Lessons I Learned From H-Impact
For the past 12 weeks, I was immersed in intensive but interesting learning, sharing and growing programme. Glad, I was not alone, but together we were more than 20 amazing people from all around the world. My team alone had members from Austria to Zimbabwe. Well, it’s pandemic, but thanks to technology, virtual tools made the programme possible.
The programme was on health innovation & entrepreneurship.
These are the TOP 10 lessons I learned:
- Too many cooks DO NOT spoil the broth unless one of them does not cooperate. Innovation needs many minds and from different backgrounds. Super proud that my team not only had a student but also a scientist! Diversity & teamwork rocks!
- Innovation is NOT a destination but a journey, so make sure one have a purpose before s/he embarks on this journey. By the way, REMEMBER the journey is not easy BUT do not get discouraged.
- In the meantime, apart from reading about the facts & figures of PROBLEMS & NEEDS, make sure to go and OBSERVE what is happening, UNDERSTAND the factors causing it as well as WHO & WHAT are involved. While I learned a lot on interviewing but I still need to improve my skill on observation & EMPATHISING.
- When told to come up with ideas, NEVER fear thinking out loud! Choose the best and forget the rest. Optionally, you can save them for later. Did you know sometimes one idea also leads to another idea?
- Alas! Ideas will just remain as ideas if you do not do anything with it. This brings to HOW NOT TO ask anyone if your idea is a good idea or not, but AVOID ASKING that because EVERYONE LIES, at least a little. Instead, talk about their lives, instead of your idea. And yes, remember you got 2 ears and 1 mouth, so you know what to do well, right? 😉
- What’s next about ideas after you know what to do to solve the problem? However, one might think turning an idea into reality is expensive, but PROTOTYPING is powerful & affordable as well. Make a simple one, share with people and get their feedback.
- As an innovator & entrepreneur, one does not have to come up with a PERFECT product or service. Instead, it is important to test the “idea” first. In our team, we came up with a landing page describing what we wanted to do, a simple and straightforward design and finally the basic functionality, nothing more.
- I DISLIKE taking EXAMS and glad this programme had none, but assignments and SELF-EVALUATION on personal learning goals and REFLECTIONS. I enjoyed these better than exams because it not only allowed me to understand where I am heading but also helped me a lot to learn more about myself with the new skills I was learning! I not only felt proud of myself but also very encouraged to learn new tools and new skills that I never heard or knew before.
- PIVOT is the key! For us, it was shifting completely from our initial idea to a new one, but within the idea also we pivoted. For example, initially, our service was for elderly groups with chronic health conditions but we changed to youths and travellers with chronic health conditions. Likewise, our service had certain functions but we removed and added other features. Thanks to mentors & coaches for the guidance as well as to the flexibility & cooperation of the team.
- GO BEYOND the classroom! This is something I have also enjoyed while working as a teacher, not only allowing my students to learn in a new environment but also get experience and connect with existing knowledge. Therefore, individually as well as teamwise, we participated in different events with the skills learned from the programme.
This not only gave us the opportunity for us to experience and practice what we learnt in the class but also led to winning 2nd position in EIT Health E-Lab Joint Event. Yay!!
These all were made possible with the support & effort of wise and knowledgable coaches, mentors, challenge owners, as well as family and friends. I am beyond words in gratitude; thank you is not enough but that is all I have.
I am sure my peers have also learned a lot during this programme, so please feel free to share what you have learned and what important lessons I have missed. Likewise if what I have learned could be of your help in terms of health innovation, please feel free to contact me, so that we can work together to make a positive impact and make a healthier world!
If you are interested to see what my team worked on during this programme, you can find more about our Team, CLICK HERE
