The Nardoo Story
The name ‘Nardoo’ is inspired by a small desert fern found primarily in inland Australia. Although delicate in appearance, the Nardoo plant is extremely hardy and can withstand extremes of heat, cold, flood and drought. It has learnt to adapt and thrive in tough climates.
A nutritious, yet potentially dangerous source of food
If prepared correctly, the spore cases of the Nardoo plant provide a good source of nutrition. Consequently, the Nardoo plant has played an important role in the diet of indigenous Australians for thousands of years.However if prepared incorrectly, consuming the Nardoo plant can be quite dangerous.
The spore cases contain thiaminase, an enzyme that prevents thiamine (vitamin B1) from being absorbed by the body. This results in a condition known as beriberi. Beriberi can have devastating effects on the nervous, muscular, cardiovascular and digestive systems. As such, the aboriginal people learnt to roast the spore cases to remove thiaminase.Burke and Wills
Burke and Wills were two famous Australian explorers who, on their way north through the interior of Australia in 1860-1861, were fed correctly prepared Nardoo by the aboriginal people. However on the return journey, the exploration party ate the Nardoo plant without help from the aborigines. As a consequence, the food sat in their stomachs, unable to be processed for its nutritional benefits. So although they felt ‘full’, they eventually died of starvation.So how is this story relevant to Nardoo the company?
We believe that professional coaches provide the greatest value to clients when they possess a thorough understanding of the inner dynamics of the person or organisation. Without this understanding, coaches run the risk of merely ticking all the boxes on a superficial level, rather than addressing the real issues. This leaves the client feeling ‘full’ but not receiving the proper ‘nutritional’ value they need.If Burke and Wills had engaged in genuine dialogue with the aborigines, they would have learnt about the subtleties of the nardoo plant.
At Nardoo, we work hard to understand the inner dynamics of our client relationships so that we can provide the appropriate skills and strategies to support that understanding.
