Demanding, Challenging and *Real*

As my team and I enter the fifth week of our project, it's increasingly clear that this is not like any other course I've taken. It's demanding, challenging and *real*—everything I hoped I'd find when coming to SIPA. Early in our client interactions, it was clear that these were competent, inspired and accomplished individuals setting audacious goals and asking us to help them reach them. Our efforts wouldn't be leading toward another report laid on a shelf gathering dust; they would contribute toward the ultimate success of this client and influence their trajectory.

Being entrusted with such a task by an assiduous team is truly an honor, but it can also be daunting. With reward comes risk, and – being that it's early in the process – my fear of disappointment is palatable. How could I provide anything valuable to people who know more than me in nearly every aspect of this project? I've realized that the value-add lies in two arenas: i) having the time that they don't, and ii) being able to conceiving solutions without the bias for how they do things right now.

As I listened to my classmates share their experiences, I could see this in their approaches as well. Understanding what the client wants from the beginning is critical, but also paramount is not running to the same conclusions. Initially, I'd prefer working on our respective group projects instead of sharing knowledge during class. However, I quickly became a believer when I realized that each of our projects was unique enough that they required bespoke solutions and disparate skillsets, yet sufficiently correlated that we could refer to the side ideas, the same industries and even some of the same networks for such findings. It felt like a scene of representatives from different divisions of a major organization, where everyone had a critical role to play and was each devoted to the same objective. It was inspiring to see how dedicated they are and humbled to hear their insights in areas in which I know little.

The back-and-forth discussions, the unending pursuit of solving initially – and, for some, still – nebulous problems unveil the disparities in solving case studies in a classroom and real-world problems. In case studies, the problems are defined, the solutions contained. In reality, the problems can be worse than undefined – they can be *incorrectly* defined. It requires a different way of thinking, releasing the need for perfection and certainty and focusing instead on probability and efficiency. This shift is uncomfortable for me to make, but I believe it's an important one, and I can already see its positive externalities in other areas of my life and work.

This class, this research and our clients have taught me a great deal. In many ways, it's the culmination of every class I've taken at SIPA and my experiences before, and it serves as a stark reminder of the critical role policy plays in shaping the world we seek. I can't wait to see where it will lead.