The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5Partners for Possibility

Louise van Rhyn

WHERE IT IS WORKING: BUSINESS PARTNERING WITH PRINCIPALS

“Those who enjoyed the fruits of unjust privilege must be helped to find a new spirit of sharing.”

—Nelson Mandela

Louise has the unique ability to take a set of ideas and workshop learning experiences and bring them to have national impact on a thousand schools in neighborhoods—or townships in her case—who are the last to receive the latest and greatest. Louise built partnerships between business executives and school leaders that were life-changing for both parties. This was also testimony to her design skills in determining that the vast majority of the learning needs to occur on the job, not in a workshop.

It was powerful for me to be immersed in the South African culture a couple of times. There is a faith and openness there that I did not know was possible. I was able to experience firsthand how Louise brings people from all places together both to connect with each other and to find a sustainable common purpose.

The story of Partners for Possibility is as inspiring as is its creator. It demonstrates how the world is waiting for us to bring our love and imagination into any place we care about. All that is needed are friends like Louise and enough passion to move forward, indifferent to what seems to stand in our way.

In 2010, we launched Partners for Possibility (PfP), a nation-building and leadership development program to mobilize active citizenship around one ...