2020 was a year of turbulence and rapid change both here at Pepal and for the wider world. Earlier this month we reached out to some of our friends and colleagues working in the leadership development space to gather their reflections around the impact 2020 has had on leadership development and social impact and where Pepal programmes are relevant in this emerging and increasingly virtual future.
"In today's volatile operating context, leaders need more than ever to be able to adapt their approach while staying true to themselves. Pepal's programmes provide leaders with a space to lead, collaborate with diverse local teams and innovate in very challenging and dynamic situations. And in doing so, provide simple and effective solutions to complex health and social development issues in lower-income countries. Even in its virtual version, while not providing 'on the ground experience', leaders from our corporate clients have a profound and deeply human experience while building close partnerships and leading virtually."
Ed Marsh, Former Global head of talent and organisation development, Nestle and Pepal Trustee
“Given the changing times due to the effects of COVID-19 and increased demand for service continuity and efficient delivery, good governance and leadership are critical to achieving the intended outcomes. Through the Pepal leadership development model, creating virtual leadership and governance skills modules for public and private healthcare is relevant to strengthen staff skills to enable them to cope with volatile times. There is a need for increased staff motivation, supervision and management to build a generation of self-driven leaders with the ability to perform under minimal supervision, a need the virtual Pepal programmes aim to address.”
Michael Musiime Koima, Governance & Leadership Manager, Baylor Uganda (Partner NGO)
"We are living in an increasingly volatile and complex world – and the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to drive global uncertainty for some time - now more than ever, we need agile and resilient leadership. Pepal programmes offer a unique approach to developing the leaders we need for the future while also having measurable social impact. I feel privileged to have been part of these genuinely transformational programmes."
Jane Waterman, Executive Coach, Aesara Partners
“At Progressive Foundation we observe gaps and challenges in the healthcare system in Uttar Pradesh. On the one hand there are obvious solutions and there are clear benchmarks available for learning and adapting successful models. However, we still fail to fix our problems. The reason is a clear lack of leadership at different levels. Pepal programmes provide a platform to collaborate among corporate, NGOs, and government partners to practice leadership, create and enhance impact. The programmes demonstrate how people can collaborate without hierarchical order and with respect for ideas. Pepal programmes allow teams to achieve ambitious goals in the most effective ways.”
Vinod Yadav, Director Progressive Foundation, India (partner NGO)
"There has never been a time where the need for innovative approaches to addressing social issues has been more pressing. What Pepal have achieved is to create a platform for leadership growth whilst addressing real-world challenges through a unique and immersive virtual experience. This hybrid approach has a significant impact both in the development of tomorrows leaders but also in addressing serious challenges in volatile healthcare communities where the need for resilience is high."
CJ Green, Co-Founder & Executive Director, BraveGoose, Pepal Trustee
“Leadership - in a pandemic-affected world - has already shifted its perspectives. From control to enabling guidance, from managing to coaching-based support and from fixed agendas to responsive and coherent actions. Moving from crisis to complexity has necessitated this. Pepal, and its virtual adaptation - provides these elements and more. Working with local and international leadership collaborators, discovery, design, and deployment helps people make lasting changes whilst they are learning to lead.”
Perry Timms, Founder and Chief Energy Officer, People & Transformational HR Ltd
Emerging from all of the comments is the need to be adaptive and responsive in a world of volatility and unpredictability. Reflecting on the last 12 months, we have faced many challenges, from pausing in-person programmes to staff being unable to travel to our project areas. At the same time, many opportunities have arisen and we have developed our knowledge base and skill set rapidly. Through harnessing the power of technology in our programming, we continue to create sustained change from a distance whilst simultaneously maintaining our ambition to bring more diverse stakeholders together for even greater impact.