Day 32: Reconsidering Business

A few days ago (Day 29), I shared about an encounter I had with one of the members of the team who had decided that he no longer wanted to pursue business in favor of a retreat back to the NGO world. Today, it seems he has had a change of heart. My friend sat down with me this morning and remarked that he had been upset with me because of a conversation I had had with him last week about not delivering any of the work he had promised to complete. He confessed that the news had been difficult to hear, but that on further reflection, he knew what I had said to him was true. He went on to list all of the things he had learned from me during the past five weeks, which was incredibly gratifying.

Later on in the day, he returned from doing some field research on some competition with an intense sense of excitement and accomplishment. He had been able to get a lot of information about the major competitors to his small business and was already formulating sales strategies that incorporated the new information. It’s exciting to see how enthusiastic he is and I hope that he will continue to move forward with his business aspirations.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 31: Leading Change

Most corporate change initiatives fail. The fact of the matter is that change is difficult and can be sidetracked in so many ways. At Thunderbird, I studied change under the tutelage of Dr. Caren Siehl, an expert in corporate change. As part of our curriculum, we learned Dan Cohen’s and John Kotter’s change framework, which has hence provided me a unique lens through which to view change initiatives. The steps are simple but incredibly powerful: 1. Increase Urgency, 2. Build Guiding Teams, 3. Get the Vision Right, 4. Communicate for Buy-in, 5. Enable Action, 6. Create Short-term Wins, 7. Don’t Let Up, and 8. Make it Stick. For more detail on the framework you can check out the book “The Heart of Change Field Guide.”
Today, I participated in a workshop in which the coordinators were trying to inspire a group of local NGOs, involved in serving children and young adults, to form a network. The coordinators had conducted a study of the common issues arising in the NGOs and were hoping to get feedback from the participants. As I sat through the discussions, I noted some common mistakes that are typical to change:

- Lack of a common theme throughout the meeting. Why were they there and what did they hope to accomplish? What was the benefit to each individual NGOs of participating in the network?
- The change initiative was primarily being led by paid consultants. They had failed to involve other members in the process early enough and thereby garner support within the group. As a result, the group of NGOs viewed the consultants as outsiders in spite of the fact that they are just as passionate to help children.
- As a result of not involving key personnel from the beginning, most organizations that participated (50% of the invitees) had sent lower level representatives who really have no power in making decisions.

Surprisingly, the group began to respond to the call in spite of the efforts of the coordinators. In my opinion, they responded more out of a passion for helping kids, but the important thing is that they responded. It was exciting to see the participants begin to take ownership of the movement and answer the questions of naysayers within their own group. The question now is whether or not the group can capitalize on the momentum they have gained.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 30: Seeing into the Future

Ever since I was accepted as an Acumen Fund Fellow, I have wondered where on earth I was going to be placed. As the days have gotten closer to September 2nd, I have been on pins and needles waiting for the clouds to clear. Several weeks ago, I got some clarity after reading Greg Mortenson’s book, “Three Cups of Tea.” The book discusses Greg’s adventures building schools in some of the most remote areas of Pakistan. After reading the book, I got this deep sense that God was going to send me to Pakistan. Today, I got the news that I will indeed be placed in Pakistan and working on a Micro-health insurance initiative.

I must confess that I have truly brought my parents through the ringer over the years with all my adventures abroad. Costa Rica, Latin America, Africa, Turkey, Jordan, Honduras, and now Pakistan. It is certainly easier to leave than be left behind. My dad’s usual response is “It’s dangerous there!” without even knowing much about the destination. This time, it is true, but I have faith that the Lord will keep me safe. Ironically, my father responded in a much more subdued fashion this time. It’s probably part shock, part faith, and part growing accustomed to my travels. It is truly comforting to know that I have a loving family who is praying for me and supporting me back home. Certainly the next 12 months will be a great adventure!


Joel Montgomery

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Day 29: Just Say “No”… to Business

Today, I had an interesting discussion with one of the members of the cooperative. He came to me and said that he had decided that he didn’t want to be a businessman. He mentioned to me how the whole process of writing a business plan was too complex for the local market and that he is more passionate about working directly with the former gang members in a non-profit setting.

The first thing I did was to let him know that I feel quite strongly that everyone should pursue what he/she is passionate about and that I was glad that he had decided to pursue his passions. It is wonderful that he has decided this now instead of six months from now. That being said, I am afraid that he is using this as an excuse to return to his comfort zone, in which he frankly is not really doing a whole lot of good for the target group that he is so passionate about. Unfortunately, my friend has a tendency to zigzag around depending on his short-lived interests. This is further exasperated by the fact that the organization with which he works has no vision or strategy and he really has limited experience handling money. I shared with my friend the reality that any organization, whether for profit or non-profit, should go through a process of self-definition. Although in theory he understands the value, he does not seem disciplined enough to go through the entire process. Thankfully, most of his peers see the value in going through the business plan process and are diligently moving forward.

I can already see what is going to happen in the future and it makes me sad for my friend. He has a lot of potential but still lacks a lot of discipline and drive. It is comforting to know that he has taken to heart some of the concepts that I have shared with the team since my arrival, but I wish I could do more to help him.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 28: High Definition

At 7:45am, Leonel the taxi driver gave a honk in front of the house to let me know that he had arrived. I grabbed my bag and jumped in the backseat. We sped through the city streets this early Sunday morning, whizzing past bottlenecks that usually deterred us during the week. Upon arriving at work, a man quickly tried to grab my backpack, but thankfully it was only Javier. We yelled in the building to wake up the guard so he would let us in. As we arrived in our office, we realized that there was no electricity. You never know what will happen in a developing country. Slowly all the members of the team arrived and we began our meeting. The main reason why I had wanted to meet was so we could further define what the purpose of the new cooperative would be. During Friday’s meeting at the Association of Honduran Maquilas, the team had given the impression that the cooperative was a single company and I found this to be contrary to many of the plans that we had put in place, so there was obviously still some confusion. Although there were some intense moments of discussion, everyone felt better after we finished, as the road forward was much clearer.

After the meeting, we continued to work in the individual businesses over lunch. We all sat at separate tables and people would come up to me to ask questions about doubts they had about the business plan process. Probably one of the most exciting moments happened as I was listening to the discussion at one of the nearby tables. One of the staunchest critics to the business plan process was suddenly telling a new member of the team how important it was for him to create a business plan for his company. For me, that one sentence reinforced the fact that I was getting through to the team. I will certainly walk away from this experience having learned a lot from the team, but I am thankful that they, too, have learned a lot from me.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 27: Payday

One of the most incredible benefits of having graduated from Thunderbird is the extensive network of alumni from all around the world. On multiple occasions, I have searched the school database and found Thunderbirds in some of the smallest countries on earth. Here in San Pedro Sula, I found Hector, an alum who graduated just a few years ago.

As Hector and I headed to Applebees for some typical American fare, we passed several banks with lines that reached as many as one hundred cars. I asked Hector why there were so many people waiting at the bank and he remarked that it was normal for a payday.

Most workers in Honduras get paid on the 15th and 30th of every month. As a result, everyone heads to the bank to deposit checks and take out money to pay bills. Although many companies offer Direct Deposit, a relatively small percentage of employees choose it. Latin America is still very much a cash culture. Hector told me that some of the Maquilas used to pay all of their employees in cash until the buses that would take them to/from the plants began to be robbed. To combat this, the Maquilas opened corporate bank accounts that were then subdivided to include each employee. Instead of check or cash, employees received a debit card. Initially, there was a lot of push back from the employees as they thought that the company was cheating them of their hard-earned money.

As Hector and I arrived at the mall, we noticed that the payday craze was exactly the same there. Lines haphazardly snaked around the various banks as people lost hour after hour in pointless lines. For me, this reinforced the fact that the developing world is full of opportunity. Imagine what could happen if a foreign bank entered the market with many of the efficiencies that are typical in developing countries. It would quickly revolutionize the whole banking system in Honduras.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 26: Presentation

Yesterday, Jesus emailed us to let us know that he had arranged a meeting with the Communications Director of the Association of Honduran Maquilas. He asked each of the new businesses to put together a short PowerPoint presentation and be ready for the 8:30am meeting today. I was a worried that this meeting was too early given the fact that there was still some doubt as to how the micro businesses were to function within the structure of the new cooperative as well as the reality that all the businesses are still in the early stages of developing their own business plans. In spite of my concerns, I knew that we must be ready for the meeting as it was an important contact.

When I arrived this morning at 8:00am, there was a flurry of activity as each of the groups made the last minute touches to their presentations. We arrived right on time to the association’s office and were escorted to the conference center by our hostess, Tesla. Quickly it became apparent that Tesla did not know why we were meeting with her, although she gracefully listened to each company’s presentation.

In spite of many minor sales mistakes, the team successfully communicated the basic ideas of what we are trying to do. Tesla expressed her interest in including our information in an electronic newsletter that is sent to all association members each Friday It was good to see each group present and give them some feedback as to how they can improve their sales pitches.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 25: Socially Oriented Graphic Arts

Today, I had a lunch meeting with Espectro Ganzua, the socially oriented graphic arts company. We made some major breakthroughs in terms of further defining their strategy. One of the ideas that came out of the meeting was the concept of offering a service to clients in order to measure the true need of a social campaign. Most companies have market research down, but they don’t know where to begin when conducting a social campaign. Is the message that they are trying to communicate really necessary? Does the public already understand all or part of the message? By offering this service, Espectro Ganzua would be able to partner with sociologists to actually measure these types of questions within the community, thereby enabling the client to make a more informed decision all the while helping the creative team to refine the campaign to the realities of the market. Certainly the idea needs to be explored directly with potential clients, but I like how the group is starting to think outside the box.

The other major area that we discussed in our meeting was the difficulty of forecasting numbers. I suggested that they break up their projected growth into phases and estimate how many clients, workers, equipment, etc. they would need to enter each phase. They could then use this information to fill in the gaps from where they are currently and ultimately put a time frame around each growth phase. The team is moving along and I am hopeful that the hard work they are putting into the business plan process will produce fruit.


Joel Montgomery

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Day 24: The Street

Every morning I head to work and the taxi driver takes the same route. I pass the same food stand that has people crammed around it waiting patiently for breakfast. I pass the same taxi stand with its line of white cars. I pass the same Kiwi-branded corner where people come to shine their shoes before work. All of that sameness, I can live with, but it is the street people that touch me the most. I wonder what horrible misfortune has caused them to call a bit of concrete home. I wonder most about one individual in particular, who does not seem to be in a drunken stupor like so many of his neighbors. He’s black, in his teens and always sleeps in the same pair of red shorts and no t-shirt. He’s not an early riser as he sleeps soundly as I roll by around 8:00am. Small pieces of cardboard are his mattress and tall tree branches his roof. Today, I noticed that he was not at his usual address and I wondered where he could be. Could someone have murdered him during the night? Could he be visiting a friend in another part of the city? Could he have returned to his far away home? Whoever he is and wherever he has gone, we are not that different he and I. We have the same needs of food and water. We have the same wants of acceptance and love. Yet, what has caused him to live on the street while I studied at the best schools in the US?


Joel Montgomery

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