‘Improvise; Adapt, and overcome.’ An open letter to the humanitarian aid sector.
Dear humanitarian aid sector,
I do hope you are well? I’m writing because I sense we are on the verge of a fantastic opportunity!
But first I want to tell you about a disaster relief seminar I went to recently — at the HQ of a leading national newspaper. The seminar bought together some of the cleverest and passionate minds from international and national NGOs, think tanks, humanitarian consultants, eminent thinkers, trustees, directors and academics — a real smorgasbord of knowledge. About a third were in positions of senior authority (ie a head of department/ Directors / Executive or trustee) and about half the audience was from a NFP or NGO.
The warm, inclusive atmosphere motivated me to stand up and pose a question to the panel; “With many people leaving the military; do you see the disaster relief community ready to accept those individuals?”
The warm atmosphere fell somewhat gloomy (let’s say ‘sans lumière’) — that wonderfully inclusive vibe changed when 2 panellists answered..
‘They can BUT only after a change in attitude has taken place’.
‘A Command and control culture doesn’t fit in the humanitarian space’… They told me.
It got me thinking; a cultural change is exactly what is needed, but where exactly should it take place?
You see, 2 people on that stage gave their honest viewpoint — ‘they can but they need to change their attitude’ said the professor. Now the entire room has heard 2 panellists suggest that people leaving the military can only hope to join once they’ve undergone change.
Looking down the list of attendees — I count around 50 people in a position of authority in international NGOs and Not-for-Profits. If you imagine that just 15 of these people talk about the seminar to 10 others in their organisation — that’s 150 people who have potentially been influenced by the panellists’ mind-set. That’s 150 people in the NGO community who may then prejudice a former service person’s application to join their organisation.
Whilst this may not seem like an immediate problem — we should think a little deeper. Us military types understand consensus, buy-in and entrepreneurial leadership. We’re naturally drawn to values-led organisations and we’re passionate. But beyond these superfluous reasons, think about what these people and their hand-earned experience could do:
Having trouble controlling a stretched logistics supply chain? There’s a vet that can help with that.
Can’t get to an area because a road has collapsed, yet still need to conduct a vital need analysis and get ground truth to help prioritise aid distribution? There’s a vet who probably knows how to get around that.
Not sure about how to best select a route through a contested area to get aid through? There is a vet that knows about that.
Not sure what actors, tribal allegiances and agendas are destabilising a development programme? Many former service persons have conducted key leader engagement (KLE) and actor mapping in some of the most dangerous, security challenged environments on the planet!
Never planned a short notice evacuation operation? When things get too hairy; you’ll like the vet that has practiced it many times and done it for real.
We’ve all worked in virtual teams, geographically spread 1000s of miles without IT systems and can still tell you what everyone else is doing outside their area, as if it was our next-door neighbour. We like information, and deeply understand the need to share it quickly.
You see we work well in uncertainty — you’ll find us improvising a route whilst you argue over costly helicopters.
We’ve been taught how to live in different environments — and can operate without relying on a big logistics ‘tail’ behind us. We understand how to form relationships by sharing a bag of sweets, or how to build rapport with the use of a football (even if that’s a sandbag bound together with gaffer tape). If you look hard enough; we’ve also found ways to play cricket in some of the most austere environments on earth.
We’re sensitive enough to notice a change in local atmospherics — often because our lives have depended on it.
Furthermore; There are currently 1000's of service persons deployed in some of the most remote parts of the world, building the relationships that can help your organisation. We know that because we like to talk. A lot.
Still not convinced? Consider this: Whilst your organisation spends £1000s of donations on training — service persons are getting taught: life-saving trauma medicine; operating in security-challenged environments; navigation; how to continue working when surrounded by biological and chemical threats; and the quick interpretation of complex topological data… every single year.
And how many aid workers are taught how to evade hostage takers? Or how to behave around kidnappers to maximise their chances of survival? Or how to notice post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in themselves or their friends. Well that veteran you just discounted has done it since they signed up. (It’s called the buddy-buddy system in case you were wondering.)
So, if you still think that every service-leaver wanting to join the humanitarian aid sector is a blunt instrument — I’m afraid you’re missing out.
By no means am I suggesting that we’re the perfect fit, but maybe, in this resource-strained time, isn’t it about time that service leavers and NGOs got together to know each other a little better?
Yours faithfully,
Chris
