Dear friends,
I am Deborah L. Rugg, PhD, President, Evaluation Consultants LLC. I have spent 40 wonderful years navigating the global evaluation landscape, seeking to make a difference, always building on my core values and passion for public health and serving the underserved, fighting at the nexus of science and the politics that undergirds the UN, US government and CDC. Some of my experience included serving as Director, Inspection & Evaluation Division which was responsible for evaluating 34 agencies in the UN Secretariat/New York and Chair of the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG), where I worked with colleagues and UN diplomats to shepherd global evaluation resolutions through the General Assembly, like “2015- The International Year of Evaluation” and the hard-fought inclusion of evaluation principles in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I also led the Global AIDS Response Reporting System working with national governments and civil society organizations in over 190 countries as the Evaluation Director at UNAIDS/Geneva. I have served as an AEA Board Member; Co-Editor of the American Journal of Evaluation, Section on International Developments in Evaluation (with topics like transformative and local level evaluation leadership); served as founder and Executive Director of the innovative Claremont Evaluation Center-New York providing executive leadership training in evaluative-thinking skills; and am now president of my company Evaluation Consultants LLC.
I provide this background as context to the transitions I have experienced and the lessons below. I hope others can relate to the essence of my truths. Powerful insights come during moments of transition, when you are forced to face and reinvent yourself. I encourage you to not shy away, as life can only really be understood looking backwards.
Lessons Learned
Here are six strategic tips for navigating change:
- Look for gaps then start something new
If you see a gap, and think you have something to offer, seek to fill it- don’t be afraid to start something totally new, or add to an existing entity, be strategic - Speak up but read the room
Speak up, speak your truth to power… but read the room first, and build good allies - Lead from behind until you gain trust
If you are new and find yourself an outsider, lead from behind the scenes at first, by allowing powerful others to deliver your message, this allows you to become known/trusted - See setbacks as opportunities!
Learn to see the inevitable setbacks as springboards to opportunity and your future success - Have the courage to pivot
If after trying your best, you find yourself in a bad situation, have the courage to pivot in a new, more fruitful direction - Careers evolve, know your values, find the through-line
Stay true to your core values and what is really meaningful to you, knowing it will take different shapes over time… look for a through-line, the thread that connects it all
Last words of advice
Never forget that you are making a difference. It will not always feel that way, as you scramble through your daily maze of responsibilities, but all that work adds up! Trust that you are influencing the people around you and contributing to the greater good. Someday you will look back and realize it was time well spent.
So, just keep going, putting one foot in front of the other, doing what you love doing, and never ever giving up, because one person truly can make a difference in this world!!
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