Interaction with District Development Managers (DDMs) of NABARD
Date: 21
July 2024 Venue: NABARD Staff College
(NBSC)
In July 2024, I got an opportunity to address new batch of District Development Managers (DDMs) of NABARD. DDMs are NABARd officers functioning at district level overseeing and coordinating district level development agenda with special reference to NABARD's credit plan.
The following is the essence of what I spoke. Though some of the points are specific to NABARD DDMs, the general applicability remains intact. I have pruned it to make it shorter.
What is life?
Our life span is over 70 years. We need to plan for it if we do not want to
regret. DDMship is one phase in life. NABARD tenure is another stint.
Everything adds to our life and hence if we live individual phases well, our
overall life quality will be good. Here
is how I look at LIFE.
What is life?
Learn
Invest and Innovate
Find truth
Emotions/expectations.. handle.
Learn
· Learn to have big picture and
connect the dots. Develop perspective and framework for your work.
· Be up-to-date in.
· Get role clarity.. do what you are
supposed to do. Remember Peter's principle.
If you become General Manager and happy performing Assistant Manager’s
duties and take pride in that, you are not even fit to be an Assistant Manager.
I believe we should think like the person one level ahead at least. That is, if
you are an AGM at least you should think like a DGM.
· Why Potential Linked Plan (PLP)? (PLP
is an annual document prepared by DDMs giving blue print of credit and other
strategies for each district). General feeling is that who reads it and so copy
freely. I remember the story of a sculptor
who is not happy with a small mistake in his sculpture placed on a hill top.
Most people tell him the mistake is not noticeable from such a long distance
and hence, he need not worry much. The
sculptor answers them that he knows the mistake irrespective of who notices.
PLP is DDM’s sculpture and he should strive it make it better.
· District is your Karmabhumi as
opposed to janmabhumi i.e. birthplace. In Indian thinking karma is supreme form
of worship. We often hear that DDMs are eyes, ears, limbs and voice of rural
people and NABARD. To be effective DDMs should have certain skills in
collective data, collating information, reporting objectively. Hence, you should
learn basics of conducting studies and acquire skills needed.
· How many of you are unwilling,
cribbing and cursing DDMs? Dukhi atmas. See positivity everywhere. District is
the fertile ground for personality development.
It is a laboratory subjecting you to real time experiments.
· Think globally and act locally
o
List
major international, national, local happenings that impact our work and rural
economy. Connect what happens in your district with what happens around.
· Learning is a lifelong process. Keep
upgrading your self-- version 1.0, 2.0.... Onus is on you for this. Lot of
opportunities and channels are there now to learn. Train yourself and compete
with yourself. Keep learning from anyone, anybody, anytime. Remember - survival of the learned is the
mantra.
· Learn to handle your 'learnedness'. Often
people become arrogant and rude even with a limited knowledge. Learning adds
life to our living. Learn to be modest even when learned. Learn to make choices
and own them. Learn to let go and choose ur battles discretely.
· Learn essential concepts required
for your effective functioning. For instance, project cycle, basic principles
of monitoring & evaluation of development projects, stock and flow variables,
investment basics, growth rates, cropping intensity, real vs nominal, CoC vs
CoP, gross vs net income, incremental income, cost concepts, MSP, GIS spatial
maps, rationale behind PLP projections, etc. In the absence of the conceptual
clarity, many PLPs contain simple, but avoidable mistakes.
Invest and
innovate
· Investing is tradeoff between
present and future..discount the future appropriately. Invest wisely and responsibly.
Invest in yourself..build capacity with
AI, etc. Try to excel yourself.
· New works are always challenging but
will add to your networth and network. Build networks and participate, eg Linkdin,
etc
· Invest time in relationships and in
people who work for you.
· Invest passion in projects you
handle and take up your own projects and measure your success. Do not be kings
and queens of routine. Innovate. Be tomato ketchup..its different.
· Invest time in at least one hobby.
Find the Truth
· Ekam Sat vipra bahudha vadanti.
Finding the Brahmam is your goal.
· Toeing the line and being kadak are
options u should choose. Unpalatable truth ..still tell it.
· Develop sense of proportion and
balance
· Speak with data and evidence.
Analyse to get best out of the data. Critical thinking is imp. Hypotheses
testing, inference is very important tools we should use to seperate chaff and
grain. Monitoring is like solving zigsaw puzzle with wrong and/or extra pieces.
Solve it to arrive at truth.
· In the present times of mis and
dis-information and biased reporting, maintaining objectivity and finding the truth
is very difficult. Do not bank on any
one side of the story. Get the holistic picture. Position and status of people
do not lend credibility.
Emotions
and expectations
· Be dispassionate and equanimous.
Donot bother about results. They will come once your Sankalp is strong.
· Have expectations but handle
disappointments. It's about rights and choices of fellow humans. Respect.
· Learn acceptaaya mahamantram: Om Sri
accept accept acceptaya namah: Accept
yourself, accept others as they are and accept life and situations as they
unfold.
· Life journey is for evolving as
better humans and finally achieve Godliness. Develop overall personality.
Panchakosha, triguna, daivi sampat are useful concepts. Develop right attitude.
· Finally, we are humans. Do not
forget that. Your team mates are fellow humans. Treat them the way you treat
yourself. Create value and share with all.
· Never underrate anyone.
· Be infectious in your attitude and
passion
Wish you
all a great stint as DDMs and brighter future ahead.
