Arianna Martínez Fico presents Zen Agilityhis book published in June 2024, where he merges two worlds: organisational agility and the practice of Zen. Through a close conversation, he tells us how the idea for this book was born from his experience at the Inter-American Congress of Human Management and his desire to offer a more conscious and fulfilling way of facing today's challenges. Aimed at leaders, companies and families, Zen Agility is a practical guide for those seeking to transform their environment with a more agile and balanced approach.
- Your name: Arianna Martínez Fico.
- Title of the book: "Zen Agility".
- Publication date: June 2024.
Arianna, could you summarise your book in one sentence?
An organisational transformation adapted to today's world.
How did the idea for this book come about and what motivated you to write it?
I have been working for some time on bringing agility to the organisational world as a way of being, thinking and acting that goes beyond a set of methodologies from software development and enables us to face today's challenges.
In 2022 I was invited to give a lecture at the Inter-American Congress of Human Management. I called it "Human Management: The great enabler of Organisational Agility". What happened during and after that meeting - the questions, the messages and the concerns - led me to think that it was time to bring agility closer to the organisational world.
Agility alone was not enough for me without the full presence, awareness and unconditional acceptance that I have learnt as a zen meditation practitioner. Thus the idea of connecting agility and zen arose as an opportunity to put my experience at the service of the organisational world in an integral way to support the cultural transformation that is required to install agility as a differential capacity.
From there came my book Zen agility, where I share some of my experiences and learnings and propose a methodology to cultivate more organic, sustainable and truly agile thinking in people and companies.
To whom, how and when do you recommend reading it?
I recommend reading my book mainly to mothers and fathers of children from the age of 10. But it is never too late, this book is helping families with teenagers up to the age of 24.
The aim of my book is to raise awareness that adolescence is a difficult time for the adolescent and for the family. Behavioural changes in adolescence, rebelliousness, impulsivity, intensity of emotions, etc., are due to the important changes that occur in the brain. From this awareness, adolescents have nothing against the family; it is not a personal issue, it is a brain issue.
With a new outlook, mothers and fathers can be the best life coaches for their adolescents. With empathy, listening, presence and a lot of patience, adolescence is an opportunity to accompany our children in their personal development towards the independent and autonomous adult who will create his or her own future.
What tools from the book can be used in a coaching process?
In the book you can find most of the tools that are used in a coaching process, as it is based on the learnings from my coaching sessions with families and adolescents. I highlight the systemic family approach, listening as the basis for creating a trusting relationship, the management of emotions and distinctions.
At what point in the learning process as coaches might it be advisable to read it?
I recommend reading it to those who are taking the Specialisation in Families and Adolescence, because in order to accompany the family system and make intervention possible, it is essential to know what adolescence is and the biological and socio-cultural aspects that influence adolescents.
