MNA is wrapping up work for the year. This year, we continued our collaborative work with several returning and new clients; won some, lost some (grants, that is), worked from our home offices, restricted / avoided traveling to our clients’ locations to collect on-site data, and delivered reports on time to all our clients.
It is time to retreat, reflect, replenish, revive, rejuvenate — and repeat.
Channeling the famous “Iceberg Theory” to our evaluation work, what brings to the conscious eyes of the mind is the 10% completed or visible (a.k.a. beautifully designed, error-free (mostly), data viz’ed reports and presentations we delivered to our clients — the happy face — but not the 90% pre – and unconscious or the invisible work (a.k.a. pivoting) that went into completing the work while keeping our spirits high, staying positive and safe.
Honestly, in 2021, we experienced:
1. Contractual and payment delays
2. Got caught in institutions’ policies, politics, and bureaucracy
3. Faced project planning and implementation changes, delays, and data access challenges
4. Saw project team – client – turnover(s), work gaps that hindered our ability to work efficiently, and
5. Experienced communication delays / gaps.
In 2021, we also saw
1. Our team re-strategizing to help adapt to the changes and challenges
2. A rise in collaboration, cooperation, and communication to accommodate our clients’ needs
3. Changes / tweaks to data collection strategies
4. Our productivity levels go (way) up
But, most importantly, we deeply experienced
5. Human kindness, compassion, team work, collegiality, love and understanding among our team members and with our clients.
In essence: we continued to PIVOT. ADAPT. DELIVER.
Change is a constant and inevitable. How we (re)-act to it, continue to grow, adapt, lead, and learn from it is what we will continue to strive for in 2022 and beyond.
Wishing you all season’s greetings, happy and safe holidays from team MNA.
Rest, Retreat, Reflect, Recoup, Revive, Rejuvenate, Repeat.
