If only we had known we were vastly underprepared for a global pandemic… I say that tongue-in-cheek. Of course we knew. President after president was briefed with data and evidence showing the potential devastation a pandemic could have on our global society. In advance of a pandemic, anything you say sounds alarmist,” Leavitt explained. “After […]
Evaluation Mindset: Imagining a Destination
There are all sorts of purposeful goal-driven people and organizations. Intent on following a path towards a destination that is clear in their minds. They might have even put the destination down on paper, charting the course and knowing the way forward. But that is not all organizations, and certainly not all people. We don’t […]
The Evaluation Mindset: Not Your Data
In 2018, 87 years after it was completed, Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon was released to the public. Reading the book today the story of Cudjo Lewis feels completely relevant to our contemporary times. It is heartbreaking, illuminating, and honest. In the way she writes, Hurston allows Cudjo to tell his own story. They are his […]
The Evaluation Mindset: Methods and Frameworks
Methods and frameworks are how we turn our professional actions and philosophies into practical strategies. Once formed, they can be shared and shaped by other hands. They can evolve and grow. They can sometimes take on a life of their own. Methods and frameworks are two different things. I have a tendency of bundling them […]
The Evaluation Mindset: Evaluation in a Crisis
This post is a day late as recent events hit me with blogger’s block. I didn’t want to just write another post, seemingly oblivious to the very real global pandemic that is on everyone’s mind. But I didn’t just want to add to the COVID-19 noise. But the more I thought about it, the more […]
The Evaluation Mindset: Charting a Course
Describing how a process works is valuable for two reasons. It forces you to make sure you know how it works. Then it forces you to take the reader through the same sequence of ideas and deductions that made the process clear to you. William Zinsser The whole point of having an evaluation mindset is […]