My Time in London

The picture above is of  GSK House as they call it in London. I picked up the shuttle bus here a few mornings to go to another GSK building in Stockley Park where Project HOPE UK is given space to work. Every day I had a different route of getting to work. It was over an hour commute and consisted of at least two buses and the tube. Very interesting and frustrating...I finally got it down by Friday, the last work day before I left for South Africa! It was a very informative week learning all about Project HOPE UK and the brilliant work they do in the township of Munsieville in South Africa. The foundation of this organization is built around sustainable change. It parallels what is happening at GSK in many ways as we transition to the new commercial model. GSK is going through various modifications of the way business is done to ensure sustainability in a competitive market and during a shift in healthcare systems.
 I spent the week along side the Executive Director of Project HOPE UK, Paul Brooks. I mostly listened as Paul described the small successes that were proof of a sustainable change. Instead of being a not-for-profit organization that gives money or parcels of food to the needy, Project HOPE UK empowers, encourages and guides the very people of disadvantaged communities to discover the solution and make the changes themselves. It really works. In fact, it is a lot like the leadership workshops GSK managers have been involved in where we discuss encouraging, coaching, and empowering the representatives to come to their own solutions rather than giving them the answers.
The picture to the right is Carola. She is from Seretide (Advair) marketing in The Netherlands and is responsible for the communication and media for Project HOPE UK. She is based in London, but will be joining me in South Africa later in September for about 6 weeks. We spent the Saturday before I left doing a walking tour of parts of London. We went to Regent's Park, Camden, and Westminster where they have the oldest wine bar in possibly the world. Oh, and I did laundry at her "flat" Thanks, Carola!