Ideas and Reflections

About doing good

Why empathy is tricky

How empathy can lead us astray when it comes to ‘doing good’.

‘Cost per intervention’ and its role in capital allocation

The rational - and emotional - case for cost per intervention calculations in ‘doing good’.

5 competing voices in impact evaluation

The researcher; the evaluator; the strategist; the storyteller; the program leader, and what they look for in evaluation.

Partnerships that are more than money

Three things that make money from one source more valuable than another.

9 things to avoid doing in philanthropy

Common pitfalls when it comes to strategy in philanthropic contexts - many of which I’ve made… learn from my mistakes.

About getting stuff done

4 traps that kill team alignment and progress — and what to do

Teams that move quickly and make decisions simply avoid these failure modes.

7 principles for taking action and leading change

Specific and actionable advice that holds true in different operating contexts.

How uncertainty should be changing your strategy

The difference between working in a problem space with high vs low certainty, and what this means for your team.

Is it ok to measure outputs?

We’ve become obsessed with outcomes over outputs. But in what scenarios might outputs actually be more useful?