Anesh Daya

Transcript

teaching English as a second language literally out on the streets of Toronto talking to thousands of strangers what I've come to learn is that to truly connect with another human being you absolutely need to connect to their culture connected their heart and soul in a way that breaks down barriers and builds Bridges that's why I'm passionate about cultural intelligence as an essential tool that we all need to connect globally so let me take you back in time to an exciting in-person event I attended this past May I was surrounded by seven figure entrepreneurs the room was buzzing with excitement I felt confident pumped up and

on top of my game and I was curious what this panel of Visionaries and experts might recommend as to the next evolution of my language learning business so I marched up to the microphone and asked microphones over here sorry yeah um a little bit nervous and a little confident what's your take on the future of the language learning business it felt like it was getting hit by a ton of bricks as an entrepreneur this is all I've ever known all I've ever done I felt the life being sucked out of me so afterwards I just had to find him and ask him a follow-up question

so what do you suggest I do with my ESL business what I heard next would forever change the trajectory of my life and business what you need to do is double down on culture we have ai to give us instant translations whereas culture needs to be studied and learned huh in that moment a light bulb switched on wait a minute that's the business I've always been in having traveled to over 30 countries and learned multiple languages what I've really been doing is helping learners learn cultural Intel and be curious I've been teaching people how to put on a cultural contact lens noticing all the cultural

nuances and being able to empower people with cultural Intel hmm well that includes something like Maybe noticing what people value like when one of my Japanese students noticed on the wall a hockey poster during an interview and quoted Wayne Gretzky by sharing her nervousness you miss 100 of the shots you don't take it got her the job or maybe it's sharing something that has resonance and power like food who loves food yeah right like Chevron a Gujarati tea time snack that has a unique combination of sweet spicy and salty that I get to share with my friends during Diwali that's some sharing some cultural Intel

or maybe learning a greeting in another language like in Mandarin you could say Nihao which means how are you but you know what if you go to Taiwan it's more important to say Lee which means have you eaten that's what Taiwanese really care about so when you think about cultural Intel think about how life can change and Empower you so you see that moment I attended this past May made me realize that cultural intelligence has always been my hidden superpower it motivated me to evolve my business and double down on culture I'm now reaching a wider audience of Educators and entrepreneurs I'm presenting a global

conferences and even developing new Partnerships across the globe like working with Japanese Executives and even piloting a program for female Chilean miners cool is that and the good news is we can all evolve our life or business at any time to be more Adept and aware of what really makes a difference in someone's life because the evolution business is everyone's business so the next time you meet someone from a completely different culture try channeling some cultural curiosity and ask yourself what's one thing I could say or do to make this person smile feel appreciated and absolutely want to be my friend or even hire me

and finally I'd like to say with a little cultural Intel we can all be the thriving Global Citizens of tomorrow today thank you

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.

Transcript

i had butterflies in my stomach as i sat across the table from my director you see he invited me out to lunch for the first time ever so this had to be good news right for years i'd put my heart and soul into my job as head teacher at an esl school in toronto so surely he'd found a way to save my job i just finished my last bite when my director slid me that dreaded ping slip across the table you know the official piece of paper that says your job's been terminated my heart sank he turned to me and said i'm sorry anish we

did everything we tried to do to keep you but unfortunately you're unqualified the governing board now requires all esl teachers to have a university degree in your college diploma just isn't enough i sat there thinking my life as a teacher was over i was unemployable who was going to hire me now how would i pay my mortgage who could i turn to stumbled out of the restaurant feeling lost alone devastated i started thinking about how would i break the news to my parents you know they were immigrants who'd come to canada with absolutely nothing not even a high school diploma nothing but blind hope and

the dream of giving their children a better life wasn't i supposed to be the one paving the way for future generations not jobless without a degree and it got me thinking hmm wait a minute that's it i come from a long line of entrepreneurs who had to rely on their tailoring skills they were forced out of india to south africa and finally ending up in moose jaw saskatchewan a predominantly white conservative town and they adapted and became successful entrepreneurs too my dad created a printing company and my mom even starred in an indian tv cooking show where she made samosas and bottles of homemade chutney

wait a minute i had the two most important role models right in front of me could i do that too yes yes i can and that's just what i did i reached into my toolkit of language learning and started my own english language program without all the protocols test scores and certifications an inclusive feel-good program where students can walk away with the actual life skills needed to thrive the tools i needed to order noodles when i lived in taiwan or tools my students need to order that cup of coffee at tim hortons could i get a medium double double please so in the end that

pink slip turned out to be the catalyst i needed to start my life as an edupreneur in 13 years later i humbly stand here the creator of an award-winning english language program a method of learning that not only gives students fully immersed in the outside but a program that encourages them to look inside to believe in themselves to know their self-worth and experience a catalyst moment of their own so remember you don't need a piece of paper to decide your fate and stop waiting for someone else to qualify you instead discover your passion and hire yourself you

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.