Building Capacity for Reform

March 29 2019 - Last week a colleague told me that after she attended a Development Entrepreneurship workshop she concluded that she had been some kind of jack-of-all-trades, and was unhappy being so. She wanted to focus on one specialisation, Organisational Development. Since then she has taken on only projects that allowed her to work on OD. She says this has made her more effective. She’s also happier with herself.

Her story struck me in several ways. First, it reminded me of innovators’ strong ability to reflect on their own work, experiences and life. Second, I was amazed by her resolve to make a significant change in her career trajectory, her choice of projects. And all these because she wanted to be more effective.

The desire for improved effectiveness is based on a fundamental humility: the recognition that there one has weaknesses, that there are areas for personal improvement. It also carries an optimistic confidence: that it’s possible to be better at pushing for change.

How can one become a better change agent? Each one of has an answer, depending on where they happen to be in their career and life. Here are some of the recurring answers from innovators I’ve talked with:

• Continue to learn about your technical area of expertise. Read up, talk with peers and mentors, stay updated.

• Look for ways to improve your “personal operating system” - the way you make decisions, manage your time and resources, keep fit, maintain emotional health.

• Continue to discern your underlying paradigms. What are your values, narratives, world views? Are they helping you to do what needs to be done?

• Nourish your networks and build new ones. Remember that everyone you meet is a potential partner.

• Develop the attitude and skills of resourcefulness. When you “start with what you have”, resources are often limited or lacking. Resourcefulness can help you make up for what you don’t have.

• Remember to regularly reflect on your actions. This is essential for you to “learn as you go along”.

• Fight acedia, which is not acting on the really important things. It’s not simply laziness, because busy-ness can also be a smokescreen for not doing what really needs to be done. The antidote involves being strategic in picking the things you do - the things that really matter, that open up bigger opportunities.

People who see improvements as a way of life - those who are in it for the long haul - know the need for, and value of, building their reform muscles. Just like athletes who want to win more, they increase their knowledge, skills, and craft every damn day.

How will you build your capability for reform today?

#Development #Innovators