Guest blog by Fatima Lipp D. Panontongan, IPP ’24
The on-campus session was extraordinary. Learning from both the professors and my classmates in my cohort was priceless. Everybody was warm and kind. I loved the study sessions before the classes because we got to discuss the readings on a more personal level. I enjoyed hearing stories from my group and realizing that, even with our different backgrounds, we shared the same struggles and helped each other frame our implementation challenges and make sense of our individual fishbones.
The lessons on teams, teaming, and psychological safety will also be forever ingrained in me, especially since we got to practice them with our study groups for several months — both during the on-campus and online sessions. I will always remember what Salimah always says: that our group is a gift. I have not only gained knowledge from this course, but I also gained my IPP family!
Kismet
I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, and taking the IPP course proved to be more than just a random undertaking in my life. I initially came to Harvard as the chief of staff for a Philippine senator, aiming to learn how to ensure the effective implementation of a law we recently sponsored in Congress on the diversification of our exports.
Little did I know that my world would change just a couple of weeks after completing the one-week on-campus session. My boss was suddenly appointed as Minister of Education in our country, and I was appointed as a Deputy Minister.
I quickly shifted my implementation challenge to improving the learning outcomes of Filipino students, as we consistently rank low in both international and national assessments.
While it may seem that my implementation challenge only involves our country’s performance in one international large-scale student assessment, I realized, as I continuously worked on my fishbone, that it actually covers much deeper underlying problems in our education system: the nutrition of students, which should be monitored from an early age; ensuring we have equipped and competent teachers; providing a safe and conducive learning environment; keeping the curriculum updated and globally competitive; and ensuring that learning materials, like textbooks, arrive on time.
The IPP course, especially the Phase 3, proved invaluable in helping me transition to my new role. Each module seemed to align perfectly with key milestones in my work. I particularly loved the 4Ps lessons on people and process, which reminded me of the importance of fostering an inclusive and productive environment—crucial in a new workplace. The module on delegation relationships, motivation, and time management came at just the right time. The timing was simply amazing! It felt as though this course was designed to support and sustain me through my first two months. True to the PDIA principle, I realized that the IPP course was developing my capabilities while I was actually solving my problem.
The power of small wins
My new job was overwhelming at first. However, I learned that no matter how small your Triple As (authority, ability, and acceptance) at the start of your journey, you can build on what you don’t have with what you do have. We should never underestimate the power of small wins and consistent actions, whether in maintaining or expanding what we have, or gradually building on what we don’t.
I also learned about the importance of building strong relationships and connections which could help us get through stumbling blocks and navigate challenges. They can offer diverse perspectives and resources to help us move forward and find solutions.
Our PDIA check-in tool, which served as my work diary since July, helped me track the progress in my implementation challenge. No matter how incremental, the wins kept me inspired and motivated, and the list of next steps kept me focused and moving forward.
If Batman has his famous utility belt, I have the powerful PDIA toolkit to navigate the intricacies of my implementation challenge. Experts noted that we need 20 years to see improvements in learner outcomes in my country, but I’ll use everything I’ve learned from this course to pursue that goal, one small win at a time.
Do what you can do
To my fellow PDIA practitioners around the world, although our fishbones seem complex, ever changing, and never ending, don’t stop. Dig deeper and explore wider. Ask, explore, try, learn, iterate, repeat. Be patient and take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Just imagine there’s always a policymaker drawing a fishbone somewhere in the world.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself too. It’s easy to become absorbed in our work but we should remember the importance of taking pauses.
I remember what Matt said: that positions and titles are not important. You can always exercise leadership, regardless of your place in the organization. We can always choose to make a difference wherever we are and in whatever we do. Kennedy said, “Ask what you can do.” I have my own version: “Do what you can do.”
This is a blog series written by the alumni of the Implementing Public Policy Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. 42 Participants successfully completed this 6-month hybrid program in November 2024. These are their learning journey stories.