READY Read: do we spend enough time outside our usual orbit?
READY Read by Lucy Mills
Hey READY Readers!
Today, I just have to share with you a unique experience I had in London last week: An interview… with a difference!
I was nervous and uncomfortable going into it. There’s nothing like an interview to take you out of your comfort zone.
But, surprisingly, I came out the other side smiling wholeheartedly! It was that exhilarating feeling you get when you experience something new. The buzz from doing something so wholesomely enjoyable.
So, what was the interview, I hear you ask?
The interview was to join the British American Project (BAP), a prestigious, transnational fellowship of over 1,400 leaders from a broad spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and political views. Every year, 25 British and 25 US citizens are selected to join the organization, which organizes dynamic convenings on both sides of the Atlantic where it is entirely normal to be sitting next to a novelist, a cyber security expert, and a children’s TV producer while debating the future of NATO.
I had been informed that nominated applicants to BAP were “high-flyers in their respective fields, living extraordinary lives”. Needless to say, I was intimidated.
And in true BAP style (I’m learning), the interview process was not a typical interview.
I was led up to a 24th-floor law firm office - peak intimidation - to join five other individuals around a table. We were invited by BAP members to participate in three tasks over the following 90 minutes:
1) Into dinner party pitch: In pairs, we had to pitch back to the group why our partner would be a great addition to a dinner party.
2) Open debate: We debated this open question: “Anglo-American relations, is the best yet to come?” (Good question, right?!… What would you have said?!)
3) Looking ahead: We were asked about our biggest challenge for the coming year.
What I won’t go into now are my responses which, as you can imagine, spanned sport, international relations and soft power, the upcoming FIFA Men’s World Cup, and women’s sport investment. Juicy!
Instead, I want to pose this question to you all:
When was the last time you got to spend quality time exchanging personal and professional experiences with people from vastly different backgrounds, sectors, and viewpoints?
Families and social lives aside, let’s reflect for a moment on our professional lives.
We attend conferences where we mostly listen to and network with peers from our own industry. We follow and engage with people on LinkedIn whose work often overlaps with ours. And we consume books, podcasts, newsletters, reports and documentaries that are usually drawn from expertise within our familiar ecosystems.
The BAP interview was a refreshing moment of connection with people outside my usual orbit who, quite honestly, I cannot imagine I would have met otherwise.
Five exceptional individuals:
A creative director in the contemporary arts world, curating global art events and galleries, with a particular interest in arts philanthropy.
A former British ambassador, including a post in Afghanistan, now working at a global tech firm on misinformation on social media.
A 27-year-old entrepreneur from London building an awards platform that recognizes achievements and talents among African people worldwide. (And yes I mention the age cos I think 27 is outrageously young now!)
A Brexit Vote Leave campaigner, Pakistan-born activist and founder of an organization that supports trans people and campaigning for trans visibility and rights.
An Indian-born, global citizen, journalist and politician, working with an open-source media startup.
Now can you see why I left my interview with a huge smile?!
I don’t know if I will get into the British American Project or not. But as my tech guru and idol, Hector Dominguez, always tells me:
Nothing is ever a failure. It’s always a learning.
I’m grateful, not only for having had the opportunity to spend an evening with these radiant individuals, but also because I left with one takeaway that I think is going to be relevant for a new project I have been strategizing with READY.
A READY event concept
I am designing a uniquely human experience in Barcelona, for a small group of leaders navigating growth, technology, culture and change in and around sport.
My desire is to design for honest dialogue and meaningful connection in a closed-door, unplugged setting, with people at the center of the work.
The BAP experience takeaway is that one of the event concept’s key design elements really IS powerful:
Someone from outside your usual field introducing a provocation to disrupt familiar thinking and open unexpected angles.
When the READY event comes to life later in the year and YOU are one of the wonderful individuals to sign up, I will personally guarantee you that wholehearted smile, the exhilarating feeling of experiencing something new. The buzz from doing something so wholesomely enjoyable.
That’s all for this edition!
I welcome your feedback and suggestions. And if you want to chat about UK-USA relations or where sport innovation is heading next, schedule a meeting with me.
Thanks for being here.
Lucy
PS. In the next edition of the READY Read, you’ll get to hear all about snapSHOT, our latest venture that maps the digital, data, and AI landscape across professional women's football, led by Hannah Kuntz, pictured with US footy legend Tobin Heath!