Excelling in the midst of adversity: A Chaordic Design and Estonian Life collaboration

Estonian Life newspaper is very excited to present a new collaborative series with Chaordic Design, a design and business innovation firm in Toronto. Chaordic works with business leaders to emerge value with new ideas that drive engagement, and boost revenue, to scale clients’ businesses. Their specialty is creating opportunities to ‘Thrive in Disruption’, in any climate.

In addition to their consulting directly with clients, Chaordic has generously offered a multitude of insightful panels, workshops, and industry events globally. In the GTA, some of these events have been shared in support of projects held by other organizations and institutions, including the Government of Canada; while others have been independently run, including the “Design for Emergence” workshop at Sick­ Kids.

The initial partnership between Chaordic Design and Estonian Life came about with a little bit of luck and good timing. Ana Matic, from Chaordic Design, was looking for a new venue partner for her Women in Leadership League panel event, after an initially scheduled venue was flooded. After this unexpected, last minute change of plans, she reached out to Tartu College Events. Although November is a very busy time for the events space at Tartu College, the CEO Linda Karuks and Elis Jaansoo, Marketing and Sales of Estonian Life, were able to accommodate the arrangements with only days to spare.

Thus, a beautiful partnership was born – celebrating female leaders and entrepreneurs, and Estonian leadership everywhere.

The Chaordic Way: The Opportunity Space Between Chaos and Order

In discussing the upcoming event, Ana, Linda, and Elis determined that Chaordic Design and Tartu College had many common values: women in leadership and innovation were key concepts. But the panel’s intimate, interactive conversation about thriving in life carried forward the possibility of a long-term collaboration.

Women leaders from diverse paths of life shared their insight and guidance on what helps them thrive in life. After sharing their ideas and networking, the event’s participants left feeling uplifted and inspired. With such a successful event, Chaordic Design and Tartu College agreed to support each other with events throughout 2020, with Tartu providing the space and Chaordic facilitating the events.

As Elis and Linda also met in person with Goran Matic of Chaordic Design, they discussed how the collaboration could be deepened and how it could be brought to our community beyond the events offered.

The word “Chaordic” itself alludes to the fruitful, productive state of flow that exists in working between chaos and order. Chaordic Design refers to it as an “emergent, opportunity-filled space.” For employees and entrepreneurs alike, it can be an intimidating spectrum to venture through, alternating between knowing exactly what to do and being unable to plan a week ahead. Business can be unpredictable, and in times of adversity and disruption, it’s easy to feel alone. If we use the right tools and strategies, we can strengthen ourselves (and our teams) to find a manageable and productive process to work with. This is where Chaordic Design’s resources make their impact.

In their communication, Ana, Goran, Linda, and Elis realized the necessity to bring this information to the readership of Estonian Life, so that anyone interested could bring out their own value and stand out in their careers.

So what are the specific, practical ways we can all increase value, engagement, and scale in our careers?

It was determined that there was a strong foundation of leaders in the Estonian community of Canada that could provide this knowledge in a relatable way. Estonian women in particular have made a massive impact in the world of Canadian business and in our communities.

So come along for the journey and stay tuned for upcoming interviews, where we will be putting a spotlight on eminent female leaders in the Estonian community, the history of Estonian female leadership, and the six key methods used by successful leaders to excel in times of adversity.

Photo: Elis Jaansoo