication skills - on a freelance basis, of course. After my studies in Indology, Political Science and Oriental Art History, I also worked as a project manager before my children were born. During this time, I made some experiences that continued to shape my professional path.

I realized that my strengths lie in adult education and at the same time I lost the illusion of being able to earn enough money as a language lecturer. I also found that various facets needed for successful communication could not be covered by "language teaching" alone. Besides, after a while I got bored of explaining how to say "hello" in Hindi or practicing pattern drills in English. I worked as a lecturer at the University of Bonn for quite a while, wrote a Hindi intensive course (freelance of course) with a baby in my arms and decided - to start my own business :-). I founded the one-person company “ashada consult” and planned to balance my life as a mother, wife and freelancer.

After touching my personal and also structural limits as a project manager cum freelance lecturer and mother, I started my journey through further education. Communicating at eye level, thinking outside the box, are relevant success factors - this was my conviction then and now. Through my courses and even more experiences I have inhaled, digested, discarded, expanded and developed methods and attitudes and developed a personal style for people and organizations. On average I was able to sell between 40 and 50 days per year, but: no, even as a language lecturer, mediator, intercultural trainer, conflict management trainer - something was still not enough, somehow I wanted more or better and and and ...

What was missing? Today I think that one of the reasons was, that as a mother with small children I simply didn't have enough time. To market my own consulting products, to prepare and follow up everything well, to refine, to be able to really play with the tools and methods, attitudes. But today I also think that I still had a lot to learn. In this phase I had no sense at all for societal power structures and the impact they have on individuals. In this phase I had no words for many things I felt, I blamed many things on my incompetence and continued to educate myself more.

ashada consult, that means me :-), developed between kitchen, computer and customers to be a "consultant" for business consultancies. As a subcontractor for management consultancies I was able to implement many fine concepts. Developments of the customers were always an impulse to educate myself in order to understand people and organizations equally well and to be able to accompany them on the basis of a solid know-how. Part of what I have learned is meant for individual clients, part is meant for organisations. However, much of what I have learned is mutually beneficial.

The various loops on key topics, people-organization-communication-language have continually refined my understanding of what people and organizations need. And "inevitably" I started to check out new fields of knowledge helpful for VUCA, agility, design thinking, new work -through self-study and certificate courses. Close contact with what customers want, a high willingness to perform, thinking across boundaries, the willingness to always evolve are agile principles which I pursued in my life since many years.

The last years have challenged many certainties through Corona, the murder of Georg Floyd, the war between Russia and Ukraine. Many things are now being discussed in media, organisations and also on the individual level, but many have not yet been addressed. People and organizations are increasingly looking at structures from a critical perspective as well. Many want to put their efforts to build a fairer world - and how that can be achieved depends, of course, on the context and the situation.

For me, customer orientation comes first and means more than selling products. For me, customer orientation means a commitment to uphold core ethical values. Every person is respected in all facets. The individual potentials are strengthened. Resource orientation is an essential approach in my work, not only because it is efficient, but because to me it is the expression of my attitude of valuing everyone.