7 Steps to Reach Full Potential with

Microfinance Making Your Professional Skills Count

Dr. Phyllis SantaMaria, Founder MWB

Gabriel Flores, Organisational Performance, MWB

Agenda

• Background (Dr. SantaMaria)

• The Seven Steps (Gabriel Flores)

– Clarity of Purpose

– Follow Passion

– Go the Path of Least Resistance

– Build Reputation

– Learn from the Experts

– Connect

– Take Action

• An Action you can take: The Practical Microfinance Course – and a special offer for webinar attendees

Background Your Hosts

Dr. Phyllis Santamaria – founder of Microfinance without Borders with 45 years’ experience in capacity development in developing countries. Has worked closely with world experts including Muhammad Yunus and UK Coordinator of the UN Year of Microfinance. Her life is about helping to alleviate human suffering by showing people alternative ways to approach life.

Gabriel Flores – 10 years experience in management consulting for a Big 5 firm; worked with senior executives of Fortune 500 companies around the world. Left the corporate environment to focus on empowering people to reach their potential. Has delivered seminars and workshops for thousands and empowers leaders to be champions for the future.

Background About Us

Our Mission:

“ To bring global talent and abundant resources

to solving the world’s problems in a way that

each person can reach their full potential.”

Background MWB Overview

• Microfinance without Borders founded in 2007

• We provide innovative, practical and effective courses, mentoring and consulting to:

– Give professionals an avenue to use their skills to make a real impact

– Build capacity in the developing world and empower people to reach their potential

– Enable Microfinance other social enterprises and their supporters to be sustainable and deliver products and services that truly empower their clients

Background Core Offerings

Practical Courses – For professionals to build and apply their professional skills to have an impact Foundational Courses – For small enterprises in the developing world, providing people with the skills they need to be sustainable Mentoring – For professionals that want to pursue worthwhile opportunities in Microfinance including field work and career development Consulting – For organisations, social enterprises, and microfinance institutions that want to be sustainable

Background Why Microfinance?

• What do you think Microfinance is for...?

Background Why Microfinance?

• What do you think Microfinance is for...?

• We believe Microfinance is an access for all

people to reach their full potential.

All of our work is designed with a vision to help all

people reach their full potential.

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential Relevance

• The 7 Steps are for professionals to work

towards reaching full potential

• We will explore an example how this has been

applied by Yumi Yamamoto, a graduate of our

Practical Microfinance Course

• For those of you in teams and organisations,

some useful parallels will be drawn

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 1: Identify Purpose

• Be Clear about the WHY

– Your WHY

– The Organisational WHY

• Pitfall: A 'statement’ of Purpose is not enough –

has to be in the spirit

– Lack of clarity on Purpose can lead to wasted effort,

time, resources and lead to a mundane experience

– Purpose is what gives Life and Soul to what is being

done

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 1: Identify Purpose

• Top Tips to identifying Purpose:

– Individuals: • Think of when you had a blast, and felt fulfilled

• Think of what gets your goat, riles you up

• Use the iterative “WHY?”

– Teams/Organisations: • Explore with your team/leadership

• Why are we here?

• What do we stand for? Who are we?

– Also Particularly useful when: • Considering a new opportunity

• Considering a new product/capability

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 2: Follow Passion

• Let Passion be your guide

– Your passion

– For an Organisation: Cause

• Pitfall: Passion without Purpose is directionless

– Critical to focus – think laser beam versus bonfire

– Maintain balance

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 2: Follow Passion

• Top Tips to follow the Passion:

– Individuals:

• List everything that “fires you up”

• Include anything

• Note any themes/groupings

– Organisations/Teams:

• What is our cause?

• Are we using our team members’ passion?

– Also Particularly useful when:

• Feeling worn out

• Things become mundane/team lacks energy

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 3: Make the most of Talent

• Take the Path of Least Resistance

– Your Talent

– For an Organisation: Niche

• Pitfall: The jack of all trades is master of none

– Focus on your best game: think Michael Jordan

– Don’t make excuses, though...

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 3: Make the most of Talent

• Top Tips to Take the Path of Least Resistance:

– Individuals:

• What are you doing when you’re “in the zone”?

• Take your Talent profile, included in the PMF Course

• Know what to say “no” to

– Organisations/Teams:

• What are we the best at? What’s our niche?

• With whom can/should we collaborate?

– Also Particularly useful when:

• It feels like “hard work”

• Experience: maximum effort with minimum results

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 4: Build Character

• Your Reputation Matters

– Develop yourself & Set Goals

– For an Organisation: Build Trust & Set Targets

• Pitfall: I’ve built my reputation, now I can relax

– Build and reinforce the perception of who you are

– Integrity is critical

– Build Trust by delivering value consistently over time

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 4: Build Character

• Top Tips to build your reputation: – Individuals:

• Identify what your reputation already is

• Interview those around you (colleagues, friends)

• Choose what you want to be known for – make it your identity

• Set your goals

– Organisations/Teams: • What have we promised to our stakeholders?

• Are we reliably and consistently delivering value to our stakeholders to build trust

• Set targets & measures

– Also Particularly useful when: • You want to advance your career/impact

• Revenue isn’t as high as expected – TRUST is a leading indicator

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 5: Develop Knowledge

• Learn from the Experts

– Build your skills from the right sources and get a

mentor - learn from others’ mistakes

– For an Organisation: Build capabilities, see how others

have done it and get outside support

• Pitfall: Constantly tooling up...

– Learn things that forward your goals

– Develop Purpose-focused capabilities

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 5: Develop Knowledge

• Top Tips to learn from the experts:

– Individuals:

• Identify who has had the impact that what you want to have, and explore their footsteps – careful to follow those with a similar talent profile

• Get a coach or mentor to support your growth

• Set learning goals and do some activity each day

– Organisations/Teams:

• Identify what capabilities we are offering – are they precisely what the market needs – can we tweak? Do we need more/less?

• What expertise is missing from our team?

– Also Particularly useful when:

• Innovation is lacking, or you are ‘stuck’

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 6: Expand Network & Connect

• Network, Network, Network

– Build your network – include those that are relevant

for what you’re trying to achieve (Wealth Network vs.

Poverty Network)

– For an Organisation: Build partnerships

• Pitfall: Über networking

– Have an intention in mind, follow up

– Consider the maturity of potential partners

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 6: Expand Network & Connect

• Top Tips for networking:

– Individuals: • Review your Purpose, Passion, Talent, Character and

Knowledge – in which networks will you bring the most value?

• Think more about what you can GIVE than what you can get.

– Organisations/Teams: • Consider partners that are at least as developed in their

Purpose, Cause, Team, Reputation and Capability

• Look for complementary connections – how can 1 + 1 = 3?

– Also Particularly useful when: • Looking for ideas or trends in your market

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 7: Take Action

• Take Bold, Decisive and Immediate Action

– All of the internal alignment in the world is useless

unless you put it into action

– For an Organisation: get to business

• Pitfall: Waiting until it’s perfect

– You don’t have to have it all worked out – passion on

fire is better than knowledge on ice!

– For new offerings, find a customer as a first priority

before flushing out all the details

The 7 Steps to Reach Full Potential STEP 7: Take Action

• Taking Bold, Decisive, Immediate Action:

– Individuals:

• Plan – design with the end in mind

• Take actions today that forward your Purpose and goals

• Be accountable to your mentor on progress

– Organisations/Teams:

• Identify what projects need to be in place

• Plan your projects, staff correctly

• Get going! Measure results regularly

– Also Particularly useful when:

• Always! Crucial ingredient!

What Action Could I Take? Is the Practical Microfinance Course for you?

I want to have an impact with my professional skills

I have an interest in Microfinance and want to know how to get involved

I’m attracted to pragmatic and outcome oriented approaches to solve problems

I enjoy working with world-class experts

I want to develop my leadership and communication skills and enable my team to work more effectively

I want to empower people to reach their full potential and wish to connect like mined others

The Practical Microfinance Course Basic Information

• Course consists of 7 evening sessions:

– Tuesdays Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Wed Nov 7, Tues Nov 30

– Evenings from 6:00 – 9:00pm London time

– At Allen & Overy, 1 Bishops Square, London E1 6AD

– Can be attended remotely in real time via webinar

– Critical “home play” activity between sessions

• The Practical Microfinance Course is CPD accredited for 21 hours

• Participants can attend in person or via webcast

Yumi Yamamoto’s Story Vostrum International

• Background: – 1994 – 1997: Merrill Lynch

– 1998 – 2008: Nomura International

– 2009: Practical Microfinance Course

– 2011: Founder, Vostrum International

• Purpose: To create a world where everyone has access to basic primary healthcare and medicine

• Passion: Business, Healthcare, the developing world

• Talent: Logical thinking, resourceful, efficient, managing multiple moving parts, identifying pitfalls (Talent Dynamics profile: Accumulator)

• Character: Established reputation in financial services and pharmaceuticals – able to “make it happen”

• Knowledge: Financial Services and Healthcare industries, worked for the UN, sought to learn more about how she can use her skills to make a difference through Microfinance and social enterprise

• Network: Japanese and UK FS and health organisations but wanted to connect with others of like mind

Yumi Yamamoto’s Story ACTION: Took the PMF Course

Practical Microfinance course

MWB Training Trainers, Kibera

Yumi’s fieldwork, Kibera

Focus Groups with Practical Enterprise graduates, Kibera

Vostrum Clinic, Kibera – Sustainable!

The Practical Microfinance Course Key Aspects

Sustainable

Organisations

Using

Your Skills

Microfinance Organisation

Health

Microfinance Organisation Impact

Solution

Design

Team

Leadership

Practical

Project

The Practical Microfinance Course Key Topics

Microfinance Basics:

And the Truth Case Study:

A Microenterprise

MFI KPIs

Social Impact

Measurement

Evaluating MFIs

For Sustainability

Teams In Flow

MFI Consultancy

Project

Microinsurance

Resources &

Industry Contacts

The Practical Microfinance Course Led by the Experts

Professor Malcolm Harper

Chairman M-CRIL, Author

Sadrudin Akbarali, FCA

AgaKhan Agency of MF

Mosleh Ahmed FCA

Microinsurance Expert

Dr. Phyllis SantaMaria

Founder, MWB

Gabriel Flores

Organisational Performance, MWB

•MF to10 Countries

•Established 4 Banks

•Authored 15 Books

•MF and Livelihood Dev

•Chairman of M-CRIL

•Global Consultant

•Major Agencies

•UK Chair UN Year of MC

•Founder of MWB

•10 yrs. Big 5 Mgmt Consulting

•Seasoned Coach & Trainer

The Practical Microfinance Course What you’ll get out of it

Develop a foundation in Microfinance – and know where to go to build further

Collaborate with global experts on a practical project

Expand your leadership and communication skills to bring out the best in others in your day to day

Use your professional skills to make a real difference and experience fulfilment

The Practical Microfinance Course Call to Action

If you like what you heard, come play with us:

• Course Price: £997

• Limited Re-launch Promotional Offer:

– Students: £397 (£297 until limited seats sold)

– Professionals: £697 (£497 until limited seats sold)

• Sign up now and get a complementary 45-minute professional coaching session - valued at £197

• Register for the PMF course here: http://www.microfinancewithoutborders.com/courses/practical-microfinance-course/

Thank You!!

Thank you for joining us!

Reach us at:

http://www.microfinancewithoutborders.com

Register for the Practical Microfinance Course:

http://www.microfinancewithoutborders.com/courses/practical-microfinance-course/

Gabriel Flores:

gabriel@microfinancewithoutborders.com

Dr. Phyllis Santamaria:

phyllis@microfinancewithoutborders.com