Building networks & throwing yourself in at the deep end
As part of the benefits package that Parkour UK offer Development Associates, last week we invited Ian Braid and Preeti Shetti to share some of the things that they have learnt during their careers.
Preeti Shetty is CEO of Upshot, a monitoring, evaluation & learning system to help you evidence your impact. Preeti spoke about her career with a particular focus on insight and data, building networks and the importance of acknowledging failure.
Some of the insights were:
- Learnt the importance of monitoring and evaluation through writing grant applications and producing annual reports.
- Obsessed with the idea of failure, particularly the concepts of Black Box Thinking which considers how in the aviation industry the learnings drawn from the black box are shared with the whole of the sector so that everyone can learn.
- During interviews many candidates underestimate the need to understand ‘this company, in this sector, at this time’.
- Building networks is what it comes down to. A peer network that you can grow with, is the strongest thing. Building trust with a group of people who are going through similar things and who will encounter many of the same problems that you do.
Ian Braid is MD and founder of DOCIA Sport Ltd (Duty of Care in Action) who offer independent, expert advice on all aspects of duty of care in sport. Ian shared thoughts on personal development and possible approaches to help improve the duty of care in the sports sector.
Some of the insights were:
- Two catch phrases have helped me realise what I should do when I grew up. Firstly that ‘everything is worth the price of a cup of coffee’, its an opportunity to listen to a perspective which may lead to an opportunity. Secondly, ‘throw yourself in at the deep end’ as the greatest learning always comes from those incidents.
- Keep your head up, open your eyes, listen to others with a view to helping.
- Build the confidence to challenge others over time. We are learning all the time and we shouldn’t be afraid to say what we think.
- Linking it all together you need to understand who you are, what your values are and stick to them no matter what happens. Create a personal coat of arms and hold yourself to account every day.
Thanks to both for their time and effort. If you would like to contact Preeti or Ian you can do so through the following links:
Upshot – Contact Us
DOCIA Sport – Contact
