"I have over 12 years of experience in the social sector."
"I have completed my MSW and would like to build a career in social impact."
"I have 5 years of experience in the corporate sector and now I am keen to work in the social sector."
"I have experience in leading initiatives, scale projects and build teams."
"I have just graduated and would like to make this world a better place."
"I am deeply committed to young people and would like to work in a role where I can contribute to their lives."
I am sure a lot of us have heard this and more during interviews and has given rise to a glimmer of hope about finally finding the most awesome person for the role that you have been waiting to fill for months. Running an organization for nearly 15 years now, sitting on boards of two organizations and advising a few others in the social sector space, I am seeing a definitive trend at not being able to find the right people to fill the diverse positions across organizations.
What has been more disturbing is that it is not the dearth of applications or potential candidates for the role but the fact that they just don't have the skills, values and aptitude for the role.
However, this is not about blaming the education system or the lack of initiative to learn skills amongst the candidates. I could do that and it won't be saying anything new. I have been delving on this issue for many months and I believe it is important to turn the problem on its head and look at the problem from a different lens.
I am reminded of my short stint at Xerox as a young 21-year old just out of college. My peers used to tell me that salesmen from Xerox are the most sought after in the Industry. Competitors believe that if you have worked at Xerox then you know how to sell anything. The training and mentorship that Xerox provides is unparalleled and makes one into a truly great salesman. It took courage and a bold vision by Xerox to stand out, invest in their people and gain this compliment in a highly competitive space.
I wonder how many non-profits actually have a vision that they will give the best talent to the sector. I wonder how many non-profits courageously and boldly invest in their teams so that they can become the best at whatever they do and when they move onto other careers / jobs they become the most valuable employees in their new jobs and organizations. I wonder how many non-profits can take pride that they employees are the most sought after in the sector and have moved onto leadership positions in other organizations or started their own.
We at Dream A Dream believe that anyone who moves on from Dream A Dream should be the most sought after talent in the sector; that Dream A Dream is the place where we challenge them, make them uncomfortable, push them to their learning edge, believe in their potential and mould them into becoming the best selves that they can be.
The social sector is a new age sector. It is a time of amazing opportunity where many young people are choosing this sector as a career. They come with much hope and anticipation that while they will create deep impact in the world, that they will also learn and grow as human beings and professionals. It is after all our responsibility to mentor these young minds to unlock their full potential. For only a person, who can live and contribute to the fullest can solve the most complex problems of our world.
Yet day in and day out, we meet and interview people who have had 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 16 years of experience in diverse sectors and yet are unable to use common sense, take initiative, work in teams, be sensitive, show drive and passion. We wonder what kind of organizations they worked in previously, what kind of managers/mentors they had, if any and we wonder why they didn't take charge of their own learning all these years. We wonder how someone can get so comfortable in the status quo and work hard to become mediocre.
I see a pattern emerging. As I get bored in one job/role, I move to another organization, ask for bigger role and bigger pay and use my experience card to get this bigger role and bigger pay. As I gain more experience in being mediocre, I ask for bigger roles and more pay and very soon I am perpetuating that cycle of mediocrity with my reportees too. Soon, I have built an entire sector that is permeating mediocrity. No wonder then that even with over 3 Million NGOs in the sector, we are not able to wipe out poverty from our country.
Its time, we as NGOs, take a stand to not hire mediocre but more importantly to invest in our people - truly believe that they are awesome and unlock their true potential which will not only help us in our causes but will also increase the standard of talent in the entire sector. Its time we set benchmarks for excellence in the sector. its time we take pride in being part of the 3rd largest sector in the country and contribute to enhancing the skills in the sector through our people.
"I have completed my MSW and would like to build a career in social impact."
"I have 5 years of experience in the corporate sector and now I am keen to work in the social sector."
"I have experience in leading initiatives, scale projects and build teams."
"I have just graduated and would like to make this world a better place."
"I am deeply committed to young people and would like to work in a role where I can contribute to their lives."
I am sure a lot of us have heard this and more during interviews and has given rise to a glimmer of hope about finally finding the most awesome person for the role that you have been waiting to fill for months. Running an organization for nearly 15 years now, sitting on boards of two organizations and advising a few others in the social sector space, I am seeing a definitive trend at not being able to find the right people to fill the diverse positions across organizations.
What has been more disturbing is that it is not the dearth of applications or potential candidates for the role but the fact that they just don't have the skills, values and aptitude for the role.
However, this is not about blaming the education system or the lack of initiative to learn skills amongst the candidates. I could do that and it won't be saying anything new. I have been delving on this issue for many months and I believe it is important to turn the problem on its head and look at the problem from a different lens.
I am reminded of my short stint at Xerox as a young 21-year old just out of college. My peers used to tell me that salesmen from Xerox are the most sought after in the Industry. Competitors believe that if you have worked at Xerox then you know how to sell anything. The training and mentorship that Xerox provides is unparalleled and makes one into a truly great salesman. It took courage and a bold vision by Xerox to stand out, invest in their people and gain this compliment in a highly competitive space.
I wonder how many non-profits actually have a vision that they will give the best talent to the sector. I wonder how many non-profits courageously and boldly invest in their teams so that they can become the best at whatever they do and when they move onto other careers / jobs they become the most valuable employees in their new jobs and organizations. I wonder how many non-profits can take pride that they employees are the most sought after in the sector and have moved onto leadership positions in other organizations or started their own.
We at Dream A Dream believe that anyone who moves on from Dream A Dream should be the most sought after talent in the sector; that Dream A Dream is the place where we challenge them, make them uncomfortable, push them to their learning edge, believe in their potential and mould them into becoming the best selves that they can be.
The social sector is a new age sector. It is a time of amazing opportunity where many young people are choosing this sector as a career. They come with much hope and anticipation that while they will create deep impact in the world, that they will also learn and grow as human beings and professionals. It is after all our responsibility to mentor these young minds to unlock their full potential. For only a person, who can live and contribute to the fullest can solve the most complex problems of our world.
Yet day in and day out, we meet and interview people who have had 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 16 years of experience in diverse sectors and yet are unable to use common sense, take initiative, work in teams, be sensitive, show drive and passion. We wonder what kind of organizations they worked in previously, what kind of managers/mentors they had, if any and we wonder why they didn't take charge of their own learning all these years. We wonder how someone can get so comfortable in the status quo and work hard to become mediocre.
I see a pattern emerging. As I get bored in one job/role, I move to another organization, ask for bigger role and bigger pay and use my experience card to get this bigger role and bigger pay. As I gain more experience in being mediocre, I ask for bigger roles and more pay and very soon I am perpetuating that cycle of mediocrity with my reportees too. Soon, I have built an entire sector that is permeating mediocrity. No wonder then that even with over 3 Million NGOs in the sector, we are not able to wipe out poverty from our country.
Its time, we as NGOs, take a stand to not hire mediocre but more importantly to invest in our people - truly believe that they are awesome and unlock their true potential which will not only help us in our causes but will also increase the standard of talent in the entire sector. Its time we set benchmarks for excellence in the sector. its time we take pride in being part of the 3rd largest sector in the country and contribute to enhancing the skills in the sector through our people.
4 comments:
Thanks for this Vishal really a point to ponder a lot. Goes equally to all of us working in the social sector to keep an eye on ourselves. On our mediocrity. Realising working in this sector is more than just a career could be a starter perhaps.
Thank you KRS. You are quite right. Keeping a check on our own mediocrity is a good start. If we can work on being the best that we know we can be, we will inspire and encourage others too.
Hi Vishal,
Completely agree. At Lend-A-Hand India also we do the same. However, in many cases one of the challenges is when the organization is a start up and mostly works/recruits on project cycles - Ability to attract, pay competitively, and retain them after the project period. Have gone through these cycles myself as an employee.
Hi Sunanda, Yes, I do agree challenges exist and with multiple scenarios the challenges to get complex. However, I am pushing for all of us to think about the intention when we hire someone. Even if they come as project specific staff, how do we continue to invest in them, even if that means active mentoring, so that they are richer in skills, knowledge and values as and when they leave.
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