7 Lessons from the 2010 Inspire Fellows

 

This month we kicked off the third class of Inspire Fellows! We have a fantastic group of individuals joining the nonprofit sector with backgrounds in consulting, banking, private equity, and marketing.

During our Foundations Training, which is provided to everyone at the beginning of their Fellowship, alumni shared some of their lessons, which are useful for anyone moving into the nonprofit sector:

1. Be patient and open minded

Each Fellow shared stories about things that were different from what they expected coming into the nonprofit sector. Teja Padma (2010 Fellow at FHI 360) advised: “Come in to explore. Keep an open mind and be flexible because you will learn a lot.” Maurice Matthews (2010 Fellow at Year Up) suggested tapping into resources through ProInspire, your manager, and books to speed up your learning.

2. Your job scope will change, and that is okay

Many Fellows said that their responsibilities ended up being different from what they discussed during the interview process. Lucila Crena (2009 Fellow at Year Up) shared that she came in thinking she was going to work on Year Up’s expansion to Baltimore. A month after she started, Year Up received a large grant from Venture Philanthropy Partners and Lucila was asked to be project manager. “Your job is to empower your supervisor. Your responsibilities will change, but you will be an asset if you help your manager to be successful.“

3. Be prepared for culture shock

Fellows shared their different experiences with culture shock, working in environments that were fairly different from where they had previously worked. One Fellow said: “We are always changing and it was frightening to see how fast things change.” Another Fellow had a different experience, “I realized we are a large organization and change is slow.”

During Foundations, new Fellows discussed the classic 5 stage culture shock model and what emotions to expect in their transition.

4. Take initiative

Fellows were surprised by how much opportunity and expectation there was on them to take initiative. Maurice Matthews (2010 Fellow at Year Up) said, “You put together an analysis, and your manager asks ‘And what. What do you recommend?’ Don’t be afraid to suggest your ideas and show initiative.”

Fellows also shared how they learned to navigate ambiguous situations by taking initiative. Monisha Kapila (CEO of ProInspire) said, “When I speak with our partners, they always say they love how Fellows take initiative. Even if you don’t know what to do, ask questions, take a stab at something, and then get feedback from your manager to see if you are on track.”

5. Change your definition of success

Fellows discussed how their definition of success has changed, and that it is no longer about just completing a deliverable. David DeVaughn (2010 Fellow at FHI 360) said, “I learned to re-evaluate my definition of success. It is not like you make a presentation and then you are done. Seeing change in systems and processes takes time.” Nick Takamine (2009 Fellow at FHI 360) talked about his work helping create a strategic dashboard. “Getting the organization into the habit of tracking and reviewing it every quarter was a challenging process but very rewarding.”

6. Build relationships

Fellows shared that respecting people throughout the organization was critical to building rapport and getting things done. Kim Hartmann (2010 Fellow at GAVI Alliance) said: “Social change involves a lot of stakeholders. Now incorporating feedback has become second nature to me. I have really started to value people’s opinions and perhaps more surprisingly, they have started to value mine.”

7. Find balance between humility and confidence

A key theme from all the Fellows was to find the balance between humility and confidence. Don’t be lulled into thinking you know how to do something, but be confident that you can figure it out.