Evaluating The Process

The American Indian Policy Institute is thrilled to announce the inaugural cohort of the Indigenous Leadership Academy! You can read all about the cohort from our press release. 

So you’ve made a plan and followed through on your plan. You’re done now, right? Wrong. There is one more vital step in this process; evaluation. Much like athletes that watch tape after a game, so should you after following through on your plan. Evaluation is an important tool for your leadership toolkit as it helps you to reflect and move forward. 

By conducting pre-and post-assessment as a part of evaluating your plan, you can get a more clear picture of what it is that you want to see your plan evolve into and where you can make meaningful change. Evaluation is a good thing throughout the entire process, it’s only at the end that you can see the progress made and capture the entire picture. Another useful tool for evaluation is SMART goals. SMART stands for; specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. By utilizing SMART goals, it helps to evaluate the process as you are going through it. 

From an Indigenous perspective, evaluation means a time for reflection, creating consensus, and seeking input. One example, looking toward nature and viewing cycles that way. The process of natural evaluation is seeking out people who understand these cycles the best. This includes our trusted elders, community leaders, and stakeholders. By seeking out these known and respected people in the community, we are able to evaluate the process more clearly and understand where we are headed.

Leadership practices are rooted in Indigenous wisdom and Indigenous wisdom is rooted in cycles. By evaluating and reflecting upon your plan, you ensure its success. Henana, pidamaya ye (that is all, thank you). Kristen