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Shooting for the moon
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What Madhu didn’t realize was that SHE would be the one pushing her team to strive for ideal solutions.
“People in development are used to not having funds. So they don’t think big, they think small.” Unfortunately, nongovernmental organizations face a perpetual lack of funding and tend to plan based on the bottom end of what is possible. So, Madhu called upon her for-profit experience.
Madhu suggests that her team think about optimal solutions. “If we think big,” she says, “we can get at least 80%. If we think small, we get 80% of much less.”
Madhu presented her team with a different way of thinking about solutions, but she did add an element of realism. “Shoot for the moon,” she says. “But you must also have a backup plan if resource constraints necessitate scaling down.”
After two weeks of consideration, her team is now on board. As for her own learning, Madhu is developing a deeper understanding of priorities. What is enough knowledge to make decisions? How do you do more with less? These are questions that people in every profession consider at some point. They are also questions that Madhu FEELS acutely within her new role.
“This is just a start.” Madhu is convinced. “If we can increase efficiencies in the structure of microfinance institutions, we can create a domino effect. At the point where people step above the poverty line, they can then begin to look beyond the next square meal to improving their lives.”
Madhu’s six-month placement through Cisco’s Leadership Fellows program will be an important piece of the puzzle. If her job is done right, the technology and software backbone she helps develop could be replicated worldwide - and that means some serious scaling up.
To learn more about corporate service fellowship programs, visit BuildingBlocks International or contact info@bblocks.org.
“People in development are used to not having funds. So they don’t think big, they think small.” Unfortunately, nongovernmental organizations face a perpetual lack of funding and tend to plan based on the bottom end of what is possible. So, Madhu called upon her for-profit experience.
Madhu suggests that her team think about optimal solutions. “If we think big,” she says, “we can get at least 80%. If we think small, we get 80% of much less.”
Madhu presented her team with a different way of thinking about solutions, but she did add an element of realism. “Shoot for the moon,” she says. “But you must also have a backup plan if resource constraints necessitate scaling down.”
After two weeks of consideration, her team is now on board. As for her own learning, Madhu is developing a deeper understanding of priorities. What is enough knowledge to make decisions? How do you do more with less? These are questions that people in every profession consider at some point. They are also questions that Madhu FEELS acutely within her new role.
“This is just a start.” Madhu is convinced. “If we can increase efficiencies in the structure of microfinance institutions, we can create a domino effect. At the point where people step above the poverty line, they can then begin to look beyond the next square meal to improving their lives.”
Madhu’s six-month placement through Cisco’s Leadership Fellows program will be an important piece of the puzzle. If her job is done right, the technology and software backbone she helps develop could be replicated worldwide - and that means some serious scaling up.
To learn more about corporate service fellowship programs, visit BuildingBlocks International or contact info@bblocks.org.
