What Type of Person Thrives in the Social Impact Industry According To An Independent Impact Evaluation Consultant
Rakhee, an Impact & Evaluation Consultant, identifies key traits for success in the industry: a mission-driven approach combined with empathy, "meeting people where they're at," and a commitment to equity; furthermore, a continuous growth mindset and resilience are crucial for navigating the evolving context and accepting that "maybe it didn't work, and that's okay."
Mission-driven, Empathetic, Equity-focused, Growth-mindset, Resilient
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rakhee Patel
Impact & Evaluation Consultant
Independent Consultant
Wellesley College (studied abroad for 1 semester at University College London)
UCLA | M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics (2011)
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Mission-driven individuals are crucial for success in this field.
2. Empathy and understanding diverse perspectives are essential for effective collaboration and achieving positive outcomes.
3. A growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning are vital for adapting to evolving contexts and improving work practices.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically survive in this industry?
I think it's definitely people who are mission-driven. People who are open-minded and empathetic, who can see different perspectives and try to meet people where they're at. You're never going to work with people you fully agree with on every single thing.
When you're supporting communities that have competing needs, you really need to understand where everyone's coming from so you can meet them where they're at. This applies whether it's the people you're doing the work for, the people you're working with, or even as simple as having a meeting and thinking about how someone might want to receive information.
Maybe they need more time to process it, or perhaps you can follow up with them later instead of asking for an immediate response. There are many ways to show empathy in this work that make it better. I think that's a huge quality in this industry.
I'd say people who believe in equity and center that in everything they do will thrive. These are people who are committed to making sure everyone has access to opportunities, not just some. I think that's really important.
Then, I think the people who thrive are those with a continuous growth and learning mindset. They know the context is always evolving and that they can always learn something new and improve how they do their work. They don't have ego if something they tried didn't work.
Instead, they learn and grow from it and are resilient. They don't push through something they know isn't having the intended impact, nor do they get down about something that didn't work. They are always learning and growing. With that mindset, everything doesn't feel like a big deal. I think that's really helpful in this work.