TOR152: Embracing Failure And Iteration To Find Sustainable Solutions In The Social Sector with Nithya Ramanathan of Nexleaf Analytics

How much do we really embrace failure in the social sector? I ask this question because, as someone who has been lucky enough to be a part of the evaluation revolution over the past decade, embracing failure at an institutional level still remains elusive. Organizations and individuals alike still remain reluctant to lay bare the shortcomings of their efforts for a number of reasons that go well beyond just the fear of losing donor funding or having a black mark on your CV.

Unfortunately, I’m not here today with a clear cut answer about how to embrace failure other than doing so ultimately requires the same focus and discipline that you would apply to any other skill. You must not specifically incorporate the recognition of failure into your planning and design, you must also be willing to practice it every day, ruthlessly.

The good news is that, like so many other things, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you can create this discipline and practice in your life, you’ll learn faster, be more adaptable and, perhaps most importantly, the successes you do achieve will be that much sweeter.

My guest for the 152nd Terms of Reference Podcast, Nithya Ramanathan, is someone who definitely embraces failure. So much so that the organization she co-founded, NexLeaf Analytics, recently published an article that enumerated the company’s failures for all the world to read about. Nexleaf focuses on how we can better use data to make a difference for those in need. More specifically, Nexleaf focuses on the use of low cost sensors to improve things like cold storage for vaccines or cookstoves for rural families, among many other applications.

But, as you’ll hear in just a few minutes, while data is important for Nexleaf, it isn’t the true driving force behind their work. And this is where Nithya underscores in our conversation about the need to embrace failure and to continue to evolve your programs, processes and even yourself.