This blog post is written by Deepa Sara Chandy who is joining us as a tech lead for the program.
I recently spent two days at a Project Tech4Dev workshop on Leading Transformations in the Social Sector, facilitated by Romana Shaikh. I am preparing to move from the corporate world into the social sector, so I came looking for perspectives. I left with something more useful: a few better questions and a room full of people to learn from.
Starting with art, not slides
We began by making nameplates for ourselves. It was a simple warm-up, but it set the tone. Given the same prompt, every person in the room came back with something different in colour and shape.
Next, we drew our journey over the last three months. There were no rules and no constraints, only the challenge of deciding what we wanted to say and how to say it without words. When we shared our drawings, each of us spoke about what we had drawn. Romana created a safe, non-judgemental space where people could talk openly about their experiences and challenges.
Listening as a practice
Through these activities, we practised active listening: hearing someone out without rushing to respond or interrupting their train of thought. Movement exercises reinforced this by asking us to work as a team without relying on words.
We also heard from Anto and Sushil, who spoke about their experiences as fractional CXOs. They described how they identified and engaged different stakeholders in their journey, each playing a distinct role as an advocate, ally, champion or cheerleader. Also, how understanding the culture and structure of the organization can help us navigate different situations.
Day 2: Awareness, inside and out
The second day opened with another movement exercise. We listened to one another and adjusted our pace to stay in sync with the group and the environment. It was a simple way to feel the importance of deep listening, and of being aware of both what is happening within us and around us.
We then explored the Ladder of Inference, a concept from systems thinking, and mapped its seven steps to the work each of us is doing. It was a useful reminder of how quickly we move from observation to assumption, and how much that shapes our decisions.
We closed with a free-flow writing exercise on what it means to be a collaborative leader in the social sector, and shared our reflections with one another.
One message to carry forward
Somewhere between the drawing and the listening exercises, one key message stood out for me:
Technology is a small part of the transformation. Culture, context, communication and relationships shape a much deeper impact.
As someone coming from a technology background, this reframed how I think about the work ahead. Tools matter, but trust and understanding matter more. I also came away appreciating how much we can gain by leaning on one another, especially in complex environments where no one has all the answers.
A big thank you to Romana and the Tech4Dev team for two days of reflection and learning, and for helping us prepare to lead with confidence and empathy.
