A Tear and a Smile

All the work for this project came down to one final presentation to senior leaders. Part of me wanted to ignore the importance of this meeting because I felt so emotionally invested in the outcome. The mission of Save the Children--to make real and lasting change in the lives of children--had become part of my own personal life mission.

Five minutes before the meeting, I pulled out a picture of a child in need that touched my heart and breathed a few breathes. "This is about you, not me. This is about how we can help you and I promise to do my best." 

We began with the three big questions that woke me up many mornings and occupied my thoughts during daily runs along the ocean.

How can we consistently measure progress and compare results for children across programs? We can do this with the “end-game” evaluation framework. The model is flexible and lets you decide what goes in each bucket. The key is that the last bucket, representing program impact, is defined first.

Just as a financial advisor asks, “What do you want your life to  be like when you retire?” The “end-game” evaluation model asks, “What do you want the lives of children to be like when the program achieves results at scale?” 

Can a 5-20 year plan with performance targets be presented on one page?

Specifying the "end-game" helps focus on what matters most over the next 5-20 years. We can use best evaluation practices, including Save's theory of change, to map out a critical path for success on one page. This involves answering several key questions up front.

For example, in terms of building partnerships, critical questions include, "Who are the most important stakeholders that need to be involved?" and "What must happen to involve them?" For innovation, it is important to identify key elements of program logic, along with assumptions and risks. 

How do we relate the end-game to quarterly progress? Each target can be accompanied by a qualitative or quantitative indicator that measures quarterly progress against plan. The technical criteria for good indicators can be represented by the acronym CREAM (Clear, Relevant, Economic, Adequate, and Monitorable (Schiavo-Campo & Tommasi, as cited in Castro 2011, p3.)

By the end of the meeting, the leader said, "You earned your spurs today." The dashboard and roll-out plan received initial endorsement. 

I am now back at GSK and my PULSE assignment is over. The biggest gift came yesterday by email. I learned that a key milestone in the roll-out plan was reached. Dashboard feedback reports were sent to all stakeholders along with communications for next steps to keep them engaged. It is with a tear and a smile that I let go now. 

Thank you Save the Children for giving me the opportunity to work with you and improve the lives of children in need. I will pay this forward and continue to focus on serving children in need and patients back at GSK.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

How can I translate "results for children" into an evaluation framework for the organizational dashboard?  

Inspired by the work of the Accelerated Development Program back at GSK that encourages people to go and see, or "gemba," I headed to the Save the Children literacy programs in Union County, South Carolina.  Gemba (現場) is a Japanese term for "the real place. "  

What matters most to leaders? Improved standardized test scores since this is how academic performance is measured nationally.

What matters most to children? Caring teachers, parents, and grandparents that want to see them succeed.

What matters most to parents? Having opportunities to give their children a good life, having food to eat, and discovering what they can do for a living now that manufacturing jobs have been replaced by service jobs. 

I invite you to see the children, parents, teachers, and leaders in this slide show, as they are the "heartbeat" of the programs. While their world shows the face of poverty, their spirits are resilient. They are warm, engaging, and willing to let you into their world.

What surprised me most was that these children did not look different from my own and the homes we visited did not look different from some homes in my community. In getting to the heart of the matter, my own heart has opened up to the value of giving to those in need so that they can have a fair playing field.  For now, it is time to translate these new insights from the "gemba" into results for children on the Save the Children organizational dashboard.

Tell me your story

Over the last two weeks I have had the privilege of interviewing 40 agency dashboard stakeholders. The interviews have taken me from the Connecticut to Washington DC business offices. 

Washington DC business office inside building

In interviews with board members one of my favorite questions to ask is, "What would delight you?" This is often the turning point in the conversation. Energy picks up and responses shift from statements to questions. "Can results for children across our programs be quantified? How do we measure real and lasting change in the lives of children?" They envision and describe a strategic agency dashboard based on years of experience and expertise across many well-known companies.


Even though I mentally prepared to hear the truth, some interviews touched me beyond what I imagined. One interviewee said, "You know the headlines in the newspaper today; Somalia is the road to death. ” He told me about the numbers of children dying every day from hunger and preventable diseases. He told me the list of issues that are addressed from severe malnutrition and abuse, to separation from family members. “I just feel called to go,” one interviewee told me. All I could say is, “Thank you.” We both paused for a moment because words did not belong in that space.

I take a walk and reflect. Can numbers on a dashboard capture the essence of the work that Save the Children does? I can hear the voice of a past adviser say, “Your assignment is a tall order.” 

This is work that will need to be done in stages so that the stakeholders can own the agency dashboard, from defining key performance metrics to agreeing on ways in which key messages are communicated. Thankfully, it is just the right time for this work. Save the Children offices are coming together across the global to form one united organization called Save the Children International.

A great example of what is possible through collaboration is Save the Children’s the current campaign, “I am going to be your friend.” It adopts Bob Marley's mantra of love, compassion, and giving to inspire fundraising for famine relief funds in East Africa. Many popular musicians, such Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Rihanna, have put their names behind the campaign. The song and accompanying video get right to the heart of the matter. My aspiration for the agency dashboard is also to tell a story with numbers that gets right to the heart of the matter.

Chapter 2: The Voice of the Customers

My assignment at Save the Children is to put a strategic edge on their agency dashboard that improves decision making capacity at the senior level.


I've begun a series of interviews to understand what's working and where improvement could be made.  There are several stakeholder groups: the board, senior leaders, direct reports to senior leaders, and dashboard contacts. Though each stakeholder group brings a different perspective, they all have a vested interest in a creating a strategic dashboard that helps accelerate the reach and impact of programs for children in need.


Within the first few interviews, it is clear that any change to the dashboard will require the support of all the stakeholder groups. To get their support, I will need to understand their diverse values, concerns and aspirations. Time to take put my organizational research "hat" on the side and wear on my  organizational development t-shirt from the GSK Accelerated Development program.

The other side of pain

Since Save the Children is part of the emergency response in the Horn of Africa, there's a high level of awareness about the situation in the business offices. For several days I have stayed with the sadness that comes up, rather than pushing it away. 

This weekend, during a yoga workshop lead by Bryan Kest, I saw through the tunnel of pain during a meditation. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to help children in need. Negativity is a waste of time so I have to let go of the excuses, reasons why things can’t change.


The pain is temporary. It has fueled me to work for a greater good, to be a positive part of the change. The only lasting pain would be if I turned back, put on blinders, and pretended that there were no children in need. Together we can bring light to that which is dark.

This journey makes life more meaningful. It is easier to …

breathe in otherwise stressful situations

have grace and patience

feel the words "Thank you”

listen to others and reason from within

leave work on time

enjoy the evenings with family, friends

sign along to Amazing Grace.

How do you answer a wake up call?

As I move from corporate to non-profit work, I am face to face with hard truths that feel like a wake up call everyday. For example, in a meeting with a senior leader, he asks, do you know what the daily life of the  8-10 million children dying each year from preventable causes is like? Many do not know what it is like to feel full, to not be sick, even for a day.


Sometimes, I'm OK, other times, I feel sad. On the way home from work, I hear the song, "Tears in Heaven." Eric Clapton wrote this in remembrance of his son. It made me think of 16-20 million parents that feel this way every year.


I am looking for ways to feel the pain and still do the best work to be able to make a positive difference. I begun asking people, how do you stay at your best and not get down when the news is hard to hear?


The answers so far have varied, from "I'm numb" to "We are winning, 30 years ago there were three times as many children dying each year from preventable causes."


How you do answer life's wake up calls?

Chapter 1: Beginning work in Westport

The Westport, CT Save the Children business office overlooks the Saugatuck River and blends into a series of downtown shops. The paradox between who we serve and where we work is palatable. It is easily explained, as the building was just short of gifted to the NGO. Regardless of location, the mission to help children in need deeply touches all that work for this global organization.

Call to action

In preparation for my assignment with Save the Children, I found a video that answers the question why.


And another video that gives me hope- a story of resilience.

GSK Home Team

                               Julia, Dan, Penny, Tommy, Steve


Thank you for your support, insights, and wonderful send-off lunch.  Derek (not pictured) wrote a quote in a team card that speaks so well to this volunteer opportunity.


"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~Winston Churchill

My 90 day mission

My mission is ...to be fully engaged with the Pulse Volunteer experience so that I can help make a positive difference in the lives of children.


Along the way I'll share behaviors I adopt to help reach my mission, and welcome suggestions from people who have been on this path.


So I don't end up someplace else, here's what I've been asked to accomplish:


Deliverables
­Update overall Agency Dashboard for board of trustees and senior management team.
­Create linkages with divisional dashboards currently in development

Success Measures
Well designed layout and presentation of analysis of key metrics on agency performance, and strong links with cascading/next level dashboards.

Volunteer exit plan / hand over
Handover to Director of Planning to implement with senior management team going forward.

Welcome and "the Ripple"

Welcome to my new PULSE Volunteer Partnership blog. Now that I have a 3-month assignment with Save the Children in Westport, Connecticut, it seems timely to reach out to family, friends, and colleagues to share the journey.


The PULSE program logo is a ripple, and suggests the positive ripple effect that emanates from the "pulse" of GSK volunteers working within communities in need.  I invite you to be part of the change by posting comments that can help take the work forward, and create a bigger ripple.