Liza and SALT: a mirror story

[Marie Lamboray]

To meet Liza is to take the pulse of a story of transformation that begins in her, splashes on her family and impacts her vision of the world and her way of being an actress in it. For the full article, visit the cooperative blog of Belcompetence - Constellation Belgium: https://constellationbelgium.org/blog-cooperatif-2/

“... from the moment the fogged glasses find a little light, you see things differently (...) choosing not to be there to judge situations, but rather to create the opportunity to stimulate something else.”

 

Do you remember the first time you heard about SALT? What moved you?

You always meet a person before you meet a concept. For me that person was Nathalie, then Jean-Louis. Nath told me: "I will introduce you to Jean-Louis who will make you discover your strengths", that made me laugh (laughs)! And that did not miss...

One day I was walking in the streets of Paris with him... I kept on grumbling (laughs!), he was listening, benevolent. I realized, miraculously, that I was really in an "all-false", that I had to completely change my approach. It echoed the SALT training in Kraainem the previous weekend. And checked out in everyday life: I could choose not to be there to judge situations or make my situation even more negative, but rather create the opportunity to stimulate something else.

I really experienced it as the beginning of a new journey. Of course, sometimes everyday life catches up a little bit, but once the foggy glasses find a little light, you see things differently.

 

Are there some key moments in your life that you think back on today and tell yourself that the approach has played its part in your way of living them?

“Some encounters in your life make you never react the same way again. And this encounter (with Saliha) I have clearly Belcompetence to thank for.”

 

We went to meet the women of the association S.A.V.E. Belgium a few weeks before the attacks. All these mothers were there, they invited us to drink tea in a circle, and we lived a simple sharing of experiences together. They talked about their son/brother/companion who had left... They were sticking together, trying to understand why.

And then came the day of the attacks, I was in Zaventem airport with my whole family and we lived this up close. When we left the airport, Saliha was the first person I thought of.

“I always projected myself at her place, saying to myself that it is so close to what I know. I've always seen myself in a mirror.”

Like me, she has three sons and a daughter. 

That's how our story began. We began to understand each other and to call each other, to tell each other what we were going through. We were both interviewed by the press. What binds us is a complicity also on lighter subjects.

“Since the project started... I see only extraordinary things! All these people fighting to create links, to live together, to try to make it work. There is so much to do!”

We met again a few months ago, and she was telling me about a European project. I was on a project too, so finally we found ourselves on a common project. It's a great project in partnership with the ARTE TV channel, the idea being to invite people from Molenbeek of all ages to express themselves in front of a camera with an object that is dear to them and allows them to tell their migration journey, their life journey. Since the project started and we are in contact with the different structures or networks that are mobilised in Molenbeek, I see only extraordinary things! All these people fighting to create links, to live together, to try to make it work. There are so many things to do!

Today Saliha and I are accompanying this project hand in hand. It makes sense that we are working together.

Some encounters in your life make you never react the same way again. And this encounter I have clearly Belcompetence to thank for.

 

Does SALT have an impact on your work or the way you do it?

"It puts meaning into actions."

In the phases of reflection, all actions, the systematic practice of the "after action review" has always been a great support for me to learn. 

And then there is also the starting point: the dream, and the fact of projecting oneself in 10 years, 30 years. I realise that this is what I am doing today, even in my work with the European institutions, with the aim of seeing in the long term and working towards this. Starting from a dream, a wish, a project, is so much more promising. 

The evaluation tool is also very interesting, I still think about it daily. Yesterday at work we had a meeting on cyber security, and we listed the good practices. But I brought the self-assessment tool to allow everyone to position themselves in relation to these good practices and note their evolution. And everyone was unanimous: it helps make sense of the actions.

I would like to make a SALT visit to the office and then see how with the approach we can work even better together. There are some very interesting personalities here, and there is a reason why we work together. Maybe next year :) ?

 

Interview by Celicia Theys

 

Translated with the help of www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

From: BelCompetence, The Constellation Belgium newsletter: http://mailchi.mp/0de04e0a4c2e/newsletter-belcompetence-automne-2020

To read the whole interview (in French): https://constellationbelgium.org/blog-cooperatif-2/

[Rituu B. Nanda]

I loved the pearls of wisdom particularly- "It puts meaning into actions."

For me SALT adds value in my own life. When I see strengths in others, I get energy and joy seeing people at their best self. It motivates me that I can do some of these things.