Read on Twitter
So apparently this struck a chord. Some folks reached out with Qs & asked what is a suitable budget for diff efforts would be. I appreciate the engagement.
As we all know, there are no hard and fast rules. But I tried to jot down a few factors that are important to keep in mind: https://twitter.com/PantheaLee/status/1346211950116659201
As we all know, there are no hard and fast rules. But I tried to jot down a few factors that are important to keep in mind: https://twitter.com/PantheaLee/status/1346211950116659201
1. Redesigning is harder than designing. Reimagining harder than imagining. Because there are existing structures, biases, norms to examine, challenge, and maybe dismantle.
There are also egos, jobs, infrastructure propping up the existing. Handling gracefully takes care & time.
There are also egos, jobs, infrastructure propping up the existing. Handling gracefully takes care & time.
2. Ideally, you want bespoke teams comprised of diversity of lived experience, identities, geographies, etc.
To get the most out these dream teams (ie. truly interrogate dominant ideologies, rotate leadership, etc) takes time, as working norms across cultures / sectors differ.
To get the most out these dream teams (ie. truly interrogate dominant ideologies, rotate leadership, etc) takes time, as working norms across cultures / sectors differ.
3. Ideas are great but even more so: navigating politics & building trust b/w "competing" stakeholders.
Per @adamkahane, true innovations come from relational breakthroughs not technical ones. Your facilitators must intimately understand the chessboard to shepherd y'all thru it.
Per @adamkahane, true innovations come from relational breakthroughs not technical ones. Your facilitators must intimately understand the chessboard to shepherd y'all thru it.
4. If the outputs of your reimagine, decolonize, redesign plan is a theoretical framework & high-level implementation roadmap (read: only vague sense how it maps to existing structures, incentives, processes), then please pause & reconsider. This could cause more harm than good.
Because it'll consume lots of energy. Then it'll get stuck. Then everyone will be sad & more disillusioned.
Those who need to stay in the org/sector will check out. Those who don't will leave. Many who continue rising / gaining power will be those for whom politics trump morals.
Those who need to stay in the org/sector will check out. Those who don't will leave. Many who continue rising / gaining power will be those for whom politics trump morals.
5. If your top-choice partners are based somewhere $, consider what they're really worth to you.
I lead a global team w/ staff largely in NY + Abuja. I say no to work I think should be owned by teams in majority world, but partners still come back b/c we have a certain skillset.
I lead a global team w/ staff largely in NY + Abuja. I say no to work I think should be owned by teams in majority world, but partners still come back b/c we have a certain skillset.
Fine. But pay our rates. The discrepancy in salaries b/w those funding & doing work is massive— yet so many try to get us to cut cut cut.
It’s taking advantage of our idealism & passion, but it’s inequitable & unsustainable. And yields shoddy work. Some will do it. We won't.
It’s taking advantage of our idealism & passion, but it’s inequitable & unsustainable. And yields shoddy work. Some will do it. We won't.
If you want to work with us, great. But invest more so we can collab deeply w/ partners from contexts w/ limited training opps on how to frame / guide / present work in ways you like. Skills transfer is best via actual work, not training.
This is a practical way to shift power.
This is a practical way to shift power.
6. I get asked for budget ranges. That’s tricky. But consider:
- How many stakeholders? How messy?
- How deep we gonna go?
- Do you have PM capacity?
- How much (& why) to integrate existing lit?
- What’s gap b/w folks that informed current strategy & ones who shld inform future?
- How many stakeholders? How messy?
- How deep we gonna go?
- Do you have PM capacity?
- How much (& why) to integrate existing lit?
- What’s gap b/w folks that informed current strategy & ones who shld inform future?
7. Always include your budget.
“But we want to rate cost competitiveness” is no excuse to not. That's literally how you assess it apples to apples.
You’d never go: I want a rad car but dunno my budget, get mad when offered a BMW, buy a Kia, then complain when it’s not very rad.
“But we want to rate cost competitiveness” is no excuse to not. That's literally how you assess it apples to apples.
You’d never go: I want a rad car but dunno my budget, get mad when offered a BMW, buy a Kia, then complain when it’s not very rad.
(Apologies if that's a bad analogy... I don't drive. But you could probably tell because the only adjective I could think to describe the distinguishing features of a car is “rad” and… “very rad”.)
8. Ask yourself if your project framing is honest enough & if you’ve prepared stakeholders for the answer.
Don’t assume the centrality & futurity of your institution in the outcome. Create an enviro where “we gracefully wind down some programs—or us” can be an acceptable answer.
Don’t assume the centrality & futurity of your institution in the outcome. Create an enviro where “we gracefully wind down some programs—or us” can be an acceptable answer.
Cleary I have a lot of feelings about this :)
But after all the public statements & internal soul-searching, your RFP framings & project budgets reveal how serious you truly are about change.
So we going to do this, or aren’t we?
But after all the public statements & internal soul-searching, your RFP framings & project budgets reveal how serious you truly are about change.
So we going to do this, or aren’t we?
Because it's the new year, and I see lots of folks ready and excited to make big change. That’s fantastic!
I *really* want these amazing ambitions to succeed—so these are offered in that spirit, based on my learnings.
I *really* want these amazing ambitions to succeed—so these are offered in that spirit, based on my learnings.
None of this is meant as a subtweet. Truly. We're all doing our best, based on the info we have.
But if we want transformative change, it must start with how we approach the process of change.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
But if we want transformative change, it must start with how we approach the process of change.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
